Solvent Effect on the Photochemical Properties of Symmetrically Substituted trans-3,3‘,5,5‘-Tetramethoxystilbene

Photochemical properties of trans-3,3',5,5'-tetramethoxystilbene (TMST) have been studied in various polar solvents. The Stokes shift of trans-TMST was found to be increased with increasing solvent polarity. The fluorescence lifetime of trans-TMST experienced a large solvent effect changing from 2.3 ns in cyclohexane to 16.6 ns in acetonitrile. These results indicate that the excited singlet state of trans-TMST has a charge-transfer (CT) character. On the basis of the obtained results, the interior polar environment of a water-soluble TMST dendrimer is discussed.

Enhancement of the Large Stokes-Shifted Fluorescence Emission from the 2-(2‘-Hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole Core in a Dendrimer

The photochemical properties of a series of newly synthesized dendrimers, 4-6, having a 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole (HBO) core, were studied in benzene. The fluorescence quantum yields (Phi(f)) were determined to be 0.022, 0.030, and 0.038 for 4, 5, and 6, respectively, increasing in higher generation dendrimers. With transient absorption spectroscopy, the quantum yields of the isomerization from the (E)-keto form ((1)K(E)*) to the (Z)-keto form ((1)K(Z)) (Phi(E)(-->)(Z)) and those of intersystem crossing (Phi(isc)) can be estimated. Whereas Phi(E)(-->)(Z) values decreased in higher generation dendrimers, Phi(isc) values were almost the same among 4-6. The quantum yields of nonradiative decay (Phi(nr)) increased in higher generation dendrimers. The dendrimer structure also affected the reverse tautomerization process.