Artificial iono- and photosensitive membranes based on an amphiphilic aza-crown-substituted hemicyanine.

Artificial iono- and photosensitive membranes based on an amphiphilic aza-crown-substituted hemicyanine are assembled on liquid and solid supports and their aggregation behaviour, which is influenced by the binding of metal cations and surface density, is studied. The photoinduced charge-transfer properties of an analogous non-amphiphilic hemicyanine in solution are also demonstrated. An asymmetric sandwich dimer model is proposed and existence of such dimers in solution is evidenced by transient absorption and fluorescence anisotropy experiments. Changes in absorption and emission spectra, as well as compression isotherms of the amphiphile observed in the presence of cations, are discussed in terms of 2D molecular reorganisation. Surface-pressure-controlled reversible excimer formation at the air-water interphase and excimer-type emission of Langmuir-Blodgett films in the presence of cations are demonstrated and are discussed on the basis of fibre-optic fluorimetry and fluorescence microscopy results.

Impact of water on the cis-trans photoisomerization of hydroxychalcones.

The photochromism of a 2-hydroxychalcone has been studied in CH3CN and H2O/CH3OH (1/1, v/v), as well as in analogous deuterated solvents using steady-state (UV-vis absorption, (1)H and (13)C NMR) and time-resolved (ultrafast transient absorption and nanosecond flow flash photolysis) spectroscopies. Whereas the irradiation of trans-chalcone (Ct) under neutral pH conditions leads to the formation of the same final chromene derivative (B) in both media, two distinct photochemical mechanisms are proposed in agreement with thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the chemical reaction network at the ground state. Following light excitation, the first steps are identical in acetonitrile and aqueous solution: the Franck-Condon excited state rapidly populates the trans-chalcone singlet excited state (1)Ct* (LE), which evolves into a twisted state (1)P*. This excited state is directly responsible for the photochemistry in acetonitrile in the nanosecond time scale (16 ns) leading to the formation of cis-chalcone (Cc) through a simple isomerization process. The resulting cis-chalcone evolves into the chromene B through a tautomerization process in the ground state (τ = 10 ms). Unlike in acetonitrile, in H2O/CH3OH (1/1, v/v), the P* state becomes unstable and evolves into a new state attributed to the tautomer (1)Q*. This state directly evolves into B in one photochemical step through a consecutive ultrafast tautomerization process followed by electrocyclization. This last case represents a new hypothesis in the photochromism of 2-hydroxychalcone derivatives.

Dynamics of ion-regulated photoinduced electron transfer in BODIPY-BAPTA conjugates.

Efficient Ca(2+)-switched fluorescent sensors, where fluorescence output is governed by a light-activated ion-gated electron transfer pathway, can be obtained on combining BODIPY chromophores with a readily oxidized biocompatible and selective BAPTA receptor. Herein we report the synthesis and studies of two such conjugates, which vary in the nature of the spacer separating the two electroactive components, namely none (1) or phenyl (2). Single crystal X-ray crystallography and molecular modelling structures and calculations give information on molecular and electronic structure, while steady-state fluorescence experiments show high Ca(2+)-induced fluorescence enhancement factors of 122 and 23 and K(d) values of 0.50 µM and 0.13 µM for 1 and 2, respectively. Notably, studies of the ultrafast photoinduced processes (through transient absorption spectroscopy) give access to electron transfer dynamics in pseudo-physiological media as well as in a polar non-protic solvent and information about the fate of the excited molecules in the presence and absence of calcium. In water, electron transfer rates as high as 3.3 × 10(12) s(−1) and 8.3 × 10(11) s(−1) are measured for the ion-free, directly connected conjugate and the variant incorporating a phenyl spacer, respectively. This electron transfer pathway is efficiently blocked by the presence of an ion, restoring fluorescence.

Copper catalyst activation driven by photoinduced electron transfer: a prototype photolatent click catalyst.

PET cat. While the copper(II) tren ketoprofenate precatalyst 1 (see picture) is inactive at room temperature in methanol, it is quantitatively and rapidly reduced to its cuprous state upon light irradiation to provide a highly reactive click catalyst. By simply introducing air into the reaction medium the catalysis can be switched off and then switched on again by bubbling argon followed by irradiation.

Photocatalyzed sulfide oxygenation with water as the unique oxygen atom source.

In our research program aiming to develop new ruthenium-based polypyridine catalysts for oxidation we were interested in combining a photosensitizer and a catalytic fragment within the same complex to achieve catalytic light-driven oxidation. To respond to the lack of such conjugates, we report here a new catalytic system capable of using light to activate water molecules in order to perform selective sulfide oxygenation into sulfoxide via an oxygen atom transfer from H(2)O to the substrate with a TON of up to 197 ± 6. On the basis of electrochemical and photophysical studies, a proton-coupled electron-transfer process yielding to an oxidant Ru(IV)-oxo species was proposed. In particular, the synergistic effect between both partners in the dyad yielding a more efficient catalyst compared to the bimolecular system is highlighted.

C3-triiodocyclotriveratrylene as a key intermediate to fluorescent probes: application to selective choline recognition.

A new strategy to obtain fluorescent cyclotriveratrylene (CTV) probes is proposed. The key intermediate, a triiodo CTV, is prepared in 3 steps with 47% overall yield. The whole synthesis requires only one purification step. The potential of this triiodo CTV as an intermediate is illustrated through the synthesis of a fluorescent phosphorylated probe that is able to bind choline and acetylcholine in pseudo-physiological conditions, with selectivity towards choline. As a consequence, this intermediate should allow us to rapidly form a library of probes in order to highlight the most promising ones.

BF2-azadipyrromethenes: probing the excited-state dynamics of a NIR fluorophore and photodynamic therapy agent.

BF(2)-Azadipyrromethene dyes are a promising class of NIR emitter (nonhalogenated) and photosensitizer (halogenated). Spectroscopic studies on a benchmark example of each type, including absorption (one and two photon), time-resolved transient absorption (ps-ms) and fluorescence, are reported. Fast photodynamics reveal that intense nanosecond NIR fluorescence is quenched in a brominated analog, giving rise to a persistent (21 µs) transient absorption signature. Kinetics for these changes are determined and ascribed to the efficient population of a triplet state (72%), which can efficiently sensitize singlet oxygen formation (ca. 74%), directly observed by (1)Δ(g) luminescence. Photostability measurements reveal extremely high stability, notably for the nonhalogenated variant, which is at least 10(3)-times more stable (Φ(photodeg.) = < 10(-8)) than some representative BODIPY and fluorescein dyes.

Facile functionalization of a fully fluorescent perfluorophenyl BODIPY: photostable thiol and amine conjugates.

Selective nucleophilic substitution on a perfluorophenyl unit comprising a BODIPY fluorophore using an alkanethiol or a primary amine offers a quantitative fluorophore labelling strategy, while retaining high photostability and emission quantum yields approaching unity.

Synthesis and characterization of nanomagnetite particles and their polymer coated forms.

Superparamagnetic nanoparticles were prepared by coprecipitation of ferrous (Fe(2+)) and ferric (Fe(3+)) aqueous solution by a base. Nanomagnetite particles were coated with poly(St/PEG-EEM/DMAPM) and poly(St/PEG-MA/DMAPM) layer by emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization. Chemical structure of nanoparticles was characterized by both FTIR and (1)H NMR. Particle morphologies were determined by Zeta Sizer, DLS, XRD and SAXS. Structural analysis showed that after polymer coating nanomagnetite particles kept their superparamagnetic property. Besides the synthesized magnetites, polymer coated forms of these particles are more biocompatible, well dispersable and uniform. These properties make them a very strong candidate for bioengineering applications, such as bioseparation, gene transfer.

Photoinduced intramolecular electron transfer in a 2,7-diaminofluorene chromophore decorated with two benzophenone subunits.

An extensive photophysical analysis of a 2,7-bis-(N-4-methoxyphenyl-N-phenylamino)fluorene derivative covalently linked with two benzophenone moieties is presented. A systematic comparison with a model chromophore without benzophenone was performed. For both chromophores, the electronic properties of the ground states are completely equivalent indicating that benzophenone subunits do not exhibit any electronic interaction with the diaminofluorene core. However, at the singlet excited state, the presence of benzophenones induces the occurrence of additional non-radiative de-excitation pathways. Even the intersystem crossing rate is significantly increased with respect to that of the model one. A photoinduced intramolecular electron transfer (PIET) from diaminofluorene to benzophenone subunits is proposed as the most efficient quenching process. At low polar solvent, the emission of an exciplex confirms the PIET process and the occurrence of a partial charge separation between donor and acceptor parts.