Multistage Exit of Excited Xanthone from Micelles

Photoinduced formation and characterization of electron-hole pairs in azaxanthylium-derivatized short single-walled carbon nanotubes

2-Azaxanthone, a nitrogenated derivative of the well-studied organic chromophore xanthone, has been covalently bound through 2-(ethylthio)ethylamido linkers to the carboxylic acid groups of short, soluble single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) of 450 nm average length, and the resulting azaxanthylium-functionalized CNTs (AZX-CNT, 8.5 wt % AZX content) characterized by solution (1)H NMR, Raman and IR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Comparison of the quenching of the triplet excited state of AZX (steady-state and time-resolved) and of the transient optical spectra of CNTs and AZX-CNT shows that the covalent linkage boosts the interaction between the azaxanthylium moiety and the short CNT units. The triplet excited state of the azaxanthylium derivative is quenched by CNT with and without covalent bonding, but when it is covalently bonded, the singular transient spectrum is compatible with the photogeneration of electron holes through electron transfer from CNT to excited azaxanthylium units.

Quenching mechanisms and diffusional pathways in micellar systems unravelled by time-resolved magnetic-field effects

Magnetic-field effects (MFEs) are used to investigate the photoreaction of xanthone (A) and DABCO (D) in anionic (SDS) or cationic (DTAC) micelles at high pH (DABCO = 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane, SDS = sodium dodecyl sulfate, DTAC = dodecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride). From MFE experiments with nanosecond time resolution, the radical anion A(.)(-) can be observed without any interference from the much more strongly absorbing triplet (3)A*, the different quenching processes can be separated and their rates can be measured. Triplet (3)A* is quenched dynamically both by the SDS micelle (k(1) = 5.0x10(5) s(-1)) and by DABCO approaching from the aqueous phase (k(2) = 2.0x10(9) M(-1) s(-1)). Static quenching by solubilised DABCO (association constant with the SDS micelles, 1.5 M(-1)) also participates at high DABCO concentrations, but is chemically nonproductive and does not lead to MFE generation. The MFEs stemming from the radical ion pairs A(.)(-) D(.)(+) are about 40 times larger in the anionic micelles than in the cationic ones despite a higher yield of free radicals in the latter case. This can be rationalised by different diffusional dynamics: Because of the location of their precursors, A(.)(-) and D(.)(+) are formed at opposite sides of the micelle boundary. Subsequently, the negatively charged Stern layer of the SDS micelle traps the radical cation, which then undergoes surface diffusion, so both the recombination probability and the spin mixing are high; in contrast, the positive surface charge of the DTAC micelle forces the radical cation into the bulk of the solution, thus efficiently blocking a recombination.

How drug photodegradation studies led to the promise of new therapies and some fundamental carbanion reaction dynamics along the way

The photodegradation of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), a class of medications that includes aspirin and ibuprofen, has generated considerable interest since the 1990s, largely because of the phototoxic and photoallergic effects that frequently accompany their therapeutic use. Among NSAIDs, ketoprofen, which contains a benzophenone chromophore, has been extensively studied, reflecting both its notorious adverse effects and the fascination that photochemists have with benzophenone. The photochemistry of ketoprofen involves the intermediacy of an easily detectable carbanion with a remarkable lifetime of 200 ns in water; its life expectancy can in fact be extended to minutes under carefully controlled anhydrous conditions. Over the past decade, we have used some key properties of the ketoprofen carbanion to conduct mechanistic studies on carbanions under various conditions. In particular, its ease of photogeneration provides the temporal control required for kinetic studies, which, combined with its long lifetime and readily detectable visible absorption, have enabled extensive laser flash photolysis work. These studies have led to an intimate understanding of the reaction dynamics for carbanions in solution, including the determination of absolute rate constants for protonation, S(N)2, and elimination reactions. Together they provide excellent exemplars of reactivity patterns that today are part of all introductory curricula in organic chemistry and illustrate the fundamentals of nucleophilic substitution paradigms. More recently, we have begun to exploit the photochemistry of ketoprofenate and have developed the ketoprofenate photocage, a valuable tool for the photocontrolled cleavage of protecting groups and concomitant drug release. The photorelease has been illustrated with ibuprofen, among many other molecules. These photocages have been further improved with the use of the xanthone chromophore; the goal is the release of antiviral agents taking advantage of the improved UVA absorption of xanthone (xanthonate photocages). In this Account, we survey our work of the past few years on the photochemistry of ketoprofen and related chromophores. Beginning with studies on the phototoxicity of ketoprofen, we have made the journey to new prodrug candidates, unraveling mechanistic elements of aroyl-substituted benzyl carbanions along the way.

Ultrafast Photoinduced Electron Transfer in Directly Linked Porphyrin−Ferrocene Dyads

The ultrafast electron transfer occurring upon Soret excitation of three new porphyrin-ferrocene (XP-Fc) dyads has been studied by femtosecond up-conversion and pump-probe techniques. In the XP-Fc dyads (XP-Fcs) designed in this study, the ferrocene moiety is covalently bonded to the meso positions of 3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl zinc porphyrin (BPZnP-Fc), pentafluorophenyl zinc porphyrin (FPZnP-Fc), and 3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl free-base porphyrin (BPH2P-Fc). Charge separation and recombination in the XP-Fcs were confirmed by transient absorption spectra, and the lifetimes of the charge-separated states were estimated from the decay rate of the porphyrin radical anion band to be approximately 20 ps. The charge-separation rates of the XP-Fcs were found to be >10(13) s-1 from the S2 state and 6.3x10(12) s-1 from the S1 state. Charge separation from the S2 state was particularly efficient for BPZnP-Fc, whereas the main reaction pathway was from the S1 state for BPH2P-Fc. Charge separation from the S2 and S1 states occurred at virtually the same rate in benzene and tetrahydrofuran and was much faster than their solvation times. Analysis of these results using semiquantum Marcus theory indicates that the magnitude of the electronic-tunneling matrix element is rather large and far outside the range of nonadiabatic approximation. The pump-probe data show the presence of vibrational coherence during the reactions, suggesting that wavepacket dynamics on the adiabatic potential energy surface might regulate the ultrafast reactions.

Condensed-phase relaxation of multilevel quantum systems. I. An exactly solvable model

An analytically solvable model of multilevel condensed-phase quantum dynamics relevant to vibrational relaxation and electron transfer is presented. Exact solutions are derived for the reduced system density matrix dynamics of a degenerate N-level quantum system characterized by nearest-neighbor hopping and off-diagonal coupling (which is linear in the bath coordinates) to a harmonic oscillator bath. We demonstrate that for N> 2 the long-time steady-state system site occupation probabilities are not the same for all sites; that is, they are distributed in a non-Boltzmann manner, which depends on the initial conditions and the number of levels in the system. Although the system-bath Hamiltonian considered here is restricted in form, the availability of an exact solution enables us to study the model in all regions of an extensive parameter space.

Condensed-Phase Relaxation of Multilevel Quantum Systems. II. Comparison of Path Integral Calculations and Second-Order Relaxation Theory for a Nondegenerate Three-Level System

An exactly solvable model of multisite condensed-phase vibrational relaxation was studied in Paper I (Peter, S.; Evans, D. G.; Coalson, R. D. J. Phys. Chem. B 2006, 110, 18758.), where it was shown that long-time steady-state site populations of a degenerate N-level system are not equal (hence, they are non-Boltzmann) and depend on the initial preparation of the system and the number of sites that it comprises. Here we consider a generalization of the model to the case of a nondegenerate three-level system coupled to a high-dimensional bath: such a model system has direct relevance to a large class of donor-bridge-acceptor electron transfer processes. Because the quantum dynamics of this system cannot be computed analytically, we compare numerically exact path integral calculations to the predictions of second-order time-local relaxation theory. For modest system-bath coupling strengths, the two sets of results are in excellent agreement. They show that non-Boltzmann long-time steady-state site populations are obtained when the level splitting is small but nonzero, whereas at larger values of the system bias (asymmetry) these populations become Boltzmann distributed.

Spectral and Photophysical Properties of Thioxanthone in Protic and Aprotic Solvents: The Role of Hydrogen Bonds in S1-Thioxanthone Deactivation

Spectral and photophysical properties of thioxanthone (9H-thioxanthen-9-one, TX) were determined in a few protic solvents (H2O, D2O, hexafluoro-2-propanol) and compared with those in aprotic solvents. On the basis of the time-resolved and steady-state emission measurements and available literature data, it has been shown that the dominant S1-TX deactivation process in protic solvents is the formation of the S1-complex. The important modes of deactivation of the S1-complex are fluorescence (phiF approximately 0.4-0.5) and intersystem crossing to the T1 state. The S1-complex-->S0 internal conversion plays, at most, an insignificant role in S1-complex deactivation, which is evidenced by the absence of an isotope effect of protic solvents on the lifetime and quantum yield of fluorescence.

On the unusual fluorescence properties of xanthone in water

Photo-excited xanthone is known to undergo ultrafast intersystem crossing (ISC) in the 1 ps time domain. Correspondingly, its fluorescence quantum yield in most solvents is very small ( approximately 10(-4)). Surprisingly, the quantum yield in water is 100 times larger, while ISC is still rapid ( approximately 1 ps), as seen by ultrafast pump probe absorption spectroscopy. Temperature dependent steady state and time resolved fluorescence experiments point to a delayed fluorescence mechanism, where the triplet (3)npi* state primarily accessed by ISC is nearly isoenergetic with the photo-excited (1)pipi* state. The delayed fluorescence of xanthone in water decays with a time constant of 700 ps, apparently by internal conversion between the (3)npi* state and the lowest lying triplet state (3)pipi*.

Role of the Spacer in the Singlet−Singlet Energy Transfer Mechanism (Förster vs Dexter) in Cofacial Bisporphyrins

The cofacial bisporphyrins H4DPS (DPS = 4,6-bis[5-(2,8,13,17-tetraethyl-3,7,12,18-tetramethylporphyrinyl)]dibenzothiophene), H4DPO (DPO = 4,6-bis[5-(2,8,13,17-tetraethyl-3,7,12,18-tetramethylporphyrinyl)]dibenzofuran), H4DPX (DPX = 4,5-bis[5-(2,8,13,17-tetraethyl-3,7,12,18-tetramethylporphyrinyl)]-9,9-dimethylxanthene), H4DPA (DPA = 1,8-bis[5-(2,8,13,17-tetraethyl-3,7,12,18-tetramethylporphyrinyl)]anthracene), and H4DPB (DPB = 1,8-bis[5-(2,8,13,17-tetraethyl-3,7,12,18-tetramethylporphyrinyl)]biphenylene) have been monometalated by Zn(OAc)2.2H2O and by GaCl3 to explore the singlet-singlet energy transfer from the photoexcited metal porphyrin center to the linked free base porphyrin. The spectroscopic (UV-vis and fluorescence) and photophysical properties (fluorescence lifetimes, tauF, and quantum yields, phiF) have been investigated at 298 and 77 K in degassed 2-MeTHF for the donor-acceptor systems, (Zn)H2DPS, (Zn)H2DPO, (Zn)H2DPA, (Zn)H2DPX, and (Zn)H2DPB, as well as for the bis-zinc complexes, (Zn)2DPS, (Zn)2DPO, (Zn)2DPX, and (Zn)2DPB, respectively, and the monoporphyrin derivatives, H2P, (Zn)P, and (Ga-OMe)P (P2- = 5-phenyl-2,8,13,17-tetraethyl-3,7,12,18-tetramethylporphyrin-dianion). The singlet-singlet energy transfer rate constants (KET) were obtained using KET = (1/tauF -1/tauFo), where tauFo is the fluorescence lifetime of the corresponding bis-zinc(II) systems (or (Zn)P and (Ga-OMe)P) where no energy transfer occurs. The tauF value for three bis-zinc(II) compounds varies from 1.69 to 2.01 ns and is 1.84 (at 298 K) and 3.20 ns (at 77 K) for (Ga-OMe)P. In the donor-acceptor bismacrocycles, depending on the spacer and the temperature, the fluorescence lifetimes decrease down to 50-240 ps. The KET values range from approximately 4 to approximately 21 (ns(-1)) and have been analyzed considering both the Förster and the Dexter mechanisms. Using the C(meso)-C(meso) distance parameters in the calculations, the Förster and Dexter mechanisms operate for DPS and DPO, and for DPA, DPX, and DPB spacer systems, respectively. The limit distance where one mechanism dominates over the other is estimated to be around 5-6 A.

Ship-in-a-Bottle Synthesis of Fluorescence-labeled Nanoparticles: Applications in Cellular Imaging¶

Fluorescein (2-(6-hydroxy-3-oxo-(3H)-xanthen-9-yl)benzoic acid) has been prepared inside the pores of zeolite-Y via ship-in-a-bottle synthesis. Fluorescein, whose dimensions prevent it from entering through the approximately 7 A windows of the faujasite zeolite used, was prepared by the acid-catalyzed reaction of resorcinol and phthalic anhydride. In this article we report initial spectroscopic data as well as an example of the usefulness of these fluorescence-labeled nanoparticles for imaging applications such as confocal fluorescence microscopy. Encapsulated fluorescein shows a remarkable increase in photostability.

DNA damage detection technique applying time-resolved fluorescence measurements

A novel DNA damage detection technique based on the characteristic fluorescence lifetimes exhibited by Pico-Green-single-stranded DNA and -double-stranded DNA complexes is employed to establish the damage produced on DNA isolated from sheep white blood cells following gamma radiation. This technique, which incorporates key concepts such as alkaline unwinding buffers and higher unwinding rates of damaged DNA compared to undamaged DNA, allows for the differentiation of DNA damage resulting from doses of gamma radiation in the 0-100-Gy range, with the potential of analyzing samples consisting of as little as 10(4) cells. Experiments were carried out using commercial DNA sources as well as DNA isolated from sheep white blood cells, suggesting its potential for use with isolated DNA from virtually any eukaryotic cell.

Photophysical properties of fluorescent DNA-dyes bound to single- and double-stranded DNA in aqueous buffered solution

The absorption and fluorescence spectra, fluorescence quantum yields, lifetimes and time-resolved fluorescence spectra are reported for nine different fluorescent DNA-dyes. The work was initiated in search of a quantitative method to detect the ratio of single-to-double stranded DNA (ssDNA/dsDNA) in solution based on the photophysics of dye-DNA complexes; the result is a comprehensive study providing a vast amount of information for users of DNA strains. The dyes examined were the bisbenzimide or indole-derived stains (Hoechst 33342, Hoechst 33258 and 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole), phenanthridinium stains (ethidium bromide and propidium iodide) and cyanine dyes (PicoGreen, YOYO-1 iodide, SYBR Green I and SYBR Gold). All were evaluated under the same experimental conditions in terms of ionic strength, pH and dye-DNA ratio. Among the photophysical properties evaluated only fluorescence lifetimes for the cyanine stilbene dyes allowed a convenient differentiation between ssDNA and dsDNA. The bisbenzimide dyes showed multiexponential decays when bound to either form of DNA, making lifetime-based analysis cumbersome with inherent errors. These dyes also presented biexponential decay when free in aqueous buffered solutions at different pH. A mechanism for their deactivation is proposed based on two different conformers decaying with different kinetics. The phenanthridinium dyes showed monoexponential decays with ssDNA and dsDNA, but there was no discrimination between them. High dye-DNA ratios (e.g. 1:1) resulted in multiexponential decays for cyanine dyes, resulting from energy transfer or self-quenching deactivation. Shifts in both absorption and fluorescence maxima for both ssDNA and dsDNA DNA-cyanine dye complexes were small. Broadening of dye-ssDNA absorption and fluorescence bands for the cyanine dyes relative to dye-dsDNA bands was detected and attributed to higher degrees of rotational freedom in the former.