Synthesis of π-expanded BODIPYs and their fluorescent properties in the visible-near-infrared region

A series of π-expanded boron-dipyrromethenes (BODIPYs) fused with aromatic rings at β,β-positions, such as benzene, acenaphthylene, and benzofluoranthene were prepared by the reaction of BF₃·OEt₂ with bicyclo[2.2.2]octadiene-fused dipyrromethene and the subsequent retro Diels-Alder reaction. These BODIPYs exhibited the absorptions and the fluorescence emissions over wide range of visible-near-infrared region at 500-800 nm. BODIPYs composed of two fluorantho[8,9-f]isoindoles absorbed and emitted at red-region over 750 nm with absolute fluorescence quantum yield (Φ_f) of ca. 0.3, although they are unstable under air in room light. BODIPY composed fluorantho[8,9-f]isoindole and acenaphtho[1,2-c]pyrrole was stable and showed a bright fluorescence emission at 695 nm with high Φ_f of 0.70.     

Strategy for the increasing the solid-state fluorescence intensity of pyrromethene-BF2 complexes

In this study, we attempted to increase the fluorescence quantum yield of pyrromethene-BF₂ complex (BODIPY) in the solid state by introducing bulky groups as substituents at the boron atom. Although the BF₂ complex did not exhibit any fluorescence in the solid state (Φ_f = 0.00), the B(OMe)₂, B(OPh)₂, and BPh₂ complexes did show solid-state fluorescence with quantum yields of 0.02, 0.04, and 0.22, respectively.     

Synthesis and photoluminescence properties of π-extended fluorene derivatives: the first example of a fluorescent solvatochromic nitro-group-containing dye with a high fluorescence quantum yield

Functional π-extended fluorene derivatives, 2,7-di(p-substituted-phenyl)fluorenes containing different functional groups such as hydrogen, trimethylsilyl (TMS), methoxycarbonyl, cyano, and nitro groups, were synthesized. Except for the nitro group, the resulting compounds exhibited extremely high fluorescence quantum yields (Φ_F >0.85 in chloroform). The diphenylfluorene containing nitro groups have higher fluorescence quantum yield (Φ_F = 0.31 in N,N’-dimethyl-formamide) than other nitro-group-containing fluorophores which were previously reported (Φ_F <0.1). Furthermore, this compound exhibited large Stokes’ shift with green to orange emission and unique on-off behavior of the emission by solvents.     

Photoreaction of nitrobenzenes with hydrobromic acid

Nitrobenzene and three of its derivatives (3-CO₂H, 3-OH, and 4-OH) react efficiently when irradiated (λ >340 nm) in concentrated hydrobromic acid typically to give high yields of 2,4,6-tribromoanilines. The quantum yield (Φ = 0.16 for nitrobenzene) is not changed appreciably by the electron withdrawing carboxy substituent, but is lowered by the electron donating hydroxy substituent. The reactivity suggests that electron transfer from bromide ion to the n,π* triplet is the primary process.     

Oligofluorene-based push-pull type functional materials for blue light-emitting diodes

A series of new oligofluorene-based push-pull type blue light-emitting functional materials, namely, 2-(9H-carbazole-9-yl)-7-(4-cyanophenyl)-9,9-dihexylfluorene (F1), 7-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)-7′-(4-cyanophenyl)-2,2′-bi(9,9-dihexylfluorene) (F2), 7-(9H-carbazole-9-yl)-7″-(4-cyanophenyl)-2,2′:7′,2″-ter(9,9-dihexylfluorene) (F3), and 7-(9H-carbazole-9-yl)-7″′-(4-cyanophenyl)-2,2′:7′,2″:7″,2″′-quarter(9,9-dihexylfluorene) (F4) were synthesized and characterized. Their onset decomposition temperatures for the thermal bond cleavage and the glass-transition temperatures were in general increased with increasing number of fluorene units. In dilute toluene solution, the oligofluorenes exhibited main absorption peaks in the range of 343-370 nm, photoluminescence maxima from 403 to 410 nm, and absolute quantum yields (Φ_PLs) of higher than 87%. In contrast, the absorption spectra of these compounds in the thin films had no large differences from those in the solutions except for the slight peak red-shifts (2-8 nm). The main emission maxima of F1, F2, and F3 in the thin films were located at 418-420 nm, while the main emission of F4 was found to be shifted to 446 nm, followed by a shoulder peak at 421 nm. The Φ_PLs of these thin films were estimated in the range of 59.2-68.7%. The existence of the electron-pull and -push end groups could effectively tune the energy levels of the oligofluorenes. By using the organic light emitting device (OLED) configuration of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/oligofluorenes/TPBi/LiF/Al by solution-process, F4 displayed the best performance: the lowest turn-on voltage (4.1 V) and highest maximum luminance (2180 cd/m²) with maximal current efficiency of 1.17 cd/A. When F4 was fabricated into the optimized device of ITO/MoO₃/NPB/CBP:F4(1:4)/TPBi/LiF/Al by vapor deposition, highest brightness of 5135 cd/m² and current efficiency of 1.76 cd/A were achieved with the Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.16, 0.09).     

Nitro group photoreduction of 4-(2-nitrophenyl)- and 4-(3-nitrophenyl)-1,4-dihydropyridines

The photoprocesses of nifedipine, a 4-(2-nitrophenyl)-1,4-dihydropyridine, and nimodipine and nitrendipine, two 3-nitrophenyl Hantzsch-type analogues, were studied by steady-state and time-resolved methods. The intramolecular photoreduction of nifedipine into its nitrosophenyl product takes place within a few ns. The quantum yield of conversion is Φ_red = 0.3 and does not depend significantly on the oxygen concentration and solvent properties. Formation of the fully reduced 4-(2-aminophenyl)-1,4-dihydropyridine as minor product is indicated by fluorescence spectroscopy. The photoreduction of nimodipine and nitrendipine is inefficient, Φ_red = 0.002 in acetonitrile, but markedly enhanced in the presence of donors such as triethylamine (TEA) and 2-propanol, e.g. for TEA Φ_red is up to 0.03. The triplet states of nimodipine and nitrendipine were characterized. They react intermolecularly with TEA and 2-propanol, forming radicals as intermediates and eventually several reduction products.     

Synthesis and fluorescence properties of side-chain carboxylated 5,9-diaminobenzo[a]phenoxazinium salts

The efficient synthesis of a series of novel side-chain carboxylated 5,9-diaminobenzo[a]phenoxazinium salts is described. The ring system was prepared by the reaction of 5-alkylamino-2-nitrosophenol hydrochlorides with the appropriate N-alkylated-naphthylamine. Evaluation of the visible and fluorescence properties of the cationic dyes was carried out in ethanol and water at physiological pH. In both solvents they showed intense visible absorption maxima in the range 500-638 nm (ethanol) and 625-650 (water), and fluoresced strongly, with fluorescence maxima from 612 to 669 nm (ethanol) and from 654 to 685 nm (water). A wide variation in fluorescence quantum yields is observed, ranging from 0.051 to 0.50 and 0.065 to 0.32 in ethanol and water, respectively.     

Synthesis and spectroscopic study of phenylene-(poly)ethynylenes substituted by amino or amino/cyano groups at terminal(s): electronic effect of cyano group on charge-transfer excitation of acetylenic π-systems

To gain insight into substituent electronic effect on charge-transfer excitation of acetylenic π-systems, phenylene-(poly)ethynylenes substituted by Ph₂N or Ph₂N/cyano groups were synthesized by combination of Sonogashira coupling and double elimination protocol of β-substituted sulfones. These substituted phenyleneethynylenes showed large molar absorption coefficients ?, and emitted strong fluorescence upon UV light irradiation. Phenylene-(poly)ethynylenes, which involve butadiyne or hexatriyne motifs, emitted fluorescence in remarkably lower fluorescence quantum yields Φ_F as their polyethynylene motifs -(CC)_n- expanded. The drastic decrease of fluorescence quantum yields Φ_F were explained in terms of increasing nonradiative reaction rate constants k_nr, which had been determined by the corresponding fluorescence quantum yields Φ_F and lifetime values τ. The emission underwent a large bathochromic shift in polar solvents because the charge-separated excited state is more stabilized than the ground state. Comparison of slope values ρ in Lippert/Mataga plot for the Ph₂N and Ph₂N/cyano-substituted phenylene-(poly)ethynylenes revealed that the latter underwent large change of dipole moments upon photo-excitation although highly expanded acetylenic π-systems with cyano group did little.     

New method for the quantification of dequalinium cations in pharmaceutical samples by absorption and fluorescence diode array thin-layer chromatography

A diode array HPTLC method for dequalinium chloride in pharmaceutical preparations is presented. For separation a Nano TLC silica gel plate (Merck) is used with the mobile phase methanol—7.8% aqueous NH₄⁺CH₃COO⁻ (17:3, v/v) over a distance of 6 cm. Dequalinium chloride shows an R_F value of 0.58. Pure dequalinium chloride is measured in the wavelength range from 200 to 500 nm and shows several by-products, contour plot visualized in absorption, fluorescence and using the Kubelka–Munk transformation. Scanning of a single track in absorption and fluorescence measuring 600 spectra in the range from 200 to 1100 nm takes 30 s. As a sample pre-treatment of an ointment it is simply dissolved in methanol and can be quantified in absorption from 315 to 340 nm. The same separation can also be quantified using fluorescence spectrometry in the range from 355 to 370 nm. A new staining method for dequalinium chloride, using sodium tetraphenyl borate/HCl in water allows a fluorescence quantification in the range from 445 to 485 nm. The linearity range of absorption and fluorescence measurements is from 10 to 2000 ng. Sugar-containing preparations like liquids or lozenges with a reduced sample pre-treatment can be reliably quantified only in fluorescence. The total for the quantification of an ointment sample (measuring four standards and five samples), including all sample pre-treatment steps takes less than 45 min!     

Novel long alkyl side chain benzo[a]phenoxazinium chlorides: synthesis, photophysical behaviour and DNA interaction

Several fluorescent benzo[a]phenoxazinium chlorides possessing a propyl-, octyl-, decyl-, dodecyl- or tetradecylamino at the 5-position of the heterocyclic moiety were efficiently synthesised. The absorption and emission maxima of all compounds lie in the range 627-638 nm and 654-678 nm, respectively, with good fluorescence quantum yields. Studies of their photophysical properties in ethanol allowed for the estimation of the acid-base dissociation constant, K_a, revealing an enhancement with the increase in the alkyl side-chain length. It is in the aqueous medium only that the acid form is observed as coexisting with H-aggregates. The solubility markedly decreased when the chain length increased. The residual ethanol (0.2% v/v) used to facilitate the solubilisation of the benzo[a]phenoxazinium dyes allow for the existence of the basic form in an aqueous solution, possibly through preferential solvation. Photophysical studies in the presence of DNA revealed that the compounds with an alkyl side chain of up to eight carbon atoms could intercalate between DNA nucleotides. Moreover, other forms of DNA binding were found to be operative, involving also the basic form of benzo[a]phenoxazinium dyes.     

Absorption and emission behaviour of trans-p-coumaric acid in aqueous solutions and some organic solvents

The absorption and fluorescence behaviour of trans-p-coumaric acid (trans-4-hydroxycinnamic acid) is investigated in buffered aqueous solution over a wide range from pH 1 to pH 12, in un-buffered water, and in some organic solvents. Absorption cross-section spectra, fluorescence quantum distributions, fluorescence quantum yields, and degrees of fluorescence polarisation are measured. p-Coumaric acid exists in different ionic forms in aqueous solution depending on the pH. There is an equilibrium between the neutral form (p-CAH₂) and the single anionic form (p-CAH⁻) at low pH (pK_na ≈ 4.9), and between the single anionic and the double anionic form (p-CA²⁻) at high pH (pK_aa ≈ 9.35). In the organic solvents studied trans-p-coumaric acid is dissolved in its neutral form. The fluorescence quantum yield of trans-p-coumaric acid in aqueous solution is ?_F ≈ 1.4 × 10⁻⁴ for the neutral and the single anionic form, while it is ?_F ≈ 1.3 × 10⁻³ for the double anionic form. For trans-p-coumaric acid in organic solvents fluorescence quantum yields in the range from 4.8 × 10⁻⁵ (acetonitrile) to 1.5 × 10⁻⁴ (glycerol) were measured. The fluorescence spectra are 7700–10,000 cm⁻¹ Stokes shifted in aqueous solution, and 5400–8200 cm⁻¹ Stokes shifted in the studied organic solvents. Decay paths responsible for the low fluorescence quantum yields are discussed (photo-isomerisation and internal conversion for p-CA²⁻, solvent-assisted intra-molecular charge-transfer or ππ^∗ to nπ^∗ transfer and internal conversion for p-CAH₂ and p-CAH⁻). The solvent dependence of the first ππ^∗ electronic transition frequency and of the fluorescence Stokes shift of p-CAH₂ is discussed in terms of polar solute–solvent interaction effects. Thereby the ground-state and excite-state molecular dipole moments are extracted.     

Absorption and fluorescence characteristics of photo-activated adenylate cyclase nano-clusters from the amoeboflagellate Naegleria gruberi NEG-M strain

The spectroscopic characteristics of BLUF (BLUF = sensor of blue light using flavin) domain containing soluble adenylate cyclase (nPAC = Naegleria photo-activated cyclase) samples from the amoeboflagellate Naegleria gruberi NEG-M strain is studied at room temperature. The absorption and fluorescence spectroscopic development in the dark was investigated over two weeks. Attenuation coefficient spectra, fluorescence quantum distributions, fluorescence quantum yields, and fluorescence excitation distributions were measured. Thawing of frozen nPAC samples gave solutions with varying protein nano-cluster size and varying flavin, tyrosine, tryptophan, and protein color-center emission. Protein color-center emission was observed in the wavelength range of 360-900 nm with narrow emission bands of small Stokes shift and broad emission bands of large Stokes shift. The emission spectra evolved in time with protein nano-cluster aging.     

Synthesis, luminescence properties, and theoretical insights of N-alkyl- or N,N-dialkyl-pyrene-1-carboxamide

We report the synthesis and photophysical properties of N-alkyl- or N,N-dialkyl-pyrene-1-carboxamide. These derivatives, as well as pyrene, exhibited blue emission. N-Alkyl-type derivatives exhibited strong fluorescence emission (Φ_fl = 0.61 in EtOH) in both nonpolar and polar solvents. On the other hand, N,N-dialkyl-type derivatives showed weak fluorescence emission (Φ_fl <0.01) due to vibrational deactivation. However, in highly viscous solvents such as glycerin, the quantum efficiencies of N-alkyl-type (Φ_fl = 0.91) and N,N-dialkyl-type (Φ_fl = 0.082) derivatives were increased. We also investigated the fluorescence mechanism of these compounds using time-dependent density-functional theory (TD-DFT). From these results, we find that highly fluorescent pyrene-1-carboxamide derivatives can be designed by introducing an appropriate functional group at the nitrogen atom of the amide. Thus, N,N-dialkyl-type pyrene-1-carboxamide has considerable potential for use in applications such as environmental response sensors and probes.     

Synthesis and optical/thermal properties of low molecular mass V-shaped materials based on 2,3-dicyanopyrazine

A novel series of luminescent low molecular mass materials containing a 2,3-dicyanopyrazine central core were synthesized through an esterification reaction between diphenol 10 and different aromatic carboxylic acids 1-6, containing terminal long alkyl chains. They have a similar V-shaped geometry with lack of planarity between the two arms, confirmed by the X-ray structure of the central core. The optical and thermal properties of these compounds were evaluated. They show blue fluorescence in solution ( 440-480 nm) with quantum fluorescence yields (Φ_F) from 0.003 to 0.1 and Stokes shifts of around 90 nm. In solid state, optical band gaps (E_g) were from 3.14 to 3.32 eV. Thin films of 11, 13, and 14 exhibited blue fluorescence ( 430-456 nm), and 12, 15, and 16 (more bulky) displayed green fluorescence ( 488-512 nm). Most of the materials exhibited good thermal stability, exhibiting an amorphous glassy state after melting. Transparent amorphous films were easily obtained through spin coating and characterized by AFM analysis.     

Photophysical properties and photostability of novel unsymmetric polycyclicphenazine-type D-π-A fluorescent dyes and the dye-doped films

Structural isomers of unsymmetric polycyclicphenazine-type D-π-A fluorescent dyes have been newly synthesized and characterized in both solution and polymer films. The dyes exhibited two strong absorption bands at around 328-401 nm and 516-532 nm, and an intense fluorescence band at around 595-629 nm (Φ = 0.32-0.84) in 1,4-dioxane. The dye-doped polymer films showed good ability of wavelength conversion; the films can efficiently convert ultraviolet and green-yellow lights into red light (Φ = 0.43-0.86). Moreover, the photostability of the dyes-doped PS, PMMA, and PLA films has been investigated.     

Novel photoluminescent hemi-disclike liquid crystalline Zn(II) complexes of [N2O2] donor 4-alkoxy substituted salicyldimine Schiff base with aromatic spacer

A series of novel hemi-disclike four coordinated distorted square planar Zn(II) Schiff base complexes containing 4-substituted alkoxy chains on the side aromatic ring [Zn (4−C_nH_2n+1O)₂ salophen], n = 14, 16, 18 and salophen = N,N′-4-methyl phenylene bis (salicylideneiminato), have been prepared and their mesogenic, photophysical properties were investigated. The phase behavior of these compounds were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscopy and variable temperature PXRD study. The ligands are non-mesogenic but the complexes exhibited an unprecedented 2D-hexagonal columnar mesophase (Col_h) in the temperature 175–185 °C range. In the mesophase (Col_h), the molecules self assemble in a columnar stack in antiparallel fashion. All λ_max of the UV–Vis absorption and photoluminescence band occurred at ca. 291–425 and 504–524 nm, respectively. The ligands are non-emissive, but on coordination with Zn(II), the complexes show intense green emission at room temperature in dichloromethane solution (∼505 nm, Φ = 20%) as well as in solid (∼522 nm, Φ = 9%) at 360 nm excitation. The DFT calculations were performed using Dmol3 program at BLYP/DNP level to obtain the stable electronic structure of the complex. A small LUMO-HOMO band gap (∼2.1 eV), presumably suggests a rather strong electronic correlation among the molecules along the column.     

Two different spectrofluorimetric methods for simultaneous determination of gemfibrozil and rosiglitazone in human plasma

Two accurate, reliable, and highly sensitive spectrofluorimetric methods were developed for simultaneous determination of binary mixture gemfibrozil and rosiglitazone in human plasma without prior separation steps. The first method is based on synchronous fluorescence spectrometry using double scans. At Δλ = 27 nm, gemfibrozil yields detectable signal that is independent of the presence of rosiglitazone. Similarly, at Δλ = 120 nm the signal of rosiglitazone is not influenced by the presence of gemfibrozil. Signals at two wavelengths, 301 (Δλ = 27 nm) and 368 nm (Δλ = 120 nm) vary linearly with gemfibrozil and rosiglitazone concentrations over the range 100-700 ng mL⁻¹ (for gemfibrozil) and 20-140 ng mL⁻¹ (for rosiglitazone), respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) were 2.3 and 2.72 ng mL⁻¹ for gemfibrozil and rosiglitazone, respectively. The second method is based on the technique of simultaneous equations (Vierodt's method), in which 258 nm was selected as the excitation wavelength. Two equations are constructed based on the fact that at (λEm₂=302 nm of gemfibrozil) and (λEm₂=369 nm of rosiglitazone) the fluorescence of the mixture is the sum of the individual fluorescence of gemfibrozil and rosiglitazone. The limits of detection (LOD) were 28.1 and 23.63 ng mL⁻¹ for gemfibrozil and rosiglitazone, respectively. The proposed methods were successfully applied for the determination of the two compounds in synthetic mixtures and in human plasma with a good recovery.     

Novel photoluminescent lanthanidomesogens forming bilayer smectic phase derived from blue light emitting liquid crystalline, one ring O-donor Schiff-base ligands

A series of new mononuclear lanthanide(III)-salicylaldimine complexes of the type [Ln(LH)₃(NO₃)₃] (Ln = La, Pr, Sm and Gd; LH = N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4n-alkoxysalicylaldimine, n = 14, 18) have been synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, UV-Vis, FAB-mass and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The ligand (LH) coordinate to lanthanide ions in zwitterionic form via the phenolic-oxygen with the proton shifted to the imine-nitrogen. The nitrato groups occurring in chelated bidentate fashion complete a nine-coordinate geometry. Polarized optical microscopy (POM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) show that the ligands are monotropic and their complexes exhibit enantiotropic highly viscous smectic A (SmA) mesophase in the temperature range 60-185 °C. A bilayer self organized assembly of the molecules in the mesophase are proposed on the basis of the small angle XRD study. The ligands are blue light emitters with a broad emission maxima at ∼447 nm while the lanthanide complexes show intense emission in the visible range (∼465-679 nm) at 350 nm excitation. The samarium(III) complex, [Sm(LH)₃(NO₃)₃] is distinct from the rest in emitting bright orange light (∼660 nm, Φ = 48%). The S_o-S₁ excitation band being stronger than the direct f-f excitation in the samarium complex clearly suggests that the Schiff-base ligands efficiently sensitize the luminescence of Sm³⁺. DFT calculations have been performed using DMol3 program at BLYP/DNP level to obtain the stable electronic structure of the ligand and complex.     

Surface-modified CdSe quantum dots as luminescent probes for cyanide determination

Luminescent surface-modified CdSe semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), with nanoparticle (NP) size distribution in the order of 2-7 nm, have been synthesized for optical determination of cyanide ions. The nanoparticles have been functionalised with tert-butyl-N-(2-mercaptoethyl)-carbamate (BMC) groups and exhibit a strong fluorescent emission at about 580 nm with rather long fluorescence lifetimes (several hundred nanoseconds) in aerated methanolic solution. The observed luminescence emitted by the synthesized nanocrystals was tremendously increased by photo-activation under sunlight exposure. The functionalised QDs turned out to exhibit excellent long-term stability when stored in the dark (no significant changes in QDs luminescence emission intensity was observed even after two months from synthesis). The functionalisation of the NPs with carbamate ligand allowed a highly sensitive determination of free cyanide via analyte-induced changes in the photoluminescence (fluorescence quenching of intensity at 580 nm and lifetime changes) of the modified quantum dots (excited at 400 nm). A detection limit of 1.1 × 10⁻⁷ M (2.9 μg l⁻¹) of cyanide ions was obtained, while the interfering effect of other inorganic anions (including NO₃⁻, Cl⁻ or SCN⁻) was negligible even at 200-fold level concentrations in excess of cyanide.     

Glucose oxidase-functionalized fluorescent gold nanoclusters as probes for glucose

Creation and application of noble metal nanoclusters have received continuous attention. By integrating enzyme activity and fluorescence for potential applications, enzyme-capped metal clusters are more desirable. This work demonstrated a glucose oxidase (an enzyme for glucose)-functionalized gold cluster as probe for glucose. Under physiological conditions, such bioconjugate was successfully prepared by an etching reaction, where tetrakis (hydroxylmethyl) phosphonium-protected gold nanoparticle and thioctic acid-modified glucose oxidase were used as precursor and etchant, respectively. These bioconjugates showed unique fluorescence spectra (λ_{em max} = 650 nm, λ_{ex max} = 507 nm) with an acceptable quantum yield (ca. 7%). Moreover, the conjugated glucose oxidase remained active and catalyzed reaction of glucose and dissolved O₂ to produce H₂O₂, which quenched quantitatively the fluorescence of gold clusters and laid a foundation of glucose detection. A linear range of 2.0 × 10⁻⁶–140 × 10⁻⁶ M and a detection limit of 0.7 × 10⁻⁶ M (S/N = 3) were obtained. Also, another horseradish peroxidase/gold cluster bioconjugate was produced by such general synthesis method. Such enzyme/metal cluster bioconjugates represented a promising class of biosensors for biologically important targets in organelles or cells.