Influence of bulky substituents on single-molecule SERS sensitivity

The surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) detection limit strongly depends on the molecular structure, which we demonstrate for a family of tert-butyl-substituted porphycenes. Even though the investigated species present very similar photophysical properties, the ratio between the SERS signal and fluorescence background depends on the number of bulky tert-butyl groups. Moreover, the probability of single molecule detection systematically drops with the number of the moieties attached to the pyrrole ring. As steric hindrance is the only significantly changing feature among the studied chromophores, we attribute the observed phenomena to the spatial structure. We also show that the sensitivity of the SERS technique can be improved by lowering the temperature. We managed to observe single-molecule spectra for derivatives for which this was unattainable at room temperature.

Substituent screening effect on single-molecule photostability: comparison of three differently substituted porphycenes

Photobleaching of single molecules has been studied using confocal fluorescence microscopy for porphycene, a porphyrin isomer, and its two derivatives. Fourfold substitution of porphycene with bulkytert-butyl groups leads to the enhancement of photostability, even though the spectral, photophysical, and redox parameters remain similar. We attribute this effect to the increase of the efficiency of physical quenching of the chromophore triplet state by oxygen, compared with the yield of chemical reaction that leads to photobleaching. Analysis of the observed photon fluxes from single emitters embedded in a polymer film shows that the experiment based on fluorescence is biased towards detection of molecules which have oxygen-the triplet quencher-in their vicinity. The distribution of the measured photodegradation quantum yields is very heterogeneous, suggesting that physical and chemical quenching rates exhibit different distance and orientation dependences.

2 + 2 Can Make Nearly a Thousand! Comparison of Di- and Tetra-Meso-Alkyl-Substituted Porphycenes

Two porphycenes, substituted at the meso positions with two and four methyl groups, respectively, reveal similar absorption spectra, but their photophysical properties are completely different. 9,20-dimethylporphycene emits fluorescence with about 20% quantum yield, independent of the solvent. In contrast, fluorescence of 9,10,19,20-tetramethylporphycene is extremely weak in nonviscous solvents, but it can be recovered by placing the chromophore in a rigid environment. We propose a model that explains these differences, based on calculations and structural analogies with other extremely weakly emitting derivatives, dibenzo[cde,mno]porphycenes. The efficient S₁ deactivation involves delocalization of two inner cavity protons coupled with proton translocation toward a high-energy cis tautomer. The latter process leads to distortion from planarity. The probability of deactivation increases with the strength of the intramolecular NH···N hydrogen bonds. The model also explains the observation of biexponential fluorescence decay in weakly emitting porphycenes. It can be extended to other derivatives, in particular, the asymmetrically substituted ones. We also point to the possibility of using specific porphycenes as viscosity sensors, in particular, when working in single molecule regime.

Photoeradication of bacteria with porphycenes: Substituent effects on the efficiency

Considering the world-wide problem of growing antibiotic resistance of bacteria, photodynamic inactivation (PDI) has a potential to become the treatment approach against some infectious diseases. In our study, four differently substituted porphycenes were compared in terms of their bactericidal activity against E. faecalis. All tested compounds had a similar photophysical characteristics, i.e., there were no significant differences in the location of absorption bands or molar absorption coefficients. Also, singlet oxygen generation quantum yields were very similar. Surprisingly, differently substituted porphycenes caused very diverse PDI effects. Special attention was drawn to the tert-butyl moieties. Our studies demonstrated that the presence of these substituents lowers the bactericidal potential significantly and can completely block the activity when more than one moiety is introduced to the molecule. The porphycenes lacking tert-butyl groups exhibited much higher PDI potential and we assign this effect to different interactions of the differently substituted porphycenes with the bacterial cells. Most likely, the presence of tert-butyls impairs cell penetration by the photosensitizer. These results remind that the favorable photophysical characteristics do not ensure that the compound considered as a potential PDI agent can reach the microbial cells.

Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Photoluminescent Properties of 3,3',4,4'-Tetraethyl-5,5'-divinyl-2,2'-bipyrrole Derivatives

Photoluminescent divinylbipyrroles were synthesized from 3,3′,4,4′-tetraetyl-2,2′-bipyrrole-5,5′-dicarboxaldehyde and activated methylene compounds via aldol condensation. For mechanistic clarity, molecular structures of Meldrum’s acid- and 1,3-dimethylbarbituric acid-derived divinylbipyrroles were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Photoluminescent properties of the synthesized divinylbipyrroles in dichloromethane were found to be dependent on the presence of electron withdrawing groups at the vinylic terminal. The divinylbipyrroles derived from malononitrile, Meldrum’s acid, and 1,3-dimethylbarbituric acid showed fluorescent peaks at 553, 576, and 602 nm respectively. Computational studies indicated that the alkyl substituents on the bipyrrole 3 and 3′ positions increased energy level of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) compared to the unsubstituted derivatives and provided rationale for the bathochromic shift of the ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectra compared to the previously reported analogs.

β-Hexaalkylporphycenes: Positional Effect of Alkyl Groups toward Design and Control of Structural and Photophysical Properties in Isomeric Hexaethylporphycenes

Two novel β-hexaalkylated porphycenes, i.e., 2,3,7,12,13,17- (HOT) and 2,3,6,12,13,16-hexaethylporphycenes (HIT) were introduced for the first time in porphycene chemistry. These were synthesized through McMurry coupling reactions of new isomeric unsymmetrically substituted triethylbipyrrole dialdehydes. The positional effects of alkyl groups could be manifested through significant alteration in structure of porphycene cores and, as a consequence their photophysical properties, not noticed in β-octaethylporphycene. HOT displays significant fluorescence accompanied by reasonable singlet oxygen generation ability.

Expanded, Contracted, and Isomeric Porphyrins: Theoretical Aspects

The use of cyclic polyene perimeter-model approaches, such as Gouterman's four-orbital model and Michl's perimeter model, to analyze trends in the electronic structures and optical properties of expanded, contracted, and isomeric porphyrins is described with an emphasis on the use of magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopy to validate the results of TD-DFT calculations. Trends in the electronic structures and optical properties of isomeric porphyrins are examined by comparing the properties of porphycenes, corrphycenes, hemiporphycenes, isoporphycenes, N-confused and neoconfused porphyrins, and norroles, whereas those of ring-contracted porphyrins are examined by comparing the properties of subporphyrins, triphyrins, and vacataporphyrins. The ring-expanded compounds that are examined include cyclo[n]pyrroles, [22]pentaphyrins(1.1.1.1.1), sapphyrins, smaragdyrins, isosmaragdyrins, orangarins, ozaphyrins, [26]hexaphyrins(1.1.1.1.1.1), rubyrins, rosarins, amethyrins, isoamethyrins, bronzaphyrins, and doubly N-confused hexaphyrins.

Spectroscopy and Tautomerization Studies of Porphycenes

Tautomerization in porphycenes, constitutional isomers of porphyrins, is strongly entangled with spectral and photophysical parameters. The intramolecular double hydrogen transfer occurring in the ground and electronically excited states leads to uncommon spectroscopic characteristics, such as depolarized emission, viscosity-dependent radiationless depopulation, and vibrational-mode-specific tunneling splittings. This review starts with documentation of the electronic spectra of porphycenes: Absorption and magnetic circular dichroism are discussed, together with their analysis based on the perimeter model. Next, photophysical characteristics are presented, setting the stage for the final part, which discusses the developments in research on tautomerism. Porphycenes have been studied in different experimental regimes: molecules in condensed phases, isolated in supersonic jets and helium nanodroplets, and, recently also on the level of single molecules investigated by optical and scanning probe microscopies. Because of the rich and detailed information obtained from these diverse investigations, porphycenes emerge as very good models for studying the complex, multidimensional phenomena involved in the process of intramolecular double hydrogen transfer.

Double Hydrogen Transfer in Low Symmetry Porphycenes

The rate constants of intramolecular double hydrogen transfer have been determined for of tert-butyl-substituted porphycenes: 2-tert-butyl-, 2,7-di-tert-butyl-, 2,7,12-tri-tert-butyl-, and 2,7,12,17-tetra-tert-butylporphycene using femtosecond pump-probe polarization spectroscopy. The rates increase monotonically with the number of substituents. As is the case for other porphycenes studied so far, the tautomerization becomes slower after excitation to the lowest excited singlet state. The potential for the trans-trans self-exchange reaction is symmetrical in di- and tetra-tert-butyl substituted derivatives, but not for the singly and triply substituted ones. Our studies enabled determination of the relative populations of nonequivalent tautomers and thus of the equilibrium constants in S0 and S1 states, as well as estimation of ground and excited state activation energies for the tautomerization process.