Fluorescence study of arene probe microenvironment in the intraparticle void volume of zeolites interfaced with bathing polar solvents

Fluorescence methodologies have been utilized to examine micropolarity, intramolecular motion, and singlet quenching in the intraparticle void volume of zeolites X, Y, and ultrastable Y (USY) interfaced with bathing polar solvents. Micropolarity was assessed from the 3-to-1 band ratio (III/I) of the fluorescence spectrum of pyrene (PY) and from lambda(max) of the fluorescence spectrum of 1-pyrenecarboxaldehyde (1-PCA). In zeolites bathed in anhydrous solvents, both PY and 1-PCA reported increased micropolarity according to the trend USY < bulk solvent < NaX approximately NaY. For example, in NaY (USY), III/I ranged from 0.44 (0.98) in acetonitrile to 0.52 (1.34) in n-hexanol, compared to 0.60, 1.06, and 1.62 in bulk acetonitrile (ACN), n-hexanol, and n-hexane, respectively. The polarity studies reveal that the ionic nature of NaX and NaY and the hydrophobic nature of USY strongly influence the microenvironment of the arene despite the presence of desorbing polar solvents. Constraints on intramolecular motion were examined in polar-solvated NaX through measurements of the fluorescence lifetime of trans-stilbene. Lifetimes ranged from 113 ps in NaX-ACN to 671 ps in NaX-tert-butyl alcohol. The latter value is close to that observed in bulk glycerol. Diffusion-controlled quenching of PY fluorescence by O2 and a series of nitrocompounds dissolved in solvents bathing the zeolite was examined by a time-resolved approach. For all of the quenchers and solvents studied, quenching was more efficient in USY compared to NaX and NaY. Interestingly, the rate of O2 quenching in USY-MeOH was only 12 times lower than that in bulk MeOH. In contrast, in NaY-MeOH and NaX-MeOH the rate of O2 quenching was too low to be measured. The rate constants in these systems were therefore taken as the rate constant for diffusion-controlled quenching of trapped electrons measured previously. These values were 600 times and 10(5) times lower than the rate of fluorescence quenching in USY-MeOH, respectively. The O2 quenching studies show that dispersive interactions of polar solvents with the cavity walls dominate in USY because of the hydrophobic nature of the USY surface. In NaX and NaY, stronger ion-dipole and hydrogen bonding interactions dominate and lead to more restricted access and lowered quenching efficiency. Perrin (or static) quenching of pyrene fluorescence was also examined to infer the concentration of nitromethane (NM) in the void volume of NaX and NaY bathed in MeOH, ACN, or H2O. The results indicate that access of NM to the interior of NaY is more inhibited in ACN compared to MeOH, presumably because of the higher dipole moment of ACN and its resulting stronger association with the zeolite surface. At similar levels of static quenching equated to a similar NM concentration in the zeolite, dynamic quenching by NM varied by no more than a factor of 2 in all systems compared. This implies that the rate of NM diffusion in solvated zeolite interiors is similar regardless of zeolite or solvent properties. In contrast to O2 diffusion in zeolites, NM exhibits a high dipole moment and can therefore migrate through polar-solvated zeolite apertures by adsorbing to the zeolite. Overall, the results of this study show a close relationship between the behavior of probes and quenchers in the confines of polar-solvated zeolite interiors and the chemical properties of the zeolite. Differences between weakly and strongly interacting surfaces are revealed clearly in the results.