THE Py SCALE OF SOLVENT POLARITIES. SOLVENT EFFECTS ON THE VIBRONIC FINE STRUCTURE OF PYRENE FLUORESCENCE and EMPIRICAL CORRELATIONS WITH ET and Y VALUES

Abstract— Pyrene fluorescence spectra have been run in 62 solvents of widely differing solvent polarity. As has been noted previously, the intensity ratio of the first (the 0–0 band) and third bands in vibronic fine structure of these spectra are very sensitive to solvent polarity. These I ₁/ I ₃ values, however, are not sensitive to hydrogen bonding aspects of solvent-solute interactions. Correlations are reported with Winstein's Y values and with Dimrotb's E _T values. On this basis the I ₁/ I ₃ values for pyrene fluorescence are suggested as the basis for a new empirical scale of solvent polarity, called the Py scale, which offers certain conveniences over other scales of solvent polarity.     

氰基蒽的电子转移荧光猝灭及激基复合物

本文测定了在不同溶剂中一系列化合物以及氧分子对9,10-二氰基蒽(DCA)及9-氰基蒽(CNA)的荧光淬灭常数k_q值及DCA与2,5-二甲基呋喃的激基复合物的发射光谱。这些化合物的k_q值与计算所得自由能的变化△G之间的关系基本符合Rehm-Wdler关系。溶剂极性及溶剂粘度对荧光猝灭反应有影响,影响强电子给体k_q值的主要因素是溶剂的粘度,而弱电子给体的k_q值则主要决定于溶剂的极性。氧分子的k_q值基本上与溶剂扩散速率常数走k_diff值吻合。     

Temperature‐Dependent Behavior of the Dual Fluorescence of 2‐(3‐Fluorophenyl)‐2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐benzo[f]isoindole‐1,3‐dione

The fluorescence behavior of 2‐(3‐fluorophenyl)‐2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐benzo[f]isoindole‐1,3‐dione ( 1 ) was studied in solvents of different polarity and viscosity. Dual luminescence is observed and the short‐wavelength emission is found to increase considerably with the solvent polarity. The ratio of the fluorescence quantum yield of the two states emitting, the one (SW*) at short wavelength and the other (LW*) at long wavelength, shows a bell‐shaped dependence on the reciprocal of the temperature in diethyl ether, butyronitrile, and propane‐1,2,3‐triol triacetate (glycerol triacetate; GTA). This has been interpreted as the result of a reversible interconversion between the two states. The enthalpy difference between the SW* and LW* excited states, as deduced from the slope of the ln (Φ/Φ) vs. 1/T curves in the high temperature range, is found to be solvent polarity and solvent viscosity independent as the same value (−7.3 kJ/mol) is obtained in the three above‐mentioned solvents. The independence from polarity is the consequence of a similar difference in dipole moment between the ground‐state and the SW* and LW* excited states (4.5 and 4.9 D, respectively, derived from solvatochromy). The activation energy of the SW*→LW* step deduced from the low temperature measurements in the nonviscous solvents, increases with solvent polarity (11.6 and 17.5 kJ/mol for diethyl ether and butyronitrile, respectively); they are greater than the viscous‐flow activation energy of the solvents indicating that the resolvation of the excited dipole controls the kinetics. In the nonviscous solvents, the LW* state originates from the SW* state, while in the viscous GTA solution, both states are formed simultaneously within the 1‐ps laser pulse.     

9,10-二氰基蒽敏化光氧化反应的溶剂效应

本文通过α,β-蒎烯及1,4-二苯基-1,3-丁二烯的9,10-二氰基蒽(DCA)敏化光氧化反应在一系列溶剂中产物生成的相对量子效率及单线态氧(¹O₂)产物的含量,对β-蒎烯在乙腈中的反应动力学分析,讨论了反应的溶剂效应,证明了DCA敏化光氧化反应,包括¹O₂产物都是经由电子转移的反应机理。     

Evolution of the solvent polarity in an electrospray plume

Solvent polarity plays an important role in electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), one of the most widely used analytical methods for biochemistry. To have a comprehensive understanding of how solvent polarity affects ESI-MS measurements, we systematically investigated the polarity change in the ESI plume formed from an ethanol solution using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy. Two solvatochromic dyes (i.e., dyes whose fluorescence emission is sensitive to solvent polarity), Nile red and DCM (4-dicyanomethylene-2-methyl-6-p-dimethylaminostyryl-4H-pyran), were used as probes. The peak emission wavelengths of these two dyes exhibited significant red shifts (8–12 nm) when the measuring spot was moved away from the spray tip and in radial direction in the plume, indicating a dramatic polarity change during shrinking of the droplets. The emission intensities were also measured with a polarity-insensitive dye as a reference. The results are consistent with the peak wavelength measurements. Two key mechanisms responsible for the change of solvent polarity in the plume were considered, water entrainment from the surrounding air and solvent evaporation. Furthermore, quantitative analysis of the solvent polarity change was performed by using the Lippert-Mataga polarity parameter Δf. The value of Δf reached 0.305–0.307 at the periphery of the ESI plume, which means that the solvent polarity in the smaller droplet is close to that of a mixture of 30% water and 70% ethanol (Δf = 0.307), even though the bulk solvent was ethanol containing less than 1% water as an impurity.     

Internal Conversion with N,N-substituted 1-aminonaphthalenes:Photophysics and Applications

The solvent polarity dependence of the fluorescence quantum yield and lifetime of 1-dimethylaminonaphthalene (DMAN) was fund different from that of normal case in that the two parameters increase with increasing solvent polarity, in spite of the fact that the emissive state of DMAN was also of ICT character. Steady state and time-resolved fluorescence studies have currently indicated that a thermally activated internal conversion (IC) occurred with DMAN^[1,2]. The IC was assumed to be the consequence, of the vibronic coupling of the emissive S₁ state and S₂ state with the activation energy of the IC process depending on the energy gap between S₁ and S₂ states. It was hence put, forward that with increasing solvent, polarity the energy of the S₁ state would be lowered more than that of the S₂ state, leading to higher energy gap between the S₁ and S₂ states and therefore suppressed IC. As a consequence, increased fluorescence quantum yield and lengthened lifetime were observed.     

Photophysical properties of β-(1-pyrenyl)ethyl p-cyanobenzoate in binary solvents of isooctane-ethyl acetate and ethyl acetate-acetonitrile

The effects of solvent polarity on the fluorescence spectra and fluorescence decays of β-(1-pyrenyl)ethyl p-cyanobenzoate (P2CN) were investigated in detail using binary solvents consisting of various mixing ratios of isooctane-ethyl acetate or ethyl acetate-acetonitrile (dielectric constants ()=1.94–36.2). Whereas both the intensity and wavelength maxima of an intramolecular exciplex emission (EX) are dependent on the solvent polarity, only the intensity of an emission from the locally excited pyrene (LE) is dependent on the solvents used. When monitored at 377 nm, the picosecond SPC (single photon counting) measurements reveal a slow decay (>150 ns) in addition to a fast decay (<1 ns) of the locally excited P2CN. There are also two decays for the EX which vary the intensity ratios by the monitored wavelength. The decay rate constants, k_EX1 and k_EX2, have a good linear correlation with the dielectric constants of the solvents, indicating that there exist two kinds of exciplexes. It is suggested that the decays of the locally excited-state of P2CN are so fast due to result of the efficient electron transfer that the two kinds of intramolecular exciplexes are formed from the two discrete conformers in the ground state.     

Synthesis and fluorescence properties of dimethylaminonaphthalene-deoxyuridine conjugates as polarity-sensitive probes

The design of probes for monitoring various structures and dynamics of DNA and its surroundings is an important step in understanding biological events accompanying interbiomolecular interaction. We have developed novel fluorescent nucleosides in which the uracil base and the fluorophore are tethered by rigid linkers. They show unique absorption and fluorescence emission spectra. Nucleoside 2 is a fluorophore with high CT character and the fluorescence is very sensitive to solvent polarity. Nucleoside 3 shows absorption and emission maxima with longer wavelength due to extension of the DAN-conjugate system. These fluorophore-deoxyuridine conjugates with unique fluorescence properties would work as reporter probes sensitive to the change in microenvironment around specific sites of DNA.     

Fluorescence probes for monitoring polymerization processes

Several intramolecular charge transfer fluorescence probes, such as the dansyl amides (1a-d), 4-dimethylamino-4′-nitrobiphenyl (2) and 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6-(p-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran (3), have been developed and evaluated. The fluorescence emission of the probes is sensitive to both the solvent polarity and medium microviscosity. A spectral blue shift, attributed to an increase in microviscosity, was observed as polymerization proceeded. Therefore, these fluorescence probes can be used for monitoring polymerization processes. The correlation between the fluorescence emission intensity ratio and degree of cure is linear in various formulations, which may be cured either photochemically or thermally. The selectivity and sensitivity of the fluorescence probes have been investigated. 4-Dimethylamino-4′-nitrobiphenyl (2) was found to be the most sensitive probe to both solvent polarity and medium microviscosity. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Conformational relaxation dynamics in the excited electronic states of benzil in solution

Relaxation dynamics in the excited singlet (S₁) state of benzil have been studied in solution using pico and subpicosecond transient absorption spectroscopic techniques. The triple exponential decay dynamics of the S₁ state indicates that the process of conformational change from the cis-skewed to the trans-planar form takes place via the formation of a meta-stable intermediate conformer resulting the involvement of two consequent barrier crossing processes. The barrier crossing dynamics is governed by both the polarity of the solvent, which alters the barrier heights by ‘static' interactions, as well as the viscosity of the solvent via ‘dynamical' interactions.     

New highly fluorescent ketocyanine polarity probes

The syntheses and spectral properties of three new and highly fluorescent solvent polarity probes are described. They are found to be extremely sensitive to solvent polarity in that spectral red shifts in both absorption and fluorescence spectra occur upon increasing solvent polarity. Excitation and emission data of the dyes in a set of different polar solvents are given. The emission data are compared with the standard ET^N values of solvent polarity and a linear correlation is obtained over a wide range. The origin of the unusual solvatochromic properties is discussed in terms of the resonance structures of this new group of molecular probes. Their outstanding features include high spectral sensitivity to polarity, high molar absorptivities, high fluorescence quantum yields, longwave excitation and emission, insignificant quenching by oxygen, and a sufficient stability in aqueous solution. Therefore, the new probes are considered to be advantageous over other polarity probes used so far in probing biochemical and biological systems.     

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of 1D Cd-amine Coordination Polymer and Its Luminescent Properties

A novel one dimension（1D） cadmium coordination polymer {[Cd（mpda）3]·2（NO3）}n（1） was synthesized via refluxing a mixture of tetradentate Schiff base ligand N,N＇-bis（2-pyridinylethylidene）phenylene-1,3-diamine（L） and Cd（NO3）2 in acetonitrile, whose structure was characterized by means of single crystal X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and proton nuclear magnetic resonance（1H NMR）. Center metal Cd（II） ion is six-coordinated by six nitrogen atoms from six different m-phenylenediamine（mpda）, giving rise to a [CdN6] octahe- dral coordination environment. The two adjacent cadmium centers are linked by three mpda molecules leading to the construction of 1D chain structure. The crystal structure is stabilized by N-H…O hydrogen bonds to form three-dimension supramolecule. Compound 1 exhibits intense yellow luminescence in solid state at 298 K（λem=554 nm）, which shows a blue shift at 77 K（ca. 147 nm）. Additionally, fluorescence characteristics of compound 1 were investigated in different solvents（polarity： DMSO〉CH3CN〉CH3OH〉CHC13〉toluene） at 298 and 77 K. The results show that the emission peak of compound 1 in solvent exhibits a slight bathochromic shift. However, the emission peaks of compound 1 in CH3OH and CHC13 are red shift compared with that in CH3CN. It is revealed that the lumi- nescence behavior of compound 1 depends on not only the polarity of solvent but also the hydrogen bonding proper- ties between solvent and solute. In addition, the emission peak of compound 1 in solution shows a red shift obviously at 77 K than that at 298 K（ca. 144-159 nm）, with the fluorescence lifetime increased at 77 K. The lifetime in DMSO at 77 K（r=12.470μs） was the longest one. The quantum yield of compoud 1 increases with increasing the polarity of solvent within a range of 1.8%-8.3 %.     

Design and synthesis of a library of BODIPY-based environmental polarity sensors utilizing photoinduced electron-transfer-controlled fluorescence ON/OFF switching

We systematically examined the mechanism of the solvent polarity dependence of the fluorescence ON/OFF threshold of the BODIPY (boron dipyrromethene) fluorophore and the role of photoinduced electron transfer (PeT). In a series of BODIPY derivatives with variously substituted benzene moieties at the 8-position, the oxidation potential of the benzene moiety became more positive and the reduction potential of the BODIPY fluorophore became more negative as the solvent polarity was decreased; consequently, the free energy change of PeT from the benzene moiety becomes larger in a more nonpolar environment. Utilizing this finding, we designed and synthesized a library of probes in which the threshold of fluorescence ON/OFF switching corresponds to different levels of solvent polarity. These environment-sensitive probes were used to examine bovine serum albumin (BSA) and living cells. The polarity at the surface of albumin was concluded to be similar to that of acetone, while the polarity of the internal membranes of HeLa cells was similar to that of dichloromethane.     

Ultrafast photoisomerization of photoactive yellow protein chromophore analogues in solution: influence of the protonation state.

We investigate solvent viscosity and polarity effects on the photoisomerization of the protonated and deprotonated forms of two analogues of the photoactive yellow protein (PYP) chromophore. These are trans-p-hydroxybenzylidene acetone and trans-p-hydroxyphenyl cinnamate, studied in solutions of different polarity and viscosity at room temperature, by means of femtosecond fluorescence up-conversion. The fluorescence lifetimes of the protonated forms are found to be barely sensitive to solvent viscosity, and to increase with increasing solvent polarity. In contrast, the fluorescence decays of the deprotonated forms are significantly slowed down in viscous media and accelerated in polar solvents. These results elucidate the dramatic influence of the protonation state of the PYP chromophore analogues on their photoinduced dynamics. The viscosity and polarity effects are, respectively, interpreted in terms of different isomerization coordinates and charge redistribution in S(1). A trans-to-cis isomerization mechanism involving mainly the ethylenic double-bond torsion and/or solvation is proposed for the anionic forms, whereas "concerted" intramolecular motions are proposed for the neutral forms.     

氮氧自由基的研究(Ⅱ)——哌啶类氮氧自由基的溶剂效应及其分子结构的研究

对4-氧-2,2,6,6-四甲基哌啶-1-氧自由基在26种不同溶剂中的顺磁共振谱进行了测定,发现超精细分裂常数A_N随溶剂极性的增加而上升,而g值却呈现微小的下降趋势。A_N与ReichardtE_T、KosowerZ值之间有线性关系,而与ε、μ却不呈现线性关系。由于E_T、Z为模型反应的溶剂微观极性效应参数,而ε、μ为非模型反应的溶剂宏观极性效应参数,所以A_N可以作为一种新的非模型反应的溶剂微观极性效应参数。     

Effect of solvent polarity on the aggregation of fullerenes: a comparison between C60 and C70

Effect of solvent polarity on the aggregation behaviour of C₇₀ has been investigated in several mixed solvents using optical absorption, fluorescence, dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopic measurements and compared with those observed for the other fullerene analogue, C₆₀. It is seen that similar to C₆₀, aggregation of C₇₀ also requires the solvent polarity to exceed some critical value. In terms of solvent dielectric constant the critical solvent polarity, required for C₇₀ aggregation is found to be in the range of 27–31, which is much higher than that required for C₆₀ aggregation (12–14). The large difference in the critical solvent polarity required for C₆₀ and C₇₀ aggregation has been rationalized on the basis of the molecular shapes and the polarizabilities of two fullerene molecules.     

Synthesis and properties of novel base-discriminating fluorescent (BDF) nucleosides: a highly polarity-sensitive fluorophore for SNP typing

We have developed novel alkanoylpyrene-labeled BDF nucleosides, ^AMPyU and ^MPyU. These nucleosides exhibit strong fluorescence emission at long wavelength that is highly sensitive to solvent polarity. BDF probes containing ^AMPyU selectively emit fluorescence only when the base opposite BDF nucleoside is adenine and act as effective reporter probes for homogeneous SNP typing.     

Molecular probes of solvation phenomena

The properties of the molecules present in any chemical or biological system are dependent on interactions with the environment, and a quantitative understanding of solvation phenomena remains a major challenge. Molecular recognition probes provide a new approach to quantitatively measure the properties of solvents. Traditionally, solvent polarity scales have been based on spectroscopic probes that provide insight into the nature of solvent-solute interactions. This review compares the solvent polarity parameters obtained from the wavelengths of UV/Visible absorption maxima with solute H-bond parameters obtained from the free energies of solution equilibria. The similarity of the solvent and solute H-bond scales leads to a general H-bond scale that uses the same parameters to describe both solvent and solute. The general H-bond scale provides a framework for understanding the relationship between local intermolecular interactions and the properties of the bulk medium. Intermolecular interactions are sensitive to solvation equilibria, so molecular recognition probes provide fundamentally different information from spectroscopic probes that are sensitive to the populations of different solvation states of the solute. Studies of mixed solvents demonstrate the potential of molecular recognition probes for providing new insights into solvation phenomena.     

Fluorescent Molecular Probes II. The Synthesis, Spectral Properties and Use of Fluorescent Solvatochromic Dapoxyl Dyes

Abstract— 2,5-Diphenyloxazoles that embody a dimethylamino group at position 4 of the 5-phenyl ring and a sulfonyl group at position 4 of the 2-phenyl ring were prepared as new fluorescent solvatochromic dyes. In these molecules, there is a "push-pull" electron transfer system from the 5-phenyl moiety to the 2-phenyl ring. These compounds show strong solvent-dependent fluorescence that is well correlated with the empirical solvent polarity parameter ET (30). The solvent polarity dependence suggests that the fluorescence arises from an intramolecular charge transfer. The fluorescence-environment dependence, long emission wavelength, large extinction coefficients, high fluorescence quantum yields and large Stokes shift of the fluorophores can be used to develop ultrasensitive fluorescent molecular probes to study a variety of biological events and processes.     

INTRAMOLECULAR EXCIMER FLUORESCENCE: A NEW PROBE OF PHASE TRANSITIONS IN SYNTHETIC PHOSPHOLIPID MEMBRANES

Abstract— The molecule (1,1'-dipyrenyl)-methyl ether [dipyme] shows intramolecular excimer fluorescence in competition with fluorescence from the locally excited pyrene chromophore. This intensity ratio I_c/I_m is sensitive to solvent viscosity. The molecule is soluble in synthetic phospholipid membranes. ¹H NMR studies suggest that the molecule is localized in the hydrocarbon region of the membrane. Fluorescence measurements at various temperatures of dipyme dissolved in these membranes show that I_c/I_m is exceedingly sensitive to fluidity changes accompanying both the pretransitions and the gel to liquid crystalline transitions of the membrane. These studies can be carried out at a mole ratio of probe to lipid 10²-10³ smaller than that necessary to observe bimolecular pyrene excimer formation.