Wet Interface of Benzylhexadecyldimethylammonium Chloride Reverse Micelle Revealed by Excited State Proton Transfer of a Localized Probe

Anomalous proton transfer of a photoacid HPTS in nonaqueous reverse micelles

The proton transfer reaction is one of the fundamental chemical reactions where the reaction dynamics strongly depend on solvent properties such as acidity or basicity. A photoacid 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid (HPTS) shows a sharp decrease of pKa (7.7 → 0.5) upon photoexcitation, and the excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) occurs with ultrafast time constants of 2.5 and 89 ps in bulk aqueous solution. However, the two-step proton transfers via the contact ion pair formation and the proton diffusion are strongly limited inside the nanopools of reverse micelles (RMs). The confinement in small RMs strongly impeded the proton transfer reactions. In this work, we report the ESPT of HPTS confined in methanol-in-oil RMs by steady-state and time-resolved electronic spectroscopy. Interestingly, HPTS shows substantial deprotonation in the excited state only in small RMs, while the ESPT of HPTS does not occur in bulk methanol solution due to the low basicity of aliphatic alcohols. The kinetic analysis of time-resolved fluorescence and transient absorption measurements will compare the proton transfer dynamics of HPTS in the water-in-oil and methanol-in-oil RMs. The ESPT of photoacids, especially in the nonaqueous RMs, can be crucial in understanding many important chemical reactions involving proton transfer in the confined environments of cells and membranes.

The Dual Use of the Pyranine (HPTS) Fluorescent Probe: A Ground-State pH Indicator and an Excited-State Proton Transfer Probe

Molecular fluorescent probes are an essential experimental tool in many fields, ranging from biology to chemistry and materials science, to study the localization and other environmental properties surrounding the fluorescent probe. Thousands of different molecular fluorescent probes can be grouped into different families according to their photophysical properties. This Account focuses on a unique class of fluorescent probes that distinguishes itself from all other probes. This class is termed photoacids, which are molecules exhibiting a change in their acid-base transition between the ground and excited states, resulting in a large change in their pKa values between these two states, which is thermodynamically described using the Förster cycle. While there are many different photoacids, we focus only on pyranine, which is the most used photoacid, with pKa values of ∼7.4 and ∼0.4 for its ground and excited states, respectively. Such a difference between the pKa values is the basis for the dual use of the pyranine fluorescent probe. Furthermore, the protonated and deprotonated states of pyranine absorb and emit at different wavelengths, making it easy to focus on a specific state. Pyranine has been used for decades as a fluorescent pH indicator for physiological pH values, which is based on its acid-base equilibrium in the ground state. While the unique excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) properties of photoacids have been explored for more than a half-century, it is only recently that photoacids and especially pyranine have been used as fluorescent probes for the local environment of the probe, especially the hydration layer surrounding it and related proton diffusion properties. Such use of photoacids is based on their capability for ESPT from the photoacid to a nearby proton acceptor, which is usually, but not necessarily, water. In this Account, we detail the photophysical properties of pyranine, distinguishing between the processes in the ground state and the ones in the excited state. We further review the different utilization of pyranine for probing different properties of the environment. Our main perspective is on the emerging use of the ESPT process for deciphering the hydration layer around the probe and other parameters related to proton diffusion taking place while the molecule is in the excited state, focusing primarily on bio-related materials. Special attention is given to how to perform the experiments and, most importantly, how to interpret their results. We also briefly discuss the breadth of possibilities in making pyranine derivatives and the use of pyranine for controlling dynamic reactions.

Ultrafast Excited-State Proton Transfer of a Cationic Superphotoacid in a Nanoscopic Water Pool

The excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) of a cationic superphotoacid, N-methyl-7-hydroxyquinolium, was studied within the water pool of an anionic aerosol-OT (AOT), bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, reverse micelle (RM). Previously, we had found that the cationic photoacid residing at the anionic AOT interface was conducive to ESPT to the bound water having concentric heterogeneity on the time scale of hundreds of picoseconds to nanoseconds. In our present study, on the time scale of hundreds of femtoseconds to a few tens of picoseconds, the photoacid underwent an ultrafast ESPT influenced by mobile water constituting the core of the RM. The two subpopulations of the core water molecules that determine the ultrafast biphasic deprotonation of the photoacid on time scales differing by an order of magnitude were identified. The core water molecules solvating the counteranion of the photoacid showed a higher basicity than typical water clusters in bulk resulting in ESPT on a subpicosecond time scale. Bare water clusters sensed by the photoacid showed a slower ESPT, over several picoseconds, as typically limited by the rotational motion of water molecules for similar types of the photoacid.

Effect of Photoacid Strength on Fluorescence Modulation of 2-Naphthol Derivatives inside β-Cyclodextrin Cavity: Insights from Fluorescence, Isothermal Calorimetry, and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Fluorescence response of a photoacid inside a confined environment often differs markedly from the bulk response. Is there any correlation between the extent of fluorescence modulation and the strength of the photoacid? Here, we used three photoacids: 2-naphthol (2OH, pK_a* = 3.3), 6-sulfonate-2-naphthol (6SO₃-2OH, pK_a* = 3.06), and 6-cyano-2-naphthol (6CN-2OH, pK_a* = 0.6) with remarkably different excited-state acidities to investigate fluorescence modulation inside the nanocavity of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). Interestingly, we found strong fluorescence modulation for 2OH and 6SO₃-2OH but almost none for 6CN-2OH. Isothermal calorimetry measurements showed that all three fluorophores form 1:1 inclusion complex with comparable binding constants (285, 420, and 580 M^-1 for 2OH, 6SO₃-2OH, and 6CN-2OH, respectively). Molecular dynamics simulation further revealed that binding modes are quite similar, and the distribution of water molecules around the proton-donating hydroxyl group of the photoacids are also comparable. Consequently, the difference in the fluorescence response should be accounted solely to the difference in the photoacidity strengths.

Excited-state intermolecular proton transfer dependent on the substitution pattern of anthracene–diurea compounds involved in fluorescent ON1–OFF–ON2 response by the addition of acetate ions

Anthracene–diurea compounds exhibit different excited-state intermolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) reactions depending on the pattern of the substituents.

F. Gold nanoparticles optical properties induced by water and an ionic liquid (bmimBF4) inside cationic reverse micelles

Polar solvent interactions at the interface are a key factor affecting the final properties of nanoparticles, including size, shape and crystallinity.

How do the interfacial properties of zwitterionic sulfobetaine micelles differ from those of cationic alkyl quaternary ammonium micelles? An excited state proton transfer study

The interface of a zwitterionic sulfobetaine micelle is more packed and less hydrated compared to a cationic alkyl-ammonium micelle with an identical alkyl tail.

Effect of Cosurfactants on the Interfacial Hydration of CTAB Quaternary Reverse Micelle Probed Using Excited State Proton Transfer

It has been proven previously that the negatively charged photoacid 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid trisodium salt (HPTS) resides at the interface of the cationic reverse micelle (RM) cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/octanol/water/cyclohexane and is a potential reporter of hydration through the excited state proton transfer (ESPT) process. However, the ESPT dynamics monitored by the pump-probe study was limited to the ultrafast timescale and hence did not report any discernible ESPT signature. Herein, we reinvestigate the ESPT behavior using fluorescence spectroscopy in the nanosecond timescale and at different values of w₀ (=[water]/[surfactant]). We clearly observed distinct w₀-dependent ESPT signatures analogous to conventional ternary cationic RMs implying considerable interfacial hydration. The results agree with a recent molecular simulation study, where significant penetration of water molecules into the interface was predicted for the CTAB quaternary RM. Moreover, we also found that the ESPT dynamics and the fluorescence anisotropy decay of HPTS depend differentially on the octanol/CTAB ratio (p₀). The ESPT process was found to be disfavored, whereas the anisotropy decay accelerates upon the increase in p₀ values. Our analysis indicates that with the increase in the octanol concentration, dehydrated regions enrich gradually at the interface. However, the increase in octanol concentration may reduce the effective electrostatic potential experienced by the probe and thus may result in faster rotational relaxation.

How Does Interfacial Hydration Alter during Rod to Sphere Transition in DDAB/Water/Cyclohexane Reverse Micelles? Insights from Excited State Proton Transfer and Fluorescence Anisotropy

How does microscopic organization of an organized assembly alter during macroscopic structural transition? The question may be important to ascertain driving forces responsible for such transitions. Didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB)/water/cyclohexane reverse micelle is an attractive assembly that undergoes structural transition from rod to spherical shape when the amount of water loading, w0 ([water]/[surfactant]), exceeds a particular value (w0 ∼ 8). Here, we intend to investigate the effect of the morphological change upon interfacial hydration using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements. The anionic fluorophore 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (HPTS or pyranine) is expected to be trapped within the positively charged RM interface. The fluorophore can undergo excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) in the presence of water and, thus, is able to provide insight on the level of hydration within the interface. The ESPT process is markedly inhibited within the interface at low w0 and gradually favored with increase of w0. The time-resolved fluorescence decays could be best analyzed by assuming distribution of HPTS over two distinct interfacial regions- partly hydrated and mostly dehydrated. The relative population of the two regions varies distinctly at low w0 (<6) and high w0 (>6) regimes. Moreover, fluorescence anisotropy (steady-state and time-resolved) varies differently with respect to w0, before and after the transition point (w0 ∼ 8).