Comparative study of photophysical properties of isomeric tetrapyridyl- and tetra-(N-hexadecylpyridiniumyl) porphyrins.

Photophysical properties (absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra, lifetimes and quantum yields) were studied for the three isomers of tetrapyridylporphyrins (TPyPs) in CHCl3 and tetra-(N-hexadecylpyridiniumyl) porphyrins (TC16PyPs) in CHCl3, CH3OH and Triton X-100 micelle solution. While the ground-state and excited-state properties are very similar for the three isomers of neutral TPyP, significant differences exist among the isomers of amphiphilic TC16PyP. Amphiphilic porphyrins bearing hydrophilic pyridinium and hydrophobic long-chain alkyl groups are characterized by reduced fluorescence quantum yields, biexponential fluorescence decay, and appreciable aggregation in nonpolar solvents. The observed biexponential fluorescence decay of amphiphilic porphyrins can be interpreted in terms of mixing of the S1 and a close-lying CT state in which an electron is transferred from the porphyrin core to the electron-deficient pyridinium group.