Experimental and Theoretical Investigation on Excited State Intramolecular Proton Transfer Coupled Charge Transfer Reaction of Baicalein

The excited state intramolecular proton transfer （ESIPT） coupled charge transfer of baicalein has been investigated using steady-state spectroscopic experiment and quantum chemistry calculations. The absence of the absorption peak from S1 excited state both in the experi-mental and calculated absorption spectra indicates that S1 is a dark state. The dark excited state S1 results in the very weak fluorescence of solid baicalein in the experiment. The fron- tier molecular orbital and the charge difference densities of baicalein show clearly that the S1 state is a charge-transfer state whereas the S2 state is a locally excited state. The only one stationary point on the potential energy profile of excited state suggests that the ESIPT reaction of baicalein is a barrierless process.

Theoretical Study on Intramolecular Proton Transfer of Perylenequinonoid Derivatives

Intramolecular proton transfer of hypomycin A in the ground state S0 and singlet excited state S1 were calculated by high level quantum chemical method in this letter. It was found that the IPT barriers for I→TS1 are 38.56 kJ/mol in S0 and 8.19 kJ/mol in S1, while those for I→TS4 get approximately 17 kJ/mol higher in S0 and 28 kJ/mol higher in S1. The calculation of IPT rate constants suggests that the experiment observed process of PQD is in S1. The height of the IPT barriers correlate not only with the variance of charge for labile hydrogen, the change of H-bonds length, the change of O-H bonds length and the change of O-O distance, but also with the reactant molecular H-bonds length. Moreover, the correlations are the same for S0 and S1.

Regulation of Excited-State Intramolecular Proton Transfer Process and Photophysical Properties for Benzoxazole Isothiocyanate Fluorescent Dyes by Changing Atomic Electronegativity

Excited-state intramolecular proton transfer(ESIPT)is favored by researchers because of its unique optical properties.However,there are relatively few systematic studies on the effects of changing the electronegativity of atoms on the ESIPT process and photophysical properties.Therefore,we selected a series of benzoxazole isothiocyanate fluorescent dyes(2-HOB,2-HSB,and 2-HSe B)by theoretical methods,and systematically studied the ESIPT process and photophysical properties by changing the electronegativity of chalcogen atoms.The calculated bond angle,bond length,energy gap,and infrared spectrum analysis show that the order of the strength of intramolecular hydrogen bonding of the three molecules is 2-HOB<2-HSB<2-HSe B.Correspondingly,the magnitude of the energy barrier of the potential energy curve is 2-HOB>2-HSB>2-HSe B.In addition,the calculated electronic spectrum shows that as the atomic electronegativity decreases,the emission spectrum has a redshift.Therefore,this work will offer certain theoretical guidance for the synthesis and application of new dyes based on ESIPT properties.

Theoretical investigation on the excited state intramolecular proton transfer in Me_(2)N substituted flavonoid by the time-dependent density functional theory method

Time-dependent density functional theory(TDDFT)method is used to investigate the details of the excited state intramolecular proton transfer(ESIPT)process and the mechanism for temperature effect on the Enol^(*)/Keto^(*)emission ratio for the Me_(2)N-substited flavonoid(MNF)compound.The geometric structures of the S_(0) and S_(1) states are denoted as the Enol,Enol^(*),and Keto*.In addition,the absorption and fluorescence peaks are also calculated.It is noted that the calculated large Stokes shift is in good agreement with the experimental result.Furthermore,our results confirm that the ESIPT process happens upon photoexcitation,which is distinctly monitored by the formation and disappearance of the characteristic peaks of infrared(IR)spectra involved in the proton transfer and in the potential energy curves.Besides,the calculations of highest occupied molecular orbital(HOMO)and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital(LUMO)reveal that the electronegativity change of proton acceptor due to the intramolecular charge redistribution in the S_(1) state induces the ESIPT.Moreover,the thermodynamic calculation for the MNF shows that the Enol^(*)/Keto^(*)emission ratio decreasing with temperature increasing arises from the barrier lowering of ESIPT.

The substituent effect on the excited state intramolecular proton transfer of 3-hydroxychromone

The excited state intramolecular proton transfer of four derivatives(FM, BFM, BFBC, CCM) of 3-hydroxychromone is investigated.The geometries of different substituents are optimized to study the substituent effects on proton transfer.The mechanism of hydrogen bond enhancement is qualitatively elucidated by comparing the infrared spectra, the reduced density gradient, and the frontier molecular orbitals.The calculated electronic spectra are consistent with the experimental results.To quantify the proton transfer, the potential energy curves(PECs) of the four derivatives in S0 and S1 states are scanned.It is concluded that the ability of proton transfer follows the order: FM > BFM > BFBC > CCM.

Exploring the effect of aggregation-induced emission on the excited state intramolecular proton transfer for a bis-imine derivative by quantum mechanics and our own n-layered integrated molecular orbital and molecular mechanics calculations

We theoretically investigate the excited state intramolecular proton transfer(ESIPT) behavior of the novel fluorophore bis-imine derivative molecule HNP which was designed based on the intersection of 1-(hydrazonomethyl)-naphthalene-2-ol and 1-pyrenecarboxaldehyde. Especially, the density functional theory(DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory(TDDFT) methods for HNP monomer are introduced. Moreover, the "our own n-layered integrated molecular orbital and molecular mechanics"(ONIOM) method(TDDFT:universal force field(UFF)) is used to reveal the aggregation-induced emission(AIE) effect on the ESIPT process for HNP in crystal. Our results confirm that the ESIPT process happens upon the photoexcitation for the HNP monomer and HNP in crystal, which is distinctly monitored by the optimized geometric structures and the potential energy curves. In addition, the results of potential energy curves reveal that the ESIPT process in HNP will be promoted by the AIE effect. Furthermore, the highest occupied molecular orbital(HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital(LUMO) for the HNP monomer and HNP in crystal have been calculated. The calculation demonstrates that the electron density decrease of proton donor caused by excitation promotes the ESIPT process. In addition, we find that the variation of atomic dipole moment corrected Hirshfeld population(ADCH) charge for proton acceptor induced by the AIE effect facilitates the ESIPT process. The results will be expected to deepen the understanding of ESIPT dynamics for luminophore under the AIE effect and provide insight into future design of high-efficient AIE compounds.

Impact of Polymer Matrix on Polymer Mechanochromism from Excited State Intramolecular Proton Transfer

Mechanochromic polymers based on non-covalent changes have attracted much attention recently.Herein,we report the impact of inter/intramolecular hydrogen bonds on polymer mechanochromism from the excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process.PhMz-NH2-OH and PhMz=2A are designed and obtained by simple and high-yield synthesis,and are connected into polyurethane and poly(methyl acrylate-co-2-ethylhexyl acrylate),respectively.In the initial state,the PhMz-NH2-OH@PU sample shows blue fluorescence from the excited enol form (E*) excitons,owing to intermolecular hydrogen bonds that interrupt the ESIPT reactions but the PhMz=2A@PMA-2-EA sample expresses cyan fluorescence belonging to the excited keto form (K*) emission,implying that the intramolecular hydrogen bonds matter.Furthermore,under stretching,external force can tune the emission of the PhMz=2A@PMA-2-EA sample from K* to E* state.Though external force can putatively still promote a bond rotation,ESIPT reactions remain equivalently interrupted in both the relaxed and stressed states in a hydrogen-bond donating environment.DFT calculation confirms the force-induced increase in dihedral angle for the transition of ESIPT-on/off.Thus,PhMz-NH2-OH@PU and PhMz=2A@PMA-2-EA showed disparate initial ESIPT states and further different responses/sensitivity to force.This study reports a novel and efficient strategy for enriching mechanochromic investigation and extending the applications of ESIPT reactions.

A Versatile BenzimidazoleSubstituted Spirolactam Mechanophore:When Excited State Intramolecular Proton Transfer Couples with Rhodamine

Exploration of multicolor mechanochromic bulk polymers based on a single mechanophore is a big challenge to date.Herein,we report a versatile benzimidazole-substituted spirolactam mechanophore where excited state intramolecular proton transfer(ESIPT)coupled with rhodamine.The mechanophore was facilely synthesized and then covalently linked to polyurethane(PU)chains.The PU film containing the mechanophore(1@PU)showed cooperative photochromism upon irradiation involving simultaneous enhancement of normalized enol and rhodol emissions based on a cooperative ESIPT process and the ring-opening reaction of spirolactam.Moreover,the film exhibited dual-mode multicolor mechanochromism upon stretching and compression.The normalized intensity of enol emission increased and the fluorescence turned from light green to cyan after stretching,then red coloration appeared from colorless after compressing.Control experiments and density functional theory calculations confirmed that the stretch-induced increase of enol emission was attributed to torsion of the dihedral angle between xanthene and benzimidazole in the mechanophore via force-induced disaggregation and direct force action on the isolated mechanophore.Torsion of the dihedral angle and the ring-opening reaction of spirolactam in a single mechanophore occurred sequentially during compression,resulting in an observed red coloration.This study might provide a glimpse into the design of novel multicolor mechanochromic mechanophores.

Deep-red and near-infrared organic lasers based on centrosymmetric molecules with excited-state intramolecular double proton transfer activity

Organic lasers that emit light in the deep-red and near-infrared(NIR)region are of essential importance in laser communication,night vision,bioimaging,and information-secured displays but are still challenging because of the lack of proper gain materials.Herein,a new molecular design strategy that operates by merging two excited-state intramolecular proton transfer-active molecules into one excited-state double proton transfer(ESDPT)-active molecule was demonstrated.Based on this new strategy,three new materials were designed and synthesized with two groups of intramolecular resonance-assisted hydrogen bonds,in which the ESDPT process was proven to proceed smoothly based on theoretical calculations and experimental results of steady-state and transient spectra.Benefiting from the effective six-level system constructed by the ESDPT process,all newly designed materials showed low threshold laser emissions at approximately 720 nm when doped in PS microspheres,which in turn proved the existence of the second proton transfer process.More importantly,our well-developed NIR organic lasers showed high laser stability,which can maintain high laser intensity after 12000 pulse lasing,which is essential in practical applications.This work provides a simple and effective method for the development of NIR organic gain materials and demonstrates the ESDPT mechanism for NIR lasing.

Computational Insights into the Excited State Intramolecular Proton Transfer Reactions in Ortho-hydroxylated Oxazolines

Excited-state intramolecular proton transfer(ESIPT) reactions of three ortho-hydroxylated oxazolines, 2-(4,4-dimethyl-4,5-dihydro-oxazol-2-yl)-phenol(DDOP), 4-(4,4-dimethyl-4,5-dihydro-oxazol-2-yl)-[1,1?-biphenyl]-3-ol(DDOP-C_(6)H_(5)) and 4-(4,4-dimethyl-4,5-dihydrooxazol-2-yl)-3-hydroxy-benzonitrile(DDOP-CN), have been systematically explored by density functional theory(DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory(TDDFT) methods. Two stable configurations(enol and keto forms) are found in the ground states(S_(0)) for all the compounds while the enol form only exists in the first excited states(S_(1)) for the compound modified with electron donating group(-C_(6)H_(5)). In addition, the calculated absorption and emission spectra of the compounds are in good agreements with the experiments. Infrared vibrational spectra at the hydrogen bond groups demonstrate that the intramolecular hydrogen bond O(1)-H(2)···N(3) in DDOP-C_(6)H_(5) is strengthened in the S_(1) states, while the frontier molecular orbitals further reveal that the ESIPT reactions are more likely to occur in the S_(1) states for all the compounds. Besides, the proton transfer potential energy curves show that the enol forms can barely convert into keto forms in the S_(0) states because of the high energy barriers. Meanwhile, intramolecular proton transfer of all the compounds could occur in S_(1) states. The ESIPT reactions of the ortho-hydroxylated oxazolines are barrierless processes for unsubstituted DDOP and electron withdrawing substituted DDOP-CN, while the electron donating substituted DDOP-C_(6)H_(5) has a small barrier, so the electron donating is unfavorable to the ESIPT reactions of ortho-hydroxylated oxazolines.

Organic Near-Infrared Luminescent Materials Based on Excited State Intramolecular Proton Transfer Process

Organic near-infrared(NIR)luminescent materials have captured intense research interest owing to their potential applications in optical communication,data storage,bioimaging,sensing and night vision.Excited state intramolecular proton transfer(ESIPT)process with absorption in normal form while emission in tautomer form can lead to a distinct redshift emission,based on which,a lot of organic NIR luminescent materials were designed.Because of attractive features such as ultrahigh sensitivity to the surroundings,large Stokes shift,and inherent four level system,ESIPT based NIR luminescent materials are supposed to be ideal fluorescent probes and gain materials.In this review,first,organic near-infrared luminescent materials based on ESIPT process are summarized according to the core structures.Second,recent advances of ESIPT-based organic near-infrared fluorescent probes and organic NIR lasers are reviewed.Finally,the current challenges and prospects of ESIPT-based organic NIR luminescent materials are introduced.

Theoretical Study of Structure, Energetic, Hydrogen Bonds Strength and Intramolecular Proton Transfer of 2-（2-R （R=OH, NH2, SH） Phenyl （or Pyridyl）） Benzoxazoles （or Benzothiazoles）

The ground- and excited-state intramolecular proton transfer processes of 2-（2-R （R=OH, NH2, SH） phenyl （or pyridyl）） benzoxazoles （or benzothiazoles） are investigated by the DFT methods. The calculated results indicate that in the ground state there is a high correlation （R=0.9950） between the proton transfer barrier and the intramolecular hydrogen bonds （IMHB） strength. The increase of the strength of IMHB in the proton transfer processes leads to a larger barrier contributions. Intramolecular proton transfer process pathway is along with the minimal difference of change value in the IMHB angle. In the excited-state, there is a similar relationship between the IMHB and the bartier.

Monitoring intracellular pH fluctuation with an excited-state intramolecular proton transfer-based ratiometric fluorescent sensor

Intracellular pH is a key parameter related to various biological and pathological processes.In this study,a ratiometric pH fluorescent sensor ABTT was developed harnessing the amino-type excited-state intramolecular proton transfer(ESIPT) process.Relying on whether the ESIPT proceeds normally or not,ABTT exhibited the yellow fluorescence in acidic media,or cyan fluorescence in basic condition.According to the variation,ABTT behaved as a promising sensor which possessed fast and reversible response to pH change without interference from the biological substances,and exported a steady ratiometric signal(I_(478)/I_(546)).Moreover,due to the ESIPT effect,large Stokes shift and high quantum yield were also exhibited in ABTT.Furthermore,ABTT was applied for monitoring the pH changes in living cells and visualizing the pH fluctuations under oxidative stress successfully.These results elucidated great potential of ABTT in understanding pH-dependent physiological and pathological processes.

Excited state intramolecular proton transfer fluorescence emission of o-hydroxyphenyl-triazine derivatives

o-hydroxyphenyl-triazine derivatives with formyl substituents were surveyed for the excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT).The occurrence of ESIPT was confirmed by well-separated emission bands for the derivatives.A low energy change from enol to keto in the excited state explains ESIPT for the derivatives.

Theoretical study of intramolecular proton transfer of perylenequinone

AM1 method is employed to calculate the barriers against intramolecular proton transfer (IPT) of perylenequinone (PQ). The results obtained are as follows: (i) Barriers against the IPT reaction of ground state, singlet excited state and triplet excited state of PQ are 89.75, 55.40 and 83.97 kJ/mol, respectively. (ii) Barriers a-gainst the IPT process of anion of PQ in ground state and singlet excited state are 80.12 and 79. 91 kJ/mol, respectively, (iii) Barriers against the IPT of cation and anion radical of PQ (PQ,+ and PC,-) are 65. 94 and 59.29 kJ/ mol. (iv) The barrier against double proton transfer of PQ is 172.13 kJ/mol. (v) Two barriers against IPT of a type of perylenequinonoid photosensitizer (PQP), hypocrellin A (HA), are 89. 24 and 88. 07 kJ/mol. From these data conclusions can be drawn as follows: (i) IPT processes in ground state and excited state of PQ exist, but the transfer rate of excited state is much higher than that of ground state. (ii) It is almost impossible for PQ to transfer two protons simultaneously. (iii) IPT processes in anion, anion radical and cation radical of PQ still exist. (iv) The seven-membered side ring of HA has no marked influence on its barrier against IPT.

Ab initio investigation of excited state dual hydrogen bonding interactions and proton transfer mechanism for novel oxazoline compound

Owing to the importance of excited state dynamical relaxation, the excited state intramolecular proton transfer(ESIPT) mechanism for a novel compound containing dual hydrogen bond(abbreviated as "1-enol") is studied in this work.Using density functional theory(DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory(TDDFT) method, the experimental electronic spectra can be reproduced for 1-enol compound. We first verify the formation of dual intramolecular hydrogen bonds, and then confirm that the dual hydrogen bond should be strengthened in the first excited state. The photo-excitation process is analyzed by using frontier molecular orbital(HOMO and LUMO) for 1-enol compound. The obvious intramolecular charge transfer(ICT) provides the driving force to effectively facilitate the ESIPT process in the S1 state. Exploration of the constructed S0-state and S1-state potential energy surface(PES) reveals that only the excited state intramolecular single proton transfer occurs for 1-enol system, which makes up for the deficiencies in previous experiment.

Theoretical study on the mechanism for the excited-state double proton transfer process of an asymmetric Schiff base ligand

Excited-state double proton transfer(ESDPT)in the 1-[(2-hydroxy-3-methoxy-benzylidene)-hydrazonomethyl]-naphthalen-2-ol(HYDRAVH_(2))ligand was studied by the density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory method.The analysis of frontier molecular orbitals,infrared spectra,and non-covalent interactions have crossvalidated that the asymmetric structure has an influence on the proton transfer,which makes the proton transfer ability of the two hydrogen protons different.The potential energy surfaces in both S_(0)and S_1 states were scanned with varying O-H bond lengths.The results of potential energy surface analysis adequately proved that the HYDRAVH_(2)can undergo the ESDPT process in the S_1 state and the double proton transfer process is a stepwise proton transfer mechanism.Our work can pave the way towards the design and synthesis of new molecules.

溶剂绿7荧光光谱法快速测定四氢呋喃中水含量

为了检测有机溶剂中水含量,利用溶剂绿7在含水的有机溶剂中较易发生激发态分子间质子转移的特性,探讨了溶剂绿7荧光发射峰510、430 nm强度比(I_(510)/I_(430))与四氢呋喃(THF)中水含量的关系,并建立了一种用溶剂绿7荧光光谱快速检测THF中水含量的方法。结果表明,对于特定比例的H_(2)O-THF混合溶液,I_(510)/I_(430)为一定值,并且不随时间的变化而变化;当水体积分数为0.25%~100.00%时,I_(510)/I_(430)(或lg I_(510)/I430)与水体积分数呈现出阶段性的线性关系,该线性关系同样存在于其他水有机溶剂二元混合体系以及水有机溶剂有机溶剂三元混合体系中。溶剂绿7的发射峰强度比I_(510)/I_(430)可以用于有机溶剂中常量水的检测,具有较高的应用价值。

近红外ESIPT型有机荧光探针的设计合成及其应用

荧光探针检测因其在活体样品中的高灵敏度、高分辨率和实时检测成像等优势备受关注,广泛应用于化学检测、临床和生物成像等领域。近红外小分子荧光探针具有低背景干扰、高灵敏度和深组织穿透性等优势,不仅能够克服传统荧光探针的局限性,还能在生物成像中展现其特有的优势,因此受到越来越多领域的关注。与传统荧光染料相比,具有激发态分子内质子转移(ESIPT)机制的化合物具有较大的Stokes位移,可以有效消除内滤光作用和荧光自吸收效应,降低自身荧光的干扰,从而提高分子探针检测的灵敏性。此外,这类化合物具有较强的位点可修饰性,可以通过分子对接等方法更好地优化光学性能。因此,本文结合了近红外和ESIPT等优点,设计并合成了一种近红外ESIPT型有机小分子荧光探针,并研究了其在水合肼检测中的可行性。

Effect of intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonding on the ESIPT process in DEAHB molecule

Density functional theory（DFT） and time-dependent density functional theory（TDDFT） methods are used to investigate the influences of intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonding on excited-state intramolecular proton transfer（ESIPT） for the 4-N,N-（diethylamino）-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde（DEAHB）. The structures of DEAHB and its hydrogenbonded complex in the ground-state and the excited-state are optimized. In addition, the detailed descriptions of frontier molecular orbitals of the DEAHB monomer and DEAHB-DMSO complex are presented. Moreover, the transition density matrix is worked out to gain deeper insight into the orbitals change. It is hoped that the present work not only elaborates different influence mechanisms between intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions on the ESIPT process for DEAHB, but also may be helpful to design and develop new materials and applications involved DEAHB systems in the future.