Water soluble molecular switches of fluorescence based on the Ni(III)/Ni(II) redox change.

The water soluble Ni(II) complexes of the cyclam derivatives with 1,3-benzodioxole and 1,2,3-trimethoxybenzene display the fluorescent emission typical of the covalently linked fluorophores, which results from a charge transfer excited state. On oxidation to Ni(III), the fluorescence is completely quenched due to the occurrence of an electron transfer (eT) process from the excited fluorogenic fragment Fl to the oxidized metal. Thus, fluorescence can be switched off/on at will, for several cycles, by consecutively oxidizing and reducing the metal center, in controlled potential electrolysis experiments both in acetonitrile and in aqueous 0.