The effect of oxygen on the fluorescence quantum yields of some coumarin dyes in ethanol

Enantioselective Synthesis and Application of Small and Environmentally Sensitive Fluorescent Amino Acids for Probing Biological Interactions

Environmentally sensitive fluorescent amino acids (FlAAs) have been used extensively to probe biological interactions. However, most of these amino acids are large and do not resemble amino acid side chains. Here, we report the enantioselective synthesis of two small and environmentally sensitive fluorescent amino acids bearing 7-dialkylaminocoumarin side chains by alkylation of a Ni(II) glycine Schiff base complex. These amino acids exhibit a large increase in fluorescence as environment polarity decreases. One of these FLAAs was incorporated into a highly active analog of the cyclic lipopeptide antibiotic paenibacterin by Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis via a new and very efficient route. This peptide was used to probe the interaction of the antibiotic with model liposomes, lipopolysaccharides, and live bacteria.

Stimulation Emission Depleted Photoacoustic

We demonstrate that the Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) concept, which is usually invoked for fluorescence, can be extended to photoacoustic effects. When two-nanosecond pulses of exciting and stimulating light are synchronized, 80% of the acoustic signal generated through excited state absorption (ESA) can be quenched. Regarding the cross-sections for stimulated emission and ESA, a model gives a good order of magnitude in the depletion efficiency. The transient molecular orientation, usually measured via the fluorescence anisotropy, can be accessed in photoacoustic when STED is implemented.

Remarkable influence of 'phane effect' on the excited-state properties of cofacially oriented coumarins

A comprehensive investigation of the photophysics of a cofacially oriented bis-coumarin based on naphthalene, i.e., Cou-Nap, designed and synthesized to examine the influence of π-electronic communication between the two fluorophores, reveals exceptional excited-state properties. While the anticipated [2 + 2] photocycloaddition is not observed despite the fact that the two reactive coumarin units are at a distance of 3.8 Å, the fluorescence quantum yields and singlet lifetimes in different solvents are found to be remarkably higher when compared to those of the parent coumarin and a mono-coumarin model system, i.e., Cou-Dur. In addition to large solvent-induced Stokes shifts, Cou-Nap displays intriguing temperature-dependent emission in a nonpolar solvent such as cyclohexane. The observed photophysical properties are reconciled based on the so-called 'phane effect' that is operative in cyclophanes. In the latter, an effective π-π interaction between the aromatic rings modifies the attributes of the chromophore in such a manner that the observed properties cannot be associated with the individual aromatic rings. The temperature-dependent emission is proposed to arise as a consequence of thermally activated ISC from the singlet-excited state to one of the higher energy triplet states. The results constitute, for the first time, the demonstration of modification of the excited-state properties of a fluorophore in a non-cyclophane system by 'phane effect'.

Fluorescence enhancement aided by metal ion displacement

Immunosensors are one of the most common platform used in clinical laboratories, in particular the class based on Enzyme Linked Fluorescent Assays (ELFA) takes advantage of the amplification step of the enzyme, usually the alkaline phosphatase, that catalyzes the hydrolysis of a fluorescent substrate leading it to fluoresce. Anyway, they suffer in sensitivity if compared to molecular diagnostic or more modern in vitro diagnostic devices. In our work, a simple and effective mechanism to enhance the fluorescent signal, and hence the sensitivity of the system, is presented. It is based on the metal ion displacement principle in which a second fluorophore, in our case Calcein Blue, quenched by a cobalt ion is add to the first one (4-MUP), and, in presence of inorganic phosphate, it will be progressively activated by the inorganic phosphate itself leading to the metal displacement. In this way Calcein Blue, newly free to fluoresce, contributes to global fluorescent signal generated by 4-MU. We have tested our proof of principle on a currently used immunoanalyzer, that is VIDAS® system (bioMérieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France) obtaining a fluorescence enhancement of about 50% for each concentration of hydrolyzed 4-MUP tested.

Convenient determination of luminescence quantum yield using a combined electronic absorption and emission spectrometer

It is possible to measure luminescence quantum yield in a facile way, by designing an optical spectrometer capable of obtaining electronic absorption as well as luminescence spectra, with a setup that uses the same light source and detector for both the spectral measurements. Employment of a single light source and single detector enables use of the same correction factor profile for spectral corrections. A suitable instrumental scaling factor is used for adjusting spectral losses.

Two-photon absorption properties and (1)O2 generation ability of Ir complexes: an unexpected large cross section of [Ir(CO)2Cl(4-(para-di-n-butylaminostyryl)pyridine)]

The new complexes cis-[Ir(CO)2Cl(4-(para-di-n-butylaminostyryl)pyridine)] () and [Ir(cyclometallated-2-phenylpyridine)2(4,4'-(para-di-n-butylaminostyryl)-2,2'-bipyridine)][PF6] () were synthesized and fully characterized along with the known complex Ir(cyclometallated-2-phenylpyridine)2(5-Me-1,10-phenanthroline)][PF6] (). Remarkably, complex , with an Ir(i) centre, displays fluorescence - as opposed to the phosphorescence typical of many Ir(iii) complexes - with a modestly high quantum yield in solution, opening a new route for the design of iridium-based emitters which should not be limited to the +3 oxidation state. It is also characterized by an unexpectedly large two-photon absorption (TPA) cross section, an order of magnitude higher than that previously reported for Ir(iii) or Pt(ii) complexes. The great potential of cyclometallated Ir(iii) complexes for photodynamic therapy was confirmed, with and showing a good singlet oxygen generation ability, coupled with a modest TPA activity for .

Supramolecular interaction of coumarin 1 dye with cucurbit[7]uril as host: combined experimental and theoretical study

Molecules of the coumarin family have fluorescence characteristics that are highly sensitive to their environment, and thus, they have been used as fluorescent sensors in chemical and biological systems. However, the very poor fluorescence yield of most coumarin dyes in aqueous media limits their applications. We have adopted a supramolecular strategy to improve the fluorescence intensity of coumarin dye through its interaction with the relatively new host cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]). The virtually nonfluorescent coumarin 1 (Φ(f) = 0.04) was converted into a highly fluorescent (Φ(f) = 0.52) entity in water upon addition of the nonfluorescent host CB[7]. Various spectroscopy techniques, namely, UV-vis absorption and steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopies, established the formation of a strong 1:1 dye-CB[7] inclusion complex with a high binding constant of (1.2 ± 0.1) × 10(5) M(-1) for the dye. The stable inclusion complex of the neutral molecule was supported by density-functional-theory- (DFT-) based quantum chemical calculations. Energy decomposition analysis of various interaction factors in the host-guest complex revealed that key components providing stability to the complex were electrostatic, polarization, and charge-transfer energies. These new results on the formation of a strong inclusion complex of the versatile fluorophore coumarin 1 with the nontoxic host CB[7] could lead to the design of efficient molecular-scale biological probes, sensors, and photostable aqueous UV dye lasers.

Fluorescence quantum yields of a series of red and near-infrared dyes emitting at 600-1000 nm

The determination of the fluorescence quantum yields (QY, Φ(f)) of a series of fluorescent dyes that span the absorption/excitation and emission ranges of 520-900 and 600-1000 nm is reported. The dyes encompass commercially available rhodamine 101 (Rh-101, Φ(f) = 0.913), cresyl violet (0.578), oxazine 170 (0.579), oxazine 1 (0.141), cryptocyanine (0.012), HITCI (0.283), IR-125 (0.132), IR-140 (0.167), and four noncommercial cyanine dyes with specific spectroscopic features, all of them in dilute ethanol solution. The QYs have been measured relative to the National Institute of Standards and Technology's standard reference material (SRM) 936a (quinine sulfate, QS) on a traceably characterized fluorometer, employing a chain of transfer standard dyes that include coumarin 102 (Φ(f) = 0.764), coumarin 153 (0.544), and DCM (0.435) as links between QS and Rh-101. The QY of Rh-101 has also been verified in direct measurements against QS using two approaches that rely only on instrument correction. In addition, the effects of temperature and the presence of oxygen on the fluorescence quantum yield of Rh-101 have been assessed.

The Role of Substituents on Functionalized 1,10-Phenanthroline in Controlling the Emission Properties of Cationic Iridium(III) Complexes of Interest for Electroluminescent Devices

The photophysical and electrochemical properties of the novel complexes [Ir(ppy)(2)(5-X-1,10-phen)][PF(6)] (ppy = 2-phenylpyridine, phen = phenanthroline, X = NMe(2), NO(2)), [Ir(pq)(2)(5-X-1,10-phen)][PF(6)] (pq = 2-phenylquinoline, X = H, Me, NMe(2), NO(2)), [Ir(ppy)2(4-Me,7-Me-1,10-phen)][PF(6)], [Ir(ppy)2(5-Me,6-Me-1,10-phen)][PF(6)], [Ir(ppy)(2)(2-Me,9-Me-1,10-phen)][PF(6)], and [Ir(pq)2(4-Ph,7-Ph-1,10-phen)][PF(6)] have been investigated and compared with those of the known reference complexes [Ir(ppy)(2)(4-Me or 5-H or 5-Me-1,10-phen)][PF(6)] and [Ir(ppy)(2)(4-Ph,7-Ph-1,10-phen)][PF(6)], showing how the nature and number of the phenanthroline substituents tune the color of the emission, its quantum yield, and the emission lifetime. It turns out that the quantum yield is strongly dependent on the nonradiative decay. The geometry, ground state, electronic structure, and excited electronic states of the investigated complexes have been calculated on the basis of density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT approaches, thus substantiating the electrochemical measurements and providing insight into the electronic origin of the absorption spectra and of the lowest excited states involved in the light emission process. These results provide useful guidelines for further tailoring of the photophysical properties of ionic Ir(III) complexes.

Two-photon absorption of Zn(II) octupolar molecules

In this work we present an investigation of the non-linear optical (NLO) properties of two octupolar chromophores: [Zn(4,4'-bis(dibutylaminostyryl)-[2,2']-bipyridine)(3)](2+) and [Zn(4,4'-bis((E)-2-(N-(TEG)pyrrol-2-yl)vinyl)-[2,2']-bipyridine)(3)](2+) with Zn(ii) as the coordination center, using two-photon emission technique (TPE) in fs-pulse temporal regime. Compared to the free ligands, our results do not show a net increase in the two-photon absorption (TPA) cross-section for the octupolar complexes, once normalized to the ligand unit. This is in partial disagreement with a previous theoretical study investigating the first molecule where a significant increase of the TPA cross-section was predicted (X. J. Liu, et al., J. Chem. Phys., 2004, 120, 11 493).