Experimental and Computational Studies of Structure and Bonding in Parent and Reduced Forms of the Azo Dye Orange II

Hydrazo Pyrazole-Pyridone Fluorescent tag for NLO, Live cell imaging, LFPs visualization, Photophysical probing, and Electrochemical sensor for Dopamine detection

The present communication reports on the synthesis of a novel methyl-pyridone azo fluorescent tag (MPAFT) were proven through 1H (NMR), FT-IR, UV-vis, and high-resolution mass spectrometry. The quantum chemical parameters of MPAFT were evaluated using density functional theory (DFT) analysis. It was further investigated for its latent fingerprint (LFPs) in various surfaces and anticounterfeiting applications. By exposing Level I-Level III, ridge features to UV light with a wavelength of 365 nm, a bioimaging investigation has also demonstrated the potential of MPAFT's emission behaviour. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) at MPAFT/MGCE (modified glassy carbon electrode) were used to explore the electrochemical sensitivity and reliable detection of dopamine (DA) in neutral PBS (pH 7) electrolyte solution, and the results show good sensitivity and detection. The lower detection limit for LSV was 0.81 μM under optimum conditions.

Role of organic nanoparticles on transport and fate of various dyes in aqueous solution

This work studies the interaction of organic nanoparticles (ON) with various dyes in aqueous solution, to elucidate the role of ON on transport and fate of dyes in the environment, and on dyes removal from wastewater. Studied dyes are Acid Red 66 (AR66), Methylene Blue (MB), Reactive Black 5 (RB5), and Reactive Violet 5 (RV5). ON are extracted from organic matter of anthropogenic origin through resuspension of its colloidal fraction, and successive filtration and dialysis of the obtained suspension. Mechanisms of interaction are investigated initially through three-dimensional excitation emission matrix (3DEEM) analysis. Obtained data indicate that dynamic interactions occur strongly between dye molecules and ON aggregates. 3DEEM spectra of mixed samples containing ON together with one of the tested dyes, present a shape similar to the one of ON alone, but each of them is characterized by specific differences in terms of peaks quenching and shift. The analysis of these singularities suggests that dye molecules are bound to the functional groups of ON through H-bonds, according to the following steps: i) dyes reach the surface of ON aggregates; ii) the molecules pass through the hydrophilic surface of ON aggregates, and reach their hydrophobic core; iii) the dyes are sequestrated into the hydrophobic core of ON aggregates. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies analysis confirm the formation of supramolecular aggregates with stable micellar hydrophobic structure, mainly consisting of aliphatic fractions of ON, which explain the disappearance of aromatic groups signals from dyes.

Removal of Acid Orange 51 by micro zero-valent iron under different operational conditions and evaluation of toxicity

The removal of Acid Orange 51 (AO 51) dye in aqueous solution by microscale zero-valent iron (m-ZVI) was investigated. The m-ZVI powder was characterized granulometrically by laser particle sizer and morphologically by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of pH, m-ZVI concentration, H₂O₂ addition, and dye concentration on the decolorization of AO 51 were experimentally investigated. Results indicate that the removal efficiency is independent from pH values, increases with increasing ZVI dosage, and decreases with dye concentration. With 1 g/L of m-ZVI, AO 51 was effectively removed without and with addition of 25 mM H₂O₂, yielding a decolorization efficiency of around 70% and 98%, respectively, at pH 3 within 60 min of reaction time. The involvement of ˙OH in oxidizing AO 51 was examined by measuring the removal rates based on ˙OH scavenging molecule. Finally, the disappearance of AO 51 was estimated by monitoring the UV-Vis spectral evolution after 120 min of treatment while the Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was performed to verify the occurrence of organic sorption on m-ZVI surface. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images before and after the reaction illustrated morphological changes on m-ZVI surface. The detoxification of the treated solution was demonstrated using phytotoxicity test.

Femtosecond Extreme Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy of Organic Molecules in Aqueous Solution

Time-resolved valence photoelectron spectroscopy is an established tool for studies of ultrafast molecular dynamics in the gas phase. Here we demonstrate time-resolved XUV photoelectron spectroscopy from dilute aqueous solutions of organic molecules, paving the way to application of this method to photodynamics studies of organic molecules in natural environments, which so far have only been accessible to all-optical transient spectroscopies. We record static and time-resolved photoelectron spectra of a sample molecule, quinoline yellow WS, analyze its electronic structure, and follow the relaxation dynamics upon excitation with 400 nm pulses. The dynamics exhibit three time scales, of which a 250 ± 70 fs time scale is attributed to solvent rearrangement. The two longer time scales of 1.3 ± 0.4 and 90 ± 20 ps can be correlated to the recently proposed ultrafast excited-state intramolecular proton transfer in a closely related molecule, quinophthalone.

Molecular structures, spectroscopic (FT-IR, NMR, UV) studies, NBO analysis and NLO properties for tautomeric forms of 1,3-dimethyl-5-(phenylazo)-6-aminouracil by density functional method

The equilibrium geometry, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and UV-Vis analysis, and vibrational frequencies for the azo and hydrazone isomers of 1,3-dimethyl-5-(phenylazo)-6-aminouracil have been performed using density functional theory (DFT/B3LYP) method with 6-311G(d,p) basis set. A detailed interpretation of the vibrational spectra has been made on the basis of the calculated potential energy distribution (PED) obtained from the Vibrational Energy Distribution Analysis (VEDA4) program. The ¹H NMR chemical shifts with respect to TMS were calculated by the gauge independent atomic orbital (GIAO) method and compared with the experimental data. Stability of the molecule arising from hyper conjugative interactions, charge delocalization has been analyzed using natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. Using the TD-DFT method, electronic absorption spectra in CHCl₃ solvent of the title compound have been predicted, and good agreement is determined with the experimental one. The NLO properties such as mean polarizability (⟨α⟩), the anisotropy of the polarizability (⟨Δα⟩) and the mean first-order hyperpolarizability (⟨β⟩) were computed by using finite field method. The computed values of μ, α and β for the azo and hydrazone forms of the title molecule are 5.4717 and 3.8905 D, 2.7773×10^-23 and 2.7598×10^-23esu, and 3.4499×10-³⁰ and 6.8504×10-³⁰esu, respectively. The high β values and non-zero values of μ indicate that the title compound might be a good candidate for NLO material.

Orientational Order of a Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystal Measured by Polarized Raman Spectroscopy

Lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals are distinct from thermotropic nematics from a fundamental standpoint as the structure of the aggregating columns is a function of both the temperature and concentration. We report on the thermal evolution of orientational order parameters, both the second (=scalar) (⟨P200⟩ (=S)) and fourth (⟨P400⟩) order, of sunset yellow FCF aqueous solutions, measured using polarized Raman spectroscopy for different concentrations. The order parameter increases with the concentration, and their values are high in comparison with those of thermotropic liquid crystals. On the basis of Raman spectroscopy, we provide the strongest evidence yet that the hydrozone tautomer of SSY is the predominant form in aqueous solutions in the isotropic, nematic, and columnar phases, as well as what we believe to be the first measurements of (⟨P400⟩) for this system.

Structure-performance relationship for a family of disperse azo dyes having the same D-π-A 4-nitro-4'-amino-azobenzene skeleton: structures, solvatochromism and DFT computations

A combinational study of structural chemistry and dyestuff chemistry has been carried out to reveal the structure-performance relationship for eight disperse azo dyes by comparing their structures, electronic spectra, solvatochromism and theoretic computations. All eight structural analogues have the same 4-nitro-4'-amino-azobenzene donor-π-acceptor skeleton but different substituted groups, namely, R1 and R2 in ring A, R3, R4 and R5 in Ring B. X-ray single-crystal diffraction analyses indicate that four azo dyes have severely twisted aminoazobenzene structures because of the steric hindrance of ortho dichloro/dibromo radicals of 4-nitrobenzene moiety, while the other four dyes show essentially planar conformation due to the ortho monosubstituted 4-nitrobenzene amine and 4'-amino-azobenzene units. It is noted that the electronic spectra are closely related to their molecular structures, where the presence of different auxochrome groups and the spatial crowding effects in the aminoazobenzene backbone lead to significant alterations of the bathochromic and hypsochromic shifts.

FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra, molecular structure and first-order molecular hyperpolarizabilities of a potential antihistaminic drug, cyproheptadine HCl

Cyproheptadine hydrochloride (CYP HCl) {4-(5H-dibenzo[a,d]-cyclohepten-5-ylidene)-1-methylpiperidine hydrochloride} is a first-generation antihistamine with additional anticholinergic, antiserotonergic, and local-anesthetic properties. The geometry optimization, Mulliken atomic charges and wavenumber and intensity of the vibrational bands of all of the possible modes of CYP HCl have been calculated using ab initio Hartree-Fock (HF) and density functional theory (DFT) employing the B3LYP functional with the 6-311G(d,p) basis set. We have compared the calculated IR and Raman wavenumbers with experimental data. Quantum-chemical calculations of the geometrical structure, energies, and molecular electrostatic potential and NBO analysis of CYP HCl have been performed using the B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) method. The electric dipole moment (μ), static polarizability (α) and the first hyperpolarizability (β) values of the title compound have been computed using HF and DFT methods. The study reveals that the antihistaminic pharmacological property of CYP HCl has a large β value and, hence, may in general have potential applications in the development of non-linear optical materials. The experimental and calculated results for CYP HCl have also been compared with those for mianserin HCl.

Variation in optoelectronic properties of azo dye-sensitized TiO2 semiconductor interfaces with different adsorption anchors: carboxylate, sulfonate, hydroxyl and pyridyl groups

The optoelectronic properties of four azo dye-sensitized TiO2 interfaces are systematically studied as a function of a changing dye anchoring group: carboxylate, sulfonate, hydroxyl, and pyridyl. The variation in optoelectronic properties of the free dyes and those in dye/TiO2 nanocomposites are studied both experimentally and computationally, in the context of prospective dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) applications. Experimental UV/vis absorption spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and DSSC device performance testing reveal a strong dependence on the nature of the anchor of the optoelectronic properties of these dyes, both in solution and as dye/TiO2 nanocomposites. First-principles calculations on both an isolated dye/TiO2 cluster model (using localized basis sets) and each dye modeled onto the surface of a 2D periodic TiO2 nanostructure (using plane wave basis sets) are presented. Detailed examination of these experimental and computational results, in terms of light harvesting, electron conversion and photovoltaic device performance characteristics, indicates that carboxylate is the best anchoring group, and hydroxyl is the worst, whereas sulfonate and pyridyl groups exhibit competing potential. Different sensitization solvents are found to affect critically the extent of dye adsorption achieved in the dye-sensitization of the TiO2 semiconductor, especially where the anchor is a pyridyl group.

Electrochemically durable thiophene alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers

Thiophene-based redox-active self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) were prepared on gold substrates. The alkanethiol derivatives of 1TPh-OC12SH and ETPh-OC12SH contain thiophene (1T) and 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (ET) units, respectively, with unprotected (nonsubstituted) thiophene α-carbons. PhETPh-OC12SH contains the ET unit, and all thiophene carbons are protected. Using these thiophene alkanethiol derivatives, we characterized the effect of thiophene carbon protection on the redox behavior of the thiophene SAMs by cyclic voltammetry. The formation of SAMs was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and reflective IR. The IR peaks in the fingerprint region were assigned with the help of DFT calculations. Although 1TPh-OC12SH and ETPh-OC12SH SAMs lost their electrochemical activity during the first anodic scan, PhETPh-OC12SH SAMs are stable and maintain their electrochemical activity for at least 1200 redox cycles.

Investigating the halochromic properties of azo dyes in an aqueous environment by using a combined experimental and theoretical approach

The halochromism in solution of a prototypical example of an azo dye, ethyl orange, was investigated by using a combined theoretical and experimental approach. Experimental UV/Vis and Raman spectroscopy pointed towards a structural change of the azo dye with changing pH value (in the range pH 5-3). The pH-sensitive behavior was modeled through a series of ab initio computations on the neutral and various singly and doubly protonated structures. For this purpose, contemporary DFT functionals (B3LYP, CAM-B3LYP, and M06) were used in combination with implicit modeling of the water solvent environment. Static calculations were successful in assigning the most-probable protonation site. However, to fully understand the origin of the main absorption peaks, a molecular dynamics simulation study in a water molecular environment was used in combination with time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations to deduce average UV/Vis spectra that take into account the flexibility of the dye and the explicit interactions with the surrounding water molecules. This procedure allowed us to achieve a remarkable agreement between the theoretical and experimental UV/Vis spectrum and enabled us to fully unravel the pH-sensitive behavior of ethyl orange in aqueous environment.

A novel mechanism for azoreduction

Azoreductases are important due to their ability to activate anti-inflammatory azo pro-drugs and to detoxify azo dyes. Three genes encoding azoreductases have been identified in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We describe here a comparison of the three enzymes. The pure recombinant proteins each have a distinct substrate specificity profile against a range of azo substrates. Using the structure of P. aeruginosa azoreductase (paAzoR) 1 and the homology models of paAzoR2 and paAzoR3, we have identified residues important for substrate specificity. We have defined a novel flavin mononucleotide binding cradle, which is a recurrent motif in many flavodoxin-like proteins. A novel structure of paAzoR1 with the azo pro-drug balsalazide bound within the active site was determined by X-ray crystallography and demonstrates that the substrate is present in a hydrazone tautomer conformation. We propose that the structure with balsalazide bound represents an enzyme intermediate and, together with the flavin mononucleotide binding cradle, we propose a novel catalytic mechanism.

Spectroscopic analysis and DFT calculations of a food additive carmoisine

FT-IR and Raman techniques were employed for the vibrational characterization of the food additive Carmoisine (E122). The equilibrium geometry, various bonding features, and harmonic vibrational wavenumbers have been investigated with the help of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. A good correlation was found between the computed and experimental wavenumbers. Azo stretching wavenumbers have been lowered due to conjugation and pi-electron delocalization. Predicted electronic absorption spectra from TD-DFT calculation have been analysed comparing with the UV-vis spectrum. The first hyperpolarizability of the molecule is calculated. Intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) responsible for the optical nonlinearity of the dye molecule has been discussed theoretically and experimentally. Stability of the molecule arising from hyperconjugative interactions, charge delocalization and C-H ...O, improper, blue shifted hydrogen bonds have been analysed using natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis.

The effect of substituent groups on the reductive degradation of azo dyes by zerovalent iron

To investigate the effects of substituent groups on the reductive degradation of azo dyes by zerovalent iron, Orange I, Orange II and Methyl Orange were selected as the model azo dyes with different substituent groups. The results showed that Orange I, Orange II and Methyl Orange could be effectively reduced by Fe(0), and the degradation of Orange I and Orange II could be described by the first-order kinetic model, while the degradation of Methyl Orange could be described by the zeroth-order kinetic model. The initial degradation rate followed the order as Orange I>Orange II>Methyl Orange under the same experimental conditions owing to the substituent effects. The degradation kinetic constants of Orange I and Orange II increased with the increase in the Fe(0) dosage, and with the decrease in the initial pH value and their initial concentration, while that of Methyl Orange increased with the decrease in the initial pH value, and with the increase in the Fe(0) dosage and their initial concentration. The results of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-mass spectra (MS) showed that sulfanilic acid was the same intermediate, while the second intermediate was 1-amino-4-naphthol for Orange I, 1-amino-2-naphthol for Orange II, and p-dimethylaminoaniline for Methyl Orange. It was suggested that the larger conjugated pi system of naphthalene rings of Orange I and Orange II for the delocalization of the nonbonding electron pairs of substituents and nitrogen in the azo bond might be favorable for the degradation of Orange I and Orange II, compared with the structure of Methyl Orange. The higher degradation rate of Orange I might be ascribed to its effective electron delocalization and favorable position effects, compared with Orange II. It should be concluded that the reductive degradation of azo dyes by zerovalent iron strongly depends on the effect of substituent groups.

Structural characterisation of the photoisomers of reactive sulfonated azo dyes by NMR spectroscopy and DFT calculations

1H NMR spectroscopy coupled with in situ laser irradiation has been used together with density functional theory (DFT) computation to examine the structures of the photoisomers of a series of sulfonated reactive azo dyes. Assignment of 1H NMR spectra acquired at the photostationary state has allowed, for the first time, NMR characterisation of unstable cis isomers of commercially relevant water-soluble azo dyes. Structural features of the two isomeric forms predicted by DFT calculations are clearly reflected in the experimental NMR data. The trans-cis photoisomerisation process could be unambiguously identified in each case, based on the large chemical shift change observed for resonances associated with aromatic protons adjacent to the azo linkage.

Understanding Adsorption Phenomena: Investigation of the Dye−Cellulose Interaction

To understand the structural factors that control the adsorption of acid dyes onto cotton (cellulose), the adsorption of 15 acid dyes from water has been studied. An equilibrium exists between dye adsorbed in the cotton and dye in solution, and by measurement of the temperature dependence (277-333K) of the equilibrium constant, the enthalpy and entropy of binding are obtained. For most dyes adsorption is driven by the binding enthalpy, which is ascribed to van der Waals forces. Acid dyes consist of an aromatic core with peripheral solubilizing groups (generally sulfonates). Dyes in which the sulfonates are on one side of the molecule have the largest binding enthalpy. Assuming a binding geometry where the sulfonates protrude into water pools in the bulk amorphous regions and as much as possible of the dye core touches the surface, then a good correlation exists between the binding enthalpy and the summation of 1/r(6) over all the C, N, and O dye atoms, where r is the distance of each atom from the cellulose surface.

An investigation into the initial degradation steps of four major dye chromophores: study of their one-electron oxidation and reduction by EPR, ENDOR, cyclic voltammetry, and theoretical calculations

The degradation of dyes is frequently initiated by one-electron oxidation or reduction; however, relatively little is known about the initially formed radicals. Acid Green 25 (AG25), Crystal Violet (CVI), Methylene Blue (MB), and Acid Orange 7 (AO7), representing paradigms of four types of commercial organic dyes, were therefore investigated in terms of their redox behavior. Their redox potentials in MeCN and buffered aqueous solutions were determined by cyclic voltammetry. The structures of the one-electron reduced and oxidized dyes were established by EPR spectroscopy and by theoretical calculations on the density functional level of theory.

Femtochemistry of orange II in solution and in chemical and biological nanocavities

In this work, we report on studies of the nature of the dynamics and hydrophobic binding in cyclodextrins and human serum albumin protein complexes with orange II. With femtosecond time resolution, we examined the proton-transfer and trans-cis isomerization reactions of the ligand in these nanocavities and in pure solvents. Because of confinement at the ground state, the orientational motion in the formed phototautomer is restricted, leading to a rich dynamics. Therefore, the emission lifetimes span a large window of tens to hundreds of picoseconds in the cavities. Possible H-bond interactions between the guest and cyclodextrin do not affect the caged dynamics. For the protein-ligand complexes, slow diffusional motion ( approximately 630 ps) observed in the anisotropy decay indicates that the binding structure is not completely rigid, and the embedded guest is not frozen with the hydrophobic pocket. The ultrafast isomerization and decays are explained in terms of coupling motions between N-N and C-N stretching modes of the formed tautomer. We discuss the role of confinement on the trans-cis isomerization with the cavities and its relationships to frequency and time domains of nanostructure emission.