| Abstract: | A series of α-oxobenzimidazolinic merocyanines differently substituted on the ‘phenolate’ part and bearing a paraffinic chain on one heterocyclic nitrogen, has been studied by 13C NMR. Electron donating substituents bring about an increase of the electronic density on the 3 methine carbon and an increase of the alternation of electron density on the 3,4-dimethine bridge. A bathochromic shift of the lower energy electronic transition is also observed. Furthermore, the low field resonance of the 3 methine proton is probably due to a specific interaction between this proton and the ‘phenolate’ oxygen atom. This implies the existence of a favoured trans configuration for merocyanine dyes. |
