Temperature effects on xanthone–β-cyclodextrin binding dynamics

The complexation dynamics of the triplet excited state of xanthone with β-cyclodextrin were studied at various temperatures between 10 and 50 °C. Association and dissociation rate constants were determined using the laser flash photolysis quenching methodology with Cu2+ as a quencher. The rate constants for the association and dissociation of triplet xanthone with β-cyclodextrin increased with temperature, while the equilibrium constant for the triplet excited state remained relatively constant. Equilibrium constants for the ground-state complexation of xanthone with β-cyclodextrin were determined from fluorescence studies at various temperatures. The ground-state binding efficiency decreased with temperature and was markedly greater than that of the triplet excited state at all temperatures. The enthalpy and entropy for the β-cyclodextrin complex formation of the ground and triplet excited states fall on the enthalpy–entropy compensation relationship previously established for cyclodextrin complexes. The activation enthalpies for the association and dissociation rate constants for triplet xanthone are similar. The activation entropy is favorable for the association process, whereas a negative activation entropy was measured for the dissociation process, suggesting that solvation plays a key role in the complex formation between xanthone and β-cyclodextrin.

Dynamic characteristic of amitriptyline in water by ultrasonic relaxation method and molecular orbital calculation

Ultrasonic absorption coefficients in the frequency range of 0.8-220 MHz have been measured in aqueous solution of amitriptyline (3-(10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cycloheptene-5-ylidene)-N,N-dimethyl-1-propanamine) in the concentration range from 0.20 to 0.60 mol dm(-3) at 25 °C. A single relaxational phenomenon has been observed, and the relaxation frequency is independent of the concentration. It has been also observed that the amplitude of the relaxational absorption increases linearly with the analytical concentration. From these ultrasonic relaxation data, it has been concluded that the relaxation is associated with a unimolecular reaction due to a conformational change of the solute molecule, such as a structural change due to a rotational motion of a group in the solute molecule. Molecular orbital semiempirical methods using AM1 (Austin model 1) and PM3 (modified neglect of diatomic overlap parametric method 3) have been applied to obtain the standard enthalpy of formation for amitriptyline molecule at various dihedral angles around one of the bonds in alkylamine side chain. The results have shown the two clear minimum standard enthalpies of formation for amitriptyline. From the difference of the two values, the standard enthalpy change between the two stable conformers has been calculated be 2.9 kJ mol(-1). On a rough assumption that the standard enthalpy change reflects the standard free energy change, the equilibrium constant for the rotational isomers has been estimated to be 0.31. Combining this value with the experimental ultrasonic relaxation frequency, the backward and forward rate constants have been evaluated. The standard enthalpy change of the reaction has been also estimated from the concentration dependence of the maximum absorption per wavelength, and it has been close to that calculated by the semiempirical methods. The ultrasonic absorption measurements have been also carried out in amitriptyline solution in the presence of β-cyclodextrin. However, the ultrasonic relaxation has not been found in the above frequency range. The result has been discussed in relation to the host-guest complex formation between β-cyclodextrin and amitriptyline.

Methylene blue encapsulation in cucurbit[7]uril: laser flash photolysis and near-IR luminescence studies of the interaction with oxygen

The effect of methylene blue (MB) encapsulation in cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) on triplet excited-state behavior and singlet oxygen (1O2) generation has been studied by using laser flash photolysis (LFP) and time-resolved near-IR luminescence spectroscopy. The lifetime of the triplet excited state of MB is longer in the CB[7] cavity (140 micros for MB-CB[7] vs 79.5 micros for aqueous MB). Cucurbituril also protects the dye triplets from quenching by oxygen, reducing the quenching rate constant [kq(O2)] from 2.6x10(9) M(-1) s(-1) to 0.2x10(9) M(-1) s(-1). The quantum yield of 1O2 production in the air-equilibrated D2O solutions is similar for free MB and for MB-CB[7], and the singlet oxygen lifetime is approximately 70 micros, suggesting its decay occurs in the aqueous (D2O) phase. The generation of singlet oxygen is delayed by CB[7]; this is attributed to the time required for oxygen to access the CB[7] nanocavity and react with the MB triplet. Thus, the rate-limiting step for sensitization is the entry of oxygen into the CB[7] cavity. Encapsulation inside CB[7] increases the relative efficiency of photoinduced MB2+* dication-radical generation, for which a modest yield is observed.

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.

Synthesis and characterization of an amphiphilic cyclodextrin, a micelle with two recognition sites

A cyclodextrin derivative (Mod-CD) was synthesized through the monoesterification of beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) with 3-((E)-dec-2-enyl)-dihydrofuran-2,5-dione. The compound is an interesting surfactant that can form large aggregates not only through the interaction of the hydrophobic tails as in common amphiphilic compounds but also through the inclusion of the alkenyl chain into the cavity of another Mod-CD molecule. The self-inclusion of the chain in the cavity of cyclodextrin as well as the intermolecular inclusion was demonstrated by 1H NMR measurements that were able to detect methyl groups in three different environments. Besides, in the aggregates of Mod-CD, the cavity is available to interact with external guests such as phenolphthalein, 1-amino adamantane, and Prodan. Phenolphthalein has the same binding constant with Mod-CD and beta-CD, but the equilibrium constant for the interaction with Prodan is about 2 times larger for Mod-CD than for beta-CD. The latter result is attributed to the fact that this probe interacts with the micelle in two binding sites: the cavity of the cyclodextrin and the apolar heart of the micelle as evidenced by the spectrofluorimetric behavior of Prodan in solutions containing different concentrations of Mod-CD.

Photophysics of aminoxanthone derivatives and their application as binding probes for DNA

Xanthones with amino substituents were synthesized to diminish the photoreactivity of the xanthone chromophore with DNA, with the objective of using these molecules to study their binding dynamics with DNA. The aminoxanthones showed a strong solvatochromic effect on their singlet and triplet excited-state photophysics, where polar solvents led to a decrease of the energies for the excited states. Quenching of the triplet excited states by nitrite anions was used to determine the binding dynamics, and a residence time in the microsecond time domain was estimated for the bound 2-aminoxanthone with DNA. The quenching experiments performed showed that this methodology will not be applicable to study the binding dynamics of a wide variety of guests with DNA.

Use of styrene radical cations as probes for the complexation dynamics of charged guests with alpha- and beta-cyclodextrins

The complexation dynamics of radical cations with cyclodextrins (CD) was studied using photophysical techniques. Radical cations of 4-vinylanisole and trans-anethole were formed within alpha- and beta-CD cavities by two-photon photolysis of the respective styrene precursors. Exit of the radical cations from alpha-CD complexes with 1: 1 and 1:2 (guest: CD) stoichiometries and beta-CD complexes with 1:1 stoichiometries occurred with lifetimes shorter than 100 ns. Most of the radical cations formed escape from the CD cavities, but a small portion do react with alpha-CD when this host is present in high concentrations.