Remarkable fluorescence enhancement of benzo[g]chromen-2-ones induced by hydrogen-bonding interactions with protic solvents.

A coumarin analogue, 8-methoxy-4-methyl-2H-benzo[g]chromen-2-one (MMBC), is almost non-fluorescent in non-polar media, whereas it exhibits dramatically enhanced fluorescence in polar protic solvents. This study investigates the mechanistic features of the significant solvent effects on the fluorescence properties of MMBC and a related compound, 4-methyl-2H-benzo[g]chromen-2-one (MBC), by time-resolved fluorescence and photoacoustic measurements and by theoretical calculations. Time-resolved photoacoustic measurements reveal that the extremely fast non-radiative processes of MBC and MMBC in non-polar solvents can be attributed predominantly to internal conversion.

Reevaluation of absolute luminescence quantum yields of standard solutions using a spectrometer with an integrating sphere and a back-thinned CCD detector.

We reevaluate the absolute fluorescence and phosphorescence quantum yields of standard solutions by using a novel instrument developed for measuring the absolute emission quantum yields of solutions. The instrument consists of an integrating sphere equipped with a monochromatized Xe arc lamp as the light source and a multichannel spectrometer. By using a back-thinned CCD (BT-CCD) as the detector, the sensitivity for spectral detection in both the short and long wavelength regions is greatly improved compared with that of an optical detection system that uses a conventional photodetector.

S-S bond mesolysis in alpha,alpha'-dinaphthyl disulfide radical anion generated during gamma-radiolysis and pulse radiolysis in organic solution.

A dissociation mechanism of the S-S bond in the alpha,alpha'-dinaphthyl disulfide radical anion (NpSSNp*-) in organic solution was investigated on the basis of transient absorption measurements and DFT calculations. NpSSNp*- generated during gamma-radiolysis of NpSSNp in MTHF at 77 K showed the absorption band at 430 nm, which shifted to 560 nm with an increase of the ambient temperature up to room temperature. With the aid of DFT calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level, the shift of the absorption band was interpreted in terms of molecular conformational changes of NpSSNp*- due to the elongation of the S-S bond.

Environment-sensitive fluorophore emitting in protic environments.

The unusual fluorescence properties of 8-methoxy-4-methyl-2H-benzo[g]chromen-2-one (1) are described. The fluorophore 1 is almost nonfluorescent in aprotic solvent (e.g.

A picosecond time-resolved study on prototropic reactions of electronically excited 1,5- and 1,8-diaminonaphthalenes in aqueous solution.

The proton transfer to solvent in the excited state of protonated diaminonaphthalenes, 1,5-diaminonaphthalene (1,5-DAN) and 1,8-diaminonaphthalene (1,8-DAN), in aqueous solution, has been investigated by picosecond time-resolved fluorescence measurements. The deprotonation rate constants of the dications of 1,8-DAN and 1,5-DAN in the excited state to produce the corresponding monocations are determined to be 1.3 x 10(10) and 5.

Fluorescence on-off switching mechanism of benzofurazans.

Many fluorescent reagents with a benzofurazan (2,1,3-benzoxadiazole) skeleton have been developed and widely used in bio-analyses. In this study, we try to elucidate the fluorescence on-off switching mechanism of three fluorogenic reagents and their derivatives. Ten 4,7-disubstituted benzofurazans were used for this purpose and the measurements of their fluorescence, phosphorescence, photolysis, and time-resolved thermal lensing signal in acetonitrile were obtained in order to understand the relaxation processes of these compounds.