Solvation Dynamics and Proton Transfer in Diethylaminohydroxyflavone

The role of the oxime group in the excited state deactivation processes of indirubin

The introduction of an oxime group into indirubin (INR) derivatives, including INROx, MINROx, and 6-BrINROx, and its impact on the spectral and photophysical properties of INR was investigated using a combination of fast-transient absorption (fs-TA/fs-UC) and steady-state fluorescence techniques. The oxime group introduces structural modifications that promote a rapid keto-enol tautomeric equilibrium and enhance the excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) process compared to its analogue, INR. In the oxime-indirubin derivatives investigated, the ESPT process is notably more efficient than what is observed in INR and indigo, occurring extremely fast (<1 ps) in all solvents, except for the viscous solvent glycerol. The more rapid deactivation mechanism precludes the formation of an intermediate species (syn-rotamer), as observed with INR. These findings are corroborated by time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations. The work demonstrates that introducing an oxime group to INR, whether in nature or in the laboratory, results in an enhancement of its photostability.

Excited-State Intramolecular Proton Transfer Reaction and Ground-State Hole Dynamics of 4'-N,N-Dialkylamino-3-hydroxyflavone in Ionic Liquids Studied by Transient Absorption Spectroscopy

The excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) of 4'-N,N-dialkylamino-3-hydroxyflavone (C_nHF) having different alkyl chain lengths (ethyl, butyl, and octyl chains) was investigated in ionic liquids (ILs) by steady-state fluorescence and transient absorption spectroscopy. Upon photoexcitation, C_nHF underwent ESIPT from the normal form to the tautomer form, and dual emissions from both states were detected. For C₄HF and C₈HF, the tautomerization yields determined from the fluorescence intensity ratios increased with the increasing number of alkyl chain carbon atoms in the cation and on reducing the excitation wavelength as reported for C₂HF [K. Suda et al., J. Phys. Chem. B. 117, 12567 (2013)]. The transient absorption spectra of C_nHF were measured at excitation wavelengths of 360, 400, and 450 nm. The ESIPT rate determined from the induced emission of the tautomer was correlated with the tautomerization yield for C₂HF and C₄HF. In addition, the recovery of the ground-state bleach was found to be strongly dependent on the excitation wavelength. This result indicates that the solvated state of the molecule before photoexcitation is dependent on the excitation wavelengths. The time constant for the ground-state relaxation was slower than that for the excited state.

Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer in the Aqueous Nanochannels of Lyotropic Liquid Crystals: Interplay of H-Bonding and Polarity Effects

A molecular-level description of the aqueous nanochannels in lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) is crucial for their widespread utilization in diverse fields. Herein, the polarity and hydrogen bonding effects of LLC water molecules have been simultaneously explored using a single probe, 4'-N,N-dimethylamino-3-hydroxyflavone (DMA3HF), by the unique multiparametric sensitivity of the excited state proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) phenomenon. The decreased ESIPT efficiency and the significantly retarded ESIPT dynamics (>20 times) of DMA3HF in the LLC phases suggests the dominant influence of strong hydrogen-bonded solute-solvent complexes that leads to a high activation barrier for ESIPT in the mesophases. The effects of hydrogen bonding on ESIPT have been elucidated by enhanced sampling techniques based on classical MD simulations of DMA3HF in explicit water. ESIPT via an extended hydrogen-bonded water wire is associated with a significantly high ESIPT activation barrier, substantiating the experimentally observed slow ESIPT dynamics inside the LLCs.

Isoenergetic two-photon excitation enhances solvent-to-solute excited-state proton transfer

Two-photon excitation (TPE) is an attractive means for controlling chemistry in both space and time. Since isoenergetic one- and two-photon excitations (OPE and TPE) in non-centrosymmetric molecules are allowed to reach the same excited state, it is usually assumed that they produce similar excited-state reactivity. We compare the solvent-to-solute excited-state proton transfer of the super photobase FR0-SB following isoenergetic OPE and TPE. We find up to 62% increased reactivity following TPE compared to OPE. From steady-state spectroscopy, we rule out the involvement of different excited states and find that OPE and TPE spectra are identical in non-polar solvents but not in polar ones. We propose that differences in the matrix elements that contribute to the two-photon absorption cross sections lead to the observed enhanced isoenergetic reactivity, consistent with the predictions of our high-level coupled-cluster-based computational protocol. We find that polar solvent configurations favor greater dipole moment change between ground and excited states, which enters the probability for TPE as the absolute value squared. This, in turn, causes a difference in the Franck-Condon region reached via TPE compared to OPE. We conclude that a new method has been found for controlling chemical reactivity via the matrix elements that affect two-photon cross sections, which may be of great utility for spatial and temporal precision chemistry.

Broadband fluorescence reveals mechanistic differences in excited-state proton transfer to protic and aprotic solvents

Excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) to solvent is often explained according to the two-step Eigen-Weller model including a contact ion pair (CIP*) as an intermediate, but general applicability of the model has not been thoroughly examined. Furthermore, examples of the spectral identification of CIP* are scarce. Here, we report on a detailed investigation of ESPT to protic (H₂O, D₂O, MeOH and EtOH) and aprotic (DMSO) solvents utilizing a broadband fluorescence technique with sub-200 fs time resolution. The time-resolved spectra are decomposed into contributions from the protonated and deprotonated species and a clear signature of CIP* is identified in DMSO and MeOH. Interestingly, the CIP* intermediate is not observable in aqueous environment although the dynamics in all solvents are multi-exponential. Global analysis based on the Eigen-Weller model is satisfactory in all solvents, but the marked mechanistic differences between aqueous and organic solvents cast doubt on the physical validity of the rate constants obtained.

Excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) luminescence mechanism for 4-N,N-diethylamino-3-hydroxyflavone in propylene carbonate, acetonitrile and the mixed solvents

In this work, density functional theory (DFT) and time density functional theory (TDDFT) methods were employed to investigate the nature of the double fluorescence emission of DEAHF in these three solvents. We analyzed the geometric structures, vibrational frequencies, frontier molecular orbitals (MOs), molecular electrostatic potential surface (MEPS), calculated absorption and fluorescence spectra and the potential-energy curves for DEAHF. All the results show that the intramolecular hydrogen bond of DEAHF is strengthened from S₀ to S₁ and the electron density redistribution occurs between the proton acceptor and donor, which can facilitate ESIPT. Moreover, the geometric structures, absorption and emission spectra, MEPS and potential-energy curve of DEAHF are identical. It reveals theoretically that ACN and PC can maintain the polarity of the solvent with 1:1 mixing, which is consistent with the experimental results.

Characterization of a New Electron Donor-Acceptor Dyad in Conventional Solvents and Ionic Liquids

Ionic liquids are being tested as potential replacements for current electrolytes in energy-related applications. Electron transfer (ET) plays a central role in these applications, making it essential to understand how ET in ionic liquids differs from ET in conventional organic solvents and how these differences affect reaction kinetics. A new intramolecular electron donor-acceptor probe was synthesized by covalently linking the popular photoacceptor coumarin 152 with the donor dimethylaniline to create the dyad "C152-DMA" for potential use in probing dynamical solvent effects in ionic liquids. Molecular dynamics simulations of this dyad show the considerable conformational flexibility of the linker group but over a range of geometries in which the ET rate parameters vary little and should have minimal effect on reaction times >100 ps. Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence methods show the spectra of C152-DMA to be highly responsive to solvent polarity, with ET rates varying over the range of 10⁸ to 10¹² s^-1 between nonpolar and high-polarity conventional solvents. The sensitivity to hydrolysis in the presence of acidic impurities limits the dyad's use to ionic liquids of high purity. The results in the few ionic liquids examined here suggest that in addition to solvent polarity, electron transfer in C152-DMA also depends on solvent fluidity or solvation times.

Tweaking the proton transfer triggered proton transfer of 3,5-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole

Proton transfer triggered proton transfer (PTTPT) of the molecule is completely altered by dimethylformamide and the proton transfer paths are changed. The process can be reversed by silver particle.

Ultrafast Ground-State Intramolecular Proton Transfer in Diethylaminohydroxyflavone Resolved with Pump-Dump-Probe Spectroscopy

4'- N, N-Diethylamino-3-hydroxyflavone (DEAHF), due to excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) reaction, exhibits two solvent-dependent emission bands. Because of the slow formation and fast decay of the ground-state tautomer, its population does not accumulate enough for its detection during the normal photocycle. As a result, the details of the ground-state intramolecular proton-transfer (GSIPT) reaction have remained unknown. The present work uses femtosecond pump-dump-probe spectroscopy to prepare the short-lived ground-state tautomer and track this GSIPT process in solution. By simultaneously measuring femtosecond pump-probe and pump-dump-probe spectra, ultrafast kinetics of the ESIPT and GSIPT reactions are obtained. The GSIPT reaction is shown to be a solvent-dependent irreversible two-state process in two solvents, with estimated time constants of 1.7 ps in toluene and 10 ps in the more polar tetrahydrofuran. These results are of great value in both fully describing the photocycle of this four-level proton transfer molecule and for providing a deeper understanding of dynamical solvent effects on tautomerization.

Effect of Microheterogeneity of Different Aqueous Binary Mixtures on the Proton Transfer Dynamics of [2,2'-Bipyridyl]-3,3'-diol: A Femtosecond Fluorescence Upconversion Study

In this article, we have investigated the excited-state intramolecular double proton transfer dynamics of [2,2'-bipyridyl]-3,3'-diol, BP(OH)₂, in three alcohol-water binary mixtures, namely, ethanol (EtOH)-water, n-propanol (PrOH)-water, tert-butyl alcohol (TBA)-water, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-water utilizing the femtosecond fluorescence upconversion technique. We have found that in alcohol-water binary mixtures the proton transfer (PT) pathway of BP(OH)₂ is sequential and the anomalous slowdown in PT dynamics is observed in mole fraction (χ) ranges χ_EtOH = 0.04-0.07, χ_EtOH = 0.23-0.28, χ_PrOH = 0.17-0.30, χ_TBA = 0.12-0.21, and χ_TBA = 0.40-0.46. Our study sheds light on the involvement of water network in the PT dynamics. Reduction in water accessibility due to the involvement of water molecules in cluster formation results in hindered PT dynamics, and this retardation is more for the TBA-water binary mixture compared to that for the other two mixtures. Additionally, we have found two anomalous regions for the DMSO-water binary mixture in ranges χ_DMSO = 0.12-0.16 and χ_DMSO = 0.26-0.34. However, most interestingly, beyond χ_DMSO = 0.40, we do not find any growth component in the femtosecond fluorescence upconversion trace, which may be due to the change in the PT mechanism from a sequential water-mediated pathway to a concerted intramolecular pathway.

Influence of Solvent Relaxation on Ultrafast Excited-State Proton Transfer to Solvent

A thorough understanding of the microscopic mechanism of excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) and the influence of the solvent environment on its dynamics are of great fundamental interest. We present here a detailed investigation of an ESPT to solvent (DMSO) using time-resolved broadband fluorescence and transient absorption spectroscopies. All excited-state species are resolved spectrally and kinetically using a global target analysis based on the two-step Eigen-Weller model. Reversibility of the initial short-range proton transfer producing excited contact ion pairs (CIP*) is observed unambiguously in fluorescence and must be explicitly considered to obtain the individual rate constants. Close inspection of the early dynamics suggests that the relative populations of the protonated form (ROH*) and CIP* are governed by solvent relaxation that influences the relative energies of the excited states. This constitutes a breakdown of the Eigen-Weller model, although the overall agreement between the data and the analysis using classical rate equations is excellent.