Photophysics of a Bridged 7-Diethylamino-4-methyl-coumarin C102: Studying the Hydrogen Bonding Effect by Time Resolved Stimulated Emission

Red Emitting Coumarin-Azo Dyes : Synthesis, Characterization, Linear and Non-linear Optical Properties-Experimental and Computational Approach

The coumarin molecules with 7-(N,N-diethylamino) substitution and aryl azo (Ar-N=N-) at 3-position were synthesized, by reacting diazonium salt of substituted amines and 7-(N, N-diethylamino)-4-hydroxy coumarin under basic conditions. They were found to be fluorescent despite the presence of azo group. The azo group rotation was blocked by complexing with -BF2, so as to get a red shift in absorption. The azo molecules show charge transfer, whereas BF2-complexes do not. The dipole moment ratios between the ground and excited states calculated suggest highly polar excited state and an intra-molecular charge transfer at the excited state in the case of azo dyes. The NLO properties were calculated by solvatochromic method and computationally. Second order hyperpolarizability was found to be 46 to 1083 times more than urea. DFT and TDTDF calculations were performed to understand the electronic properties of the molecules at the ground as well as excited states.

Estimation of ground and excited state dipole moment of laser dyes C504T and C521T using solvatochromic shifts of absorption and fluorescence spectra

The absorption and fluorescence spectra of laser dyes: coumarin 504T (C504T) and coumarin 521T (C521T) have been recorded at room temperature in a series of non-polar and polar solvents. The spectra of these dyes showed bathochromic shift with increasing in solvent polarity indicating the involvement of π→π⁎ transition. Kamlet-Taft and Catalan solvent parameters were used to analyze the effect of solvents on C504T and C521T molecules. The study reveals that both general solute-solvent interactions and specific interactions are operative in these two systems. The ground state dipole moment was estimated using Guggenheim's method and also by quantum mechanical calculations. The solvatochromic data were used to determine the excited state dipole moment (μ(e)). It is observed that dipole moment value of excited state (μ(e)) is higher than that of the ground state in both the laser dyes indicating that these dyes are more polar in nature in the excited state than in the ground state.

Hydrogen bonding interpolymer complex formation and study of its host-guest interaction with cyclodextrin and its application as an active delivery vehicle

Interpolymer complex formation through hydrogen bonding has been investigated between two polymers: poly(acrylamide) (PAAm) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). The differential properties of the interpolymer complex with varying molecular weights of PVA have been studied by taking three different molecular weights of PVA. Furthermore, the host-guest interaction between the interpolymer complexes prepared and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) has also been studied in detail. PAAm can form interpolymer complexes with PVA because of a cooperative hydrogen bonding interaction. The addition of β-CD to a dilute aqueous solution of PAAm-PVA results in a competition between interpolymer hydrogen bonding and host-guest interactions. In this article, we have tried to decipher the complex chemistry that occurs in the microheterogeneous solution. The PAAm-PVA binary system and the PAAm-PVA-β-CD ternary systems have been well characterized by using a fluorescent probe, coumarin-102. Dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), fluorescence microscopy, and time-resolved fluorescence studies have been performed to substantiate steady-state fluorescence experiments. The results indicate the occurrence of a competitive interaction between the hydrogen bonding of the interpolymer complexes and the host-guest interaction with β-CD, whereby the later predominates. It is probable that the hydrophobic cavity of β-CD is threaded with linear polymers, thus forming a macromolecular supraassembly. It has also been concluded that PAAm preferentially interacts with β-CD by compromising its interaction with PVA. The enhanced deposition and retention of actives with this system was studied with a single species regrowth assay, antibacterial efficacy and the cell viability were studied using the live-dead staining protocol. This therefore opens new avenues in the targeted delivery of actives.

Experimental and database-transferred electron-density analysis and evaluation of electrostatic forces in coumarin-102 dye

The electron-density distribution of a new crystal form of coumarin-102, a laser dye, has been investigated using the Hansen-Coppens multipolar atom model. The charge density was refined versus high-resolution X-ray diffraction data collected at 100 K and was also constructed by transferring the charge density from the Experimental Library of Multipolar Atom Model (ELMAM2). The topology of the refined charge density has been analysed within the Bader `Atoms In Molecules' theory framework. Deformation electron-density peak heights and topological features indicate that the chromen-2-one ring system has a delocalized π-electron cloud in resonance with the N (amino) atom. The molecular electrostatic potential was estimated from both experimental and transferred multipolar models; it reveals an asymmetric character of the charge distribution across the molecule. This polarization effect is due to a substantial charge delocalization within the molecule. The molecular dipole moments derived from the experimental and transferred multipolar models are also compared with the liquid and gas-phase dipole moments. The substantial molecular dipole moment enhancements observed in the crystal environment originate from the crystal field and from intermolecular charge transfer induced and controlled by C-H···O and C-H···N intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The atomic forces were integrated over the atomic basins and compared for the two electron-density models.

Spectral properties of substituted coumarins in solution and polymer matrices

The absorption and fluorescence spectra of substituted coumarins (2-oxo-2H-chromenes) were investigated in solvents and in polymer matrices. The substitutions involved were: (1) by groups with varying electron donating ability such as CH₃, OCH₃ and N(CH₃)₂, mainly, but not exclusively, in positions 7 and (2), by either CHO or 4-PhNHCONHN=CH- in position 3. While the spectra of non-substituted coumarin-3-carbaldehyde has absorptions at approximately 305 and 350 nm, substitution at position 7 leads to remarkable changes in the shape of the absorption spectrum and shifts the absorption to a longer wavelength. Similarly, the replacement of the formyl group with a semicarbazide group substantially influences the shape of the absorption spectrum, and coumarins which have only N(CH₃)₂ in position 7 experience small changes. These changes are associated with the increasing intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) character and increasing conjugation length of the chromophoric system, respectively, in the studied molecules. The fluorescence is almost negligible for derivatives which have H in this position. With increasing electron donating ability, and the possibility of a positive mesomeric (+M) effect of the substituent in position 7 of the coumarin moiety, the fluorescence increases, and this increase is most intense when N(CH₃)₂ substitutes in this position, for both 3-substituted derivatives. Spectral measurements of the studied coumarins in polymer matrices revealed that the absorption and fluorescence maxima lay within the maxima for solvents, and that coumarins yield more intense fluorescence in polymer matrices than when they are in solution. The quantum yield of derivatives which have a dimethylamino group in position 7 in polymer matrices approaches 1, and the fluorescence lifetime is within the range of 0.5–4 ns. The high quantum yield of 7-dimethylamino derivatives qualifies them as laser dyes which have k_F higher than k_nr in the given medium. This is caused by stiffening of the coumarin structure in polar polymer matrices, such as PMMA and PVC, due to higher micro-viscosity than in solution and intermolecular dipole-dipole interaction between chromophore (dopant) and matrix.

Influence of polarity of solvents on the spectral properties of bichromophoric coumarins

Absorption and fluorescence spectra of bichromophoric coumarins were investigated in different solvents and in polymer matrices. These bichromophoric coumarins were composed of a coumarin dimethylamino-substituted at position 7 or unsubstituted coumarin and phthalimide or a 1,8-naphthylimide linked with an iminomethyl bridge to the position 3 or 8 of the coumarin ring. Absorption spectra of 7-dimethylamino derivatives in position 3 of coumarin were quite similar, exhibiting broad bands around 430-440 nm like the parent compound 7-dimethylaminocoumarin-3-carbaldehyde. For coumarin derivatives substituted in position 8, the absorption maximum was shifted to shorter wavelength as for derivatives without position 7 dimethylamino substitution. The most intense fluorescence was observed for 7-(N,N-dimethylamino)-3-[(N-phtalimidoyl)iminomethyl]coumarin in polar solvent, while intense fluorescence was observed for 7-(N,N-dimethylamino)-3-[N-(1,3-dioxobenz[de]isoquinolinyl)iminomethyl]-coumarin in non polar solvent (chloroform), comparable with the fluorescence of 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin. Spectral measurements of bichromophoric coumarins in polymer matrices revealed that the maxima lies in between those for chloroform and methanol yielding more intense fluorescence then in solutions. Completely different solvent effects were observed for 7-(N,N-dimethylamino)-3-[N-(1,3-dioxobenz[de]isoquinolinyl)imino-methyl]coumarin and 7-(N,N-dimethylamino)-3-[(N-phtalimidoyl)iminomethyl]coumarin. With addition of polar methanol the intensity of fluorescence decreases, yielding a Stern-Volmer-like constant of 0.54 dm³ mol⁻¹ for 7-(N,N-dimethylamino)-3-[N-(1,3-dioxo-benz[de]isoquinolinyl)iminomethyl]coumarin and an even higher one of 1.08 dm³·mol⁻¹ for 7-dimethylaminocoumarin-3-carbaldehyde compared to the rather low one of 0.024 dm³ mol⁻¹ for 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin. Contrary to this, addition of methanol under identical conditions brings about an increase in fluorescence intensity of 7-(N,N-dimethylamino)-3-[(N-phtalimidoyl)iminomethyl]coumarin (about 60-fold). The reasons for these different solvent effects are discussed.

Lanthanide doped silica nanoparticles applied to multiplexed immunoassays

Luminescent samarium (Sm) and europium (Eu) doped silica nanoparticles (SiO(2) NPs) were investigated for use in multiple target immunoassays. Particles with a diameter of 40 +/- 10 nm were synthesized and applied to multiplexed immunoassays in a single well of an assay plate. The luminescent behavior of the lanthanide doped NPs was compared to conventional dyes in solution and in surface confined model immunoassays against two analytes. Luminescence from the dyes and NPs was detected with an imaging spectroscopic system and this could be processed with a simple least squares procedure. In solution, NPs exhibited linear mixing behaviour while conventional fluorescent dyes required careful control to solution conditions, particularly pH. A conventional dye system consisting of FITC and Cy3 applied to a two analyte model system resulted in up to 70% energy transfer from FITC to Cy3 under conditions of high surface coverage. This made quantitative analysis intractable for unknown samples. The lanthanide doped silica nanoparticles responded well to both analytes (<5% relative std. dev.). The results demonstrate that NPs provide alternatives to conventional dyes due to low susceptibility to pH and related solution conditions, absence of energy transfer, single excitation wavelength range, and high stokes shift. These properties allowed quantitative analysis of multiple analytes in the same well.

Respective Contributions of Polar vs Enthalpy Effects in the Addition/Fragmentation of Mercaptobenzoxazole-Derived Thiyl Radicals and Analogues to Double Bonds

The formation and the reactivity of three selected sulfur-centered radicals formed from mercaptobenzoxazole, mercaptobenzimidazole, and mercaptobenzothiazole toward four double bonds (methyl acrylate, acrylonitrile, vinyl ether, and vinyl acetate) are investigated. The reversibility of the addition/fragmentation reaction in these widely used photoinitiating systems of radical polymerization was studied, for the first time, through the measurement of the corresponding rate constants by time-resolved laser spectroscopy. The combination of these results with quantum mechanical calculations clearly evidences that, contrary to previous studies on other aryl thiyl radicals, the addition rate constants (ka) are governed here by the polar effects associated with the very high electrophilic character of these radicals. However, interestingly, the back-fragmentation reaction (k-a) is mainly influenced by the enthalpy effects as supported by the relationship between the rate constants and the addition reaction enthalpy DeltaHR. The addition and fragmentation rate constants calculated from the transition state theory (TST) are in satisfactory agreement with the experimental ones. Therefore, molecular orbital (MO) calculations offered new opportunities for a better understanding of the sulfur-centered radical reactivity.

A Photodissociation Reaction: Experimental and Computational Study of 2-Hydroxy-2,2-dimethylacetophenone†

The photophysical parameters controlling the cleavage process of 2-hydroxy-2,2-dimethylacetophenone (HDMA) were investigated in detail. Time-resolved picosecond absorption experiments show that the formation of the triplet state occurs within 20 ps after excitation and decays within hundreds of picoseconds depending on the solvent polarity. Molecular modeling reveals that three stable conformations exist in the ground state, the most stable one exhibiting an intramolecular hydrogen bond that modifies the electronic properties of the molecule. This explains quite well the steady-state absorption properties. The conformation of the most stable triplet state is twisted by 180 degrees with respect to the ground state. Computation of the potential energy surface along the molecular coordinate for the dissociation reaction evidences an electronic state crossing yielding a final sigmasigma* state, in perfect agreement with the state correlation diagram. Optimization of the transition state allows the calculation of the activation energy and the use of the transition-state theory leads to an estimate of 100 ps for the cleavage process in the gas phase. Single-point energy calculations using a solvent model predict an increase of the dissociation rate constant with the increase of the solvent polarity, in good agreement with the value deduced from kinetic measurements.