Excited-State Proton Transfer in 3‑Cyano-7-azaindole: From Aqueous Solution to Ice

We investigated the excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) reaction for 3-cyano-7-azaindole (<b>3CAI</b>) in aqueous solution and in ice. <b>3CAI</b> undergoes water-catalyzed ESPT in the aqueous solution, giving normal (355 nm) and proton transfer tautomer (∼472 nm) emission bands. Detailed temperature-dependent studies showed that the values of activation free energy (Δ<i>G</i>^‡) were similar between N–H and N–D isotopes. Therefore, water-catalyzed ESPT involves a stepwise mechanism incorporating solvation equilibrium (<i>K</i>_eq) to form a 1:1 (molar ratio) water:<b>3CAI</b> cyclic hydrogen-bonded complex as an intermediate, followed by perhaps proton tunneling reaction. In sharp contrast, <b>3CAI</b> in ice undergoes entirely different photophysical properties, in which <b>3CAI</b> self-organizes to form a double-hydrogen-bonded dimers at the grain boundary of the polycrystalline. Upon excitation, the dimer proceeds with a fast excited-state double proton transfer reaction, giving rise to solely a tautomer emission (∼450 nm). The distinct difference in ESPT properties between water and ice makes azaindoles feasible for the investigation of water–ice interface property

Revisiting Dual Intramolecular Charge-Transfer Fluorescence of Phenothiazine-triphenyltriazine Derivatives

The photophysical properties of the phenothiazine-triphenyltriazine derivative, PTZ-TRZ, are reinvestigated. The results, in combination with the computational approaches, lead us to draw the conclusion that the complicated excitation behavior in toluene (ref ), in part, is due to the UV absorption cutoff region for toluene where the <315 nm excitation is greatly distorted by solvent absorption, i.e., the inner filter effect, in a regular sample cuvette (1.0 cm path length). Switching the solvent to cyclohexane with the UV cutoff wavelength at 235 nm simplifies the results. In cyclohexane, two isomers exist for PTZ-TRZ in the ground state and quasi-axial and quasi-equatorial conformers. Upon electronic excitation, both quasi-axial and quasi-equatorial conformers undergo structural relaxation to an energy minimum state where the phenothiazine is in a planar configuration

Revisiting Dual Intramolecular Charge-Transfer Fluorescence of Phenothiazine-triphenyltriazine Derivatives

The photophysical properties of the phenothiazine-triphenyltriazine derivative, PTZ-TRZ, are reinvestigated. The results, in combination with the computational approaches, lead us to draw the conclusion that the complicated excitation behavior in toluene (ref ), in part, is due to the UV absorption cutoff region for toluene where the <315 nm excitation is greatly distorted by solvent absorption, i.e., the inner filter effect, in a regular sample cuvette (1.0 cm path length). Switching the solvent to cyclohexane with the UV cutoff wavelength at 235 nm simplifies the results. In cyclohexane, two isomers exist for PTZ-TRZ in the ground state and quasi-axial and quasi-equatorial conformers. Upon electronic excitation, both quasi-axial and quasi-equatorial conformers undergo structural relaxation to an energy minimum state where the phenothiazine is in a planar configuration

Insight into the Amino-Type Excited-State Intramolecular Proton Transfer Cycle Using N‑Tosyl Derivatives of 2‑(2′-Aminophenyl)benzothiazole

Studies have been carried out to gain insight in to an overall excited-state proton transfer cycle for a series of N-tosyl derivatives of 2-(2′-aminophenyl)­benzothiazole. The results indicate that followed by ultrafast (<150 fs) excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), the titled compounds undergo rotational isomerization along the C₁–C₁′ bond. For the model compound 2-(2′-tosylaminophenyl)­benzothiazole (PBT-NHTs) the subsequent cis-trans isomerization process in both triplet and ground states are probed by nanosecond transient absorption (TA) and two-step laser-induced fluorescence (TSLIF) spectroscopy. Both TA and TSLIF results indicate the existence of a long-lived trans-tautomer species in the ground state with a lifetime of few microseconds. The experimental results correlate well with the theoretical approach, which suggests that PBT-NHTs proton transfer tautomer generated in the excited state undergoes intramolecular C₁–C₁′ rotation to ∼100° between benzothiazole and phenyl moieties in which the energetics for the S₁ and T₁ states are nearly identical. As a result, the intersystem crossing between S₁ and T₁ states serves as a fast deactivation pathway for the excited-state cis-tautomer to channel into both cis- and trans-tautomer in their respective T₁ states, followed by the dominant T₁-S₀ radiationless deactivation to populate the trans-tautomer in the ground state. The trans-tautomer species in the S₀ state proceeds with intermolecular double proton transfer to regenerate the cis-normal form. An overall proton-transfer cycle describing the amino-type ESIPT and the subsequent isomerization processes is thus depicted in detail

Harnessing Excited-State Intramolecular Proton-Transfer Reaction via a Series of Amino-Type Hydrogen-Bonding Molecules

A series of new amino (NH)-type hydrogen-bonding (H-bonding) compounds comprising 2-(2′-aminophenyl)­benzothiazole and its extensive derivatives were designed and synthesized. Unlike in the hydroxyl (OH)-type H-bonding systems, one of the amino hydrogens can be replaced with electron-donating/withdrawing groups. This, together with a versatile capability for modifying the parent moiety, makes feasible the comprehensive spectroscopy and dynamics studies of amino-type excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), which was previously inaccessible in the hydroxyl-type ESIPT systems. Empirical correlations were observed among the hydrogen-bonding strength (the N–H bond distances and proton acidity), ESIPT kinetics, and thermodynamics, demonstrating a trend that the stronger N–H···N hydrogen bond leads to a faster ESIPT, as experimentally observed, and a more exergonic reaction thermodynamics. Accordingly, ESIPT reaction can be harnessed for the first time from a highly endergonic type (i.e., prohibition) toward equilibrium with a measurable ESIPT rate and then to the highly exergonic, ultrafast ESIPT reaction within the same series of amino-type intramolecular H-bond system