Large fluorescence response by alcohol from a bis(benzoxazole)-zinc(II) complex: the role of excited state intramolecular proton transfer.

The formation of a bis(HBO) anion is known to turn on the fluorescence to give red emission, via controlling the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT). The poor stability of the formed anion, however, hampered its application. The anion stability is found to be greatly improved by attaching the anion to Zn(2+) cation (i.e., forming zinc complex), whose emission is at λem ≈ 550 and 760 nm. Interestingly, addition of methanol to the zinc complex induces a remarkable red fluorescence (λem ≈ 630 nm, φfl ≈ 0.8). With the aid of spectroscopic studies ((1)H NMR, UV-vis, fluorescence, and mass spectra), the structures of the zinc complexes are characterized. The emission species is identified as a dimer-like structure. The study thus reveals an effective fluorescence switching mechanism that could further advance the application of ESIPT-based sensors.

A fluorescent bis(benzoxazole) ligand: toward binuclear Zn(II)-Zn(II) assembly.

A bis(benzoxazole) ligand (HL) has been synthesized, and its reaction with Zn(OAc)(2) has led to fluorescent complexes via formation of binuclear Zn(II)-Zn(II) cores. The ligand-to-metal ratio of the complexes varies from 1 : 1 to 2 : 1, depending on the reaction conditions. A large binding constant K = 8.3 x 10(20) [M(-3)] has been determined for the reaction L + Zn(2+)-->L(2):Zn(2)(2+). The result indicates that the bis(benzoxazole) ligand is a useful building block to construct a binuclear core. On the basis of X-ray analysis, the binuclear Zn(II)-Zn(II) distance in the complexes is determined to be approximately 3.22 A, which is quite comparable to that found in the enzymes (3.3 A). Absorption and fluorescence study shows that a subtle chemical environmental change within the binuclear core can induce a large optical response.

Wrapping of single-walled carbon nanotubes by a pi-conjugated polymer: the role of polymer conformation-controlled size selectivity.

Wrapping of a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) was examined by using a poly[( m-phenylenevinylene)- alt-( p-phenylenevinylene)] (PmPV) derivative. The polymer's intrinsic ability in forming a helical conformation was found to play an essential role in the separation of nanotubes. Among about 15 tubes present in the pure SWNT (HiPcoTM) sample, the polymer was found to selectively pick up the tubes (11,6), (11,7) and (12,6), which correspond to tube diameters of 1.19, 1.25 and 1.24 nm, respectively. The SWNTs of smaller diameters were held loosely by the PmPV, and were gradually dropped out under centrifugation. The suspension solution prepared from the SWNT and PmPV was not permanently stable, with precipitation occurring after a few weeks. Irradiation in the UV-vis region exhibited a catalytic effect to shorten the precipitation time to hours. Those tubes, which were held loosely by PmPV, were quickly separated from the suspension during the irradiation process.

Vibronic structures in the electronic spectra of oligo(phenylene ethynylene): effect of m-phenylene to the optical properties of poly(m-phenylene ethynylene).

At the low temperature, hidden vibronic structures are successfully resolved in the absorption and emission spectra of oligo(phenylene ethynylene)s 3-5. Identification of the hidden bands allows estimation of the vibrational energy gaps in these molecules, which appears to increase with the oligomer conjugation length. The remarkable similarity between the absorption profiles of diphenylacetylene (3) and 1,3-bis(phenylethynyl)benzene (5), especially at -198 degrees C, confirms the effectiveness of conjugation interruption at m-phenylene. The function of precise conjugation length control via m-phenylene is further demonstrated from poly(m-phenylene ethynylene) (PmPE) (6). Even though the number of recurring unit (phenylene ethynylene) increases from 2 (for 5) to 12 (for 6), the absorption and emission spectra of the latter are nearly identical to that of the former.