Synthesis and fluorosolvatochromism of 3-arylnaphtho[1,2-b]quinolizinium derivatives

Counterion Migration Driven by Light-Induced Intramolecular Charge Transfer

A series of D-π-A ⁺ pyridinium compounds, in which D = -NPh₂ and A⁺ = -PyMe⁺ are linked by various amounts of linear phenyl spacers, were strategically designed and synthesized. Their characterization revealed the presence of excited-state intramolecular charge transfer (ESICT) that triggers a corresponding response from the counterion. In medium and strong polar solvents, the fast solvent relaxation occurring after ESICT overwhelms the counterion effect, showing typical emission solvatochromism. In weakly polar solvents, ESICT induces counteranion migration for electrostatic stabilization, the time scale of which is dependent on the radius of the counteranion, the length of the π-linker, and the viscosity of the solvent. In low-viscosity organic solvents such as toluene, counteranion migration occurs within several tens to hundreds of picoseconds, resulting in a time-dependent continuous emission that can be resolved from the spectral temporal evolution. Concrete evidence for this is provided by the chemical synthesis of a D-π-A ⁺ pyridinium-sulfur trioxide^- zwitterion, where anion migration is restricted due to its internally locked ion pair. As a result, only a single emission band can be observed. These comprehensive studies prove that the ion migration process may be significant for a wide range of ESICT-type ionic fluorophores. Such an ionic movement, triggered by optically pumped ESICT of the D-π-A ⁺ dyad, is similar to the molecular machine driven by the redox reaction, but with a facile access and fast response.

Cationic Organophosphorus Chromophores: A Diamond in the Rough among Ionic Dyes

Tunable electron-accepting properties of the cationic phosphorus center, its geometry and unique preparative chemistry that allows combining this unit with diversity of π-conjugated motifs, define the appealing photophysical and electrochemical characteristics of organophosphorus ionic chromophores. This Minireview summarizes the achievements in the synthesis of the π-extended molecules functionalized with P-cationic fragments, modulation of their properties by means of structural modification, and emphasizes the important effect of cation-anion interactions, which can drastically change physical behavior of these two-component systems.

Cation-induced ring-opening and oxidation reaction of photoreluctant spirooxazine-quinolizinium conjugates

Two new spiroindolinonaphthoxazine derivatives with an electron-accepting styrylquinolizinium or styrylcoralyne unit, respectively, were synthesized, and the influence of such an arylvinyl substituent on the chemical and photochemical properties of the compounds was investigated. Specifically, these spirooxazines turned out to be resistant towards the photoinduced merocyanine formation, and the irradiation with light mainly led to photodegradation of the substrates. However, it was shown by colorimetric and fluorimetric screening assays as well as by detailed NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric studies that the addition of particular metal ions (Cu2+, Fe3+, and to a certain extent Hg2+) initially induced a ring-opening reaction that was irreversibly followed by a fast ring closure-deprotonation-oxidation sequence to give styryl-substituted naphthoxazole derivatives as the products quantitatively. For the quinolizinium-substituted spirooxazine derivative, the formation of the respective oxidation product caused the development of a broad absorption band between 425 nm and 500 nm and a new emission band at λfl = 628 nm, so that it may be employed as a selective chemosensor or chemodosimeter for the colorimetric and fluorimetric detection of Cu2+ and Fe3+.

Synthesis of 9-arylalkynyl- and 9-aryl-substituted benzo[b]quinolizinium derivatives by Palladium-mediated cross-coupling reactions

9-Arylbenzo[b]quinolizinium derivatives were prepared with base-free Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions between benzo[b]quinolizinium-9-trifluoroborate and selected benzenediazonium salts. In addition, the Sonogashira coupling reaction between 9-iodobenzo[b]quinolizinium and the arylalkyne derivatives yielded four novel 9-(arylethynyl)benzo[b]quinolizinium derivatives under relatively mild reaction conditions. The 9-(N,N-dimethylaminophenylethynyl)benzo[b]quinolizinium is only very weakly emitting, but the emission intensity increases by a factor >200 upon protonation, so that this derivative may operate as pH-sensitive light-up probe. Photometric and fluorimetric titrations of duplex and quadruplex DNA to 9-(arylethynyl)benzo[b]quinolizinium derivatives revealed a significant binding affinity of these compounds towards both DNA forms with binding constants of K_b = 0.2–2.2 × 10⁵ M⁻¹.

Experimental and theoretical investigation of fluorescence solvatochromism of dialkoxyphenyl-pyrene molecules

The uncommon fluorescence solvatochromic behaviour of dialkoxyphenyl-pyrene isomers was confirmed by experiments and elucidated by quantum chemical calculations.

Photophysics of Dihydroquinazolinone Derivatives: Experimental and Theoretical Studies

Herein, we report the synthesis of two dihydroquinazolinone derivative 2-(2-Hydroxy-naphthalen-1-yl)-2, 3-dihydro-1H-quinazolin-4-one (1) and 2-(3-Methyl-thiophen-2-yl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-quinazolin-4-one (2) by using 2-aminobenzamide, 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde and 3-methyl thiophene-2-carboxaldehyde. The synthesized compounds were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, FT-IR and its spectral, photophysical, intramolecular charge transfer characteristics were studied by absorption and emission spectroscopy. The synthesized compound exhibits significant changes in their photophysical properties depending on the solvent polarity. The observed bathochromic emission band and difference in Stokes shift on changing the polarity of the solvents clearly demonstrate the highly polar character of the excited state. The synthesized compounds were also studied by density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) to expose the reproducibility by computational means.