Intramolecular photo-driven charge transfer in a series of pyridyl substituted phenyloxazoles. Structural relaxation in meta-substituted ethylpyridinium derivative of phenyloxazole.

A series of pyridyl (pyridinium) substituted benzoxazoles were studied by steady state absorption, fluorescence spectroscopy, time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, fs pulse absorption and polarization spectroscopy, and quantum-chemical calculations. The spectral and kinetic parameters of the fluorophores in MeCN and EtOAc were obtained experimentally and were calculated by means of DFT and TDDFT methods. A scheme including four transient excited states was proposed for the interpretation of differential absorption kinetics of the charged fluorophores. Expressions describing the actual kinetics graphs, the decay associated spectra, and the species-associated spectra were derived. The charge shift step was found to be dependent on average solvation times. A charge shift followed by the formation of the twisted conformer was found for the excited 1-ethyl-3-(5-phenyloxazol-2-yl)pyridinium 4-methyl-1-benzenesulfonate in MeCN and EtOAc. Conformational analysis confirms a large amplitude motion of the meta-substituted ethylpyridinium group as an additional structural relaxation path producing an abnormally large fluorescence Stokes shift.

Formation of a supramolecular charge-transfer complex. Ultrafast excited state dynamics and quantum-chemical calculations.

The formation of a supramolecular complex of bis(18-crown-6)stilbene (1) and 4,4'-bipyridine with two ammoniopropyl N-substituents (3) and the substitution reaction between 1·3 and alkali and alkaline-earth metal perchlorates have been studied using absorption, steady-state fluorescence, and femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. The formation of 1·(Mn+)2 complexes in acetonitrile was demonstrated. The weak long-wavelength charge-transfer absorption band of 1·3 completely vanishes upon complexation with metal cations because of disruption of the pseudocyclic structure. The spectroscopic and luminescence parameters, stability and substitution constants were calculated. The relaxation scheme of the 1·3 singlet state excited by a 25 fs laser pulse was proposed. It includes very fast vibrational relaxation and direct (τCT-d = 0.32 ps) and back (τCT-b = 0.51 ps) electron transfer resulting in complete fluorescence quenching. The quantum-chemistry calculations revealed the species taking part in the ET process and elucidated the mechanism of relaxation of the excited complex.

Dynamics of excited-state intramolecular proton-transfer in 2-amino-3-(2'-benzazolyl)quinoline cations.

It was found that cations formed by the protonation of 2-amino-3-(2'-benzoxazolyl)-quinoline (ABO) and 2-amino-3-(2'-benzothiazolyl)-quinoline (ABT) at the nitrogen atom of the quinoline ring exhibit excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT). The two-band fluorescence of these cations is due to the emission from two species: the initial tautomer (short-wavelength band) and the ESIPT product (long-wavelength band). The relative intensity of the long-wavelength band depends on the basicity of the proton-accepting moiety and temperature. Quantum-chemical calculations demonstrated that ESIPT in cations involves overcoming a significant potential barrier, which increases with the decreasing basicity of the proton-accepting benzazole moiety. Using femtosecond absorption spectroscopy and nanosecond fluorescence spectroscopy, the effective ESIPT time in the studied cations was determined, which increased with decreasing temperature.

Excited state intramolecular proton transfer in o-tosylaminobenzaldehyde.

Excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) in o-tosylaminobenzaldehyde has been investigated. According to quantum-chemical calculations ESIPT in o-tosylaminobenzaldehyde is barrierless. Product of ESIPT undergoes efficient nonradiative deactivation caused by internal rotation of C(H)OH-group. The solvent orientational relaxation in anionic form of o-tosylaminobenzaldehyde was detected. The mechanism of anionic form fluorescence quenching at the addition of the base in a protic solvent is proposed. It consists in the intermolecular proton transfer from the protonated base to oxygen atom of aldehyde group followed by the internal rotation of C(H)OH-group.

The dynamics of intramolecular excited state relaxation of N-anthryl substituted pyridinium cations.

N-(1-Anthryl)-2,4,6-trimethyl-pyridinium (I), N-(2-anthryl)-2,4,6-trimethyl-pyridinium (II) and 10-(1-anthryl)-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahydro-acridinium cations (III) with anomalously high fluorescence Stokes' shift have been investigated. Fluorescence kinetics analysis at various temperatures showed that in the range 293-77 K, the radiative deactivation rate constants (kf) increase by 5.5 to 30 times. The low-temperature time-resolved emission spectra of I-III were found to be consistent with the model: A--> A*<--> B* where A* is the local excited twisted form and B* is the relaxed more planar, bent conformer of the molecule. The rate constants of the excited relaxed state formation (k1) and back reaction (k-1) of compounds studied were estimated.