Spectral luminescence properties of 1- and 2-alkyl(cycloalkyl) derivatives of benzo[f]quinoline

The absorption and fluorescence spectra of alcohol solutions of 3-aryl-substituted benzof]-quinolines were investigated, and the fluorescence quantum yields were measured. It was established that the indicated compounds have intense absorption in the UV region and fluorescence at 350–450 nm. The fluorescence quantum yields range from 5 to 70%, depending on the substituents. The introduction of aromatic substituents in the 1 and 3 positions of benzo-f]quinoline ring raises the fluorescence quantum yields. A methyl group in the 2 position of the molecule leads to a decrease in the fluorescence quantum yield. Benzof]quinoline derivatives that contain a cyclopentene ring in the 1 and 2 positions fluoresce intensely (=40–60%), while cyclohexene and cycloheptene condensed in the same positions cause a decrease in the fluorescence yield to 7–13%; this is associated with the three-dimensional structure of these molecules.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 9, pp. 1237–1240, September, 1977.