Binding of naproxen enantiomers to human serum albumin studied by fluorescence and room-temperature phosphorescence.

The interaction of the enantiomers of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug naproxen (NPX) with human serum albumin (HSA) has been investigated using fluorescence and phosphorescence spectroscopy in the steady-state and time-resolved mode. The absorption, fluorescence excitation, and fluorescence emission spectra of (S)-NPX and (R)-NPX differ in shape in the presence of HSA, indicating that these enantiomers experience a different environment when bound. In solutions containing 0.2M KI, complexation with HSA results in a strongly increased NPX fluorescence intensity and a decreased NPX phosphorescence intensity due to the inhibition of the collisional interaction with the heavy atom iodide. Fluorescence intensity curves obtained upon selective excitation of NPX show 8-fold different slopes for bound and free NPX. No significant difference in the binding constants of (3.8±0.6)×10(5) M(-1) for (S)-NPX and (3.9±0.6)×10(5) M(-1) for (R)-NPX was found. Furthermore, the addition of NPX quenches the phosphorescence of the single tryptophan in HSA (Trp-214) based on Dexter energy transfer. The short-range nature of this mechanism explains the upward curvature of the Stern-Volmer plot observed for HSA: At low concentrations NPX binds to HSA at a distance from Trp-214 and no quenching occurs, whereas at high NPX concentrations the phosphorescence intensity decreases due to dynamic quenching by NPX diffusing into site I from the bulk solution. The dynamic quenching observed in the Stern-Volmer plots based on the longest phosphorescence lifetime indicates an overall binding constant to HSA of about 3×10(5) M(-1) for both enantiomers.

Looking inside catalyst extrudates with time-resolved surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TR-SERS).

Raman spectroscopy is one of the major characterization methods employed over the last few decades as a nondestructive technique for the study of heterogeneous catalysts and related catalytic reactions. However, the promise of practical applicability on millimeter-sized catalyst bodies, such as extrudates, has not been fulfilled completely. Large fluorescence signals and the highly scattering nature of the extrudates often hamper its practical usage. Different approaches to overcome this problem were examined, including the use of time-resolved Raman spectroscopy (TRRS), spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS), surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), and combinations of these techniques. This paper demonstrates that especially TRRS can provide chemical information at depth within catalyst bodies, overcoming fluorescence background signals and allowing for visualization of analytes at different depths. It also examines the application of time-resolved SERS within catalyst bodies to gain insight into localized activity. With these options a wider applicability of Raman spectroscopy for industrial catalysis research becomes within reach.

Stereoselective binding of flurbiprofen enantiomers and their methyl esters to human serum albumin studied by time-resolved phosphorescence.

The interaction of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug flurbiprofen (FBP) with human serum albumin (HSA) hardly influences the fluorescence of the protein's single tryptophan (Trp). Therefore, in addition to fluorescence, heavy atom-induced room-temperature phosphorescence is used to study the stereoselective binding of FBP enantiomers and their methyl esters to HSA. Maximal HSA phosphorescence intensities were obtained at a KI concentration of 0.2 M. The quenching of the Trp phosphorescence by FBP is mainly dynamic and based on Dexter energy transfer. The Stern-Volmer plots based on the phosphorescence lifetimes indicate that (R)-FBP causes a stronger Trp quenching than (S)-FBP. For the methyl esters of FBP, the opposite is observed: (S)-(FBPMe) quenches more than (R)-FBPMe. The Stern-Volmer plots of (R)-FBP and (R)-FBPMe are similar although their high-affinity binding sites are different. The methylation of (S)-FBP causes a large change in its effect on the HSA phosphorescence lifetime. Furthermore, the quenching constants of 3.0 × 10(7) M(-1) s(-1) of the R-enantiomers and 2.5 × 10(7) M(-1) s(-1) for the S-enantiomers are not influenced by the methylation and indicate a stereoselectivity in the accessibility of the HSA Trp to these drugs.

Complementary fluorescence and phosphorescence study of the interaction of brompheniramine with human serum albumin.

Binding of the antihistamine drug brompheniramine (BPA) to human serum albumin (HSA) is studied by measuring quenching of the fluorescence and room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) of tryptophan. The modified Stern-Volmer equation was used to derive association constants and accessible fractions from the steady-state fluorescence data. Decay associated spectra (DAS) revealed three tryptophan fluorescence lifetimes, indicating the presence of three HSA conformations. BPA causes mainly static quenching of the long-living, solvent-exposed conformer. RTP spectra and lifetimes, recorded under deoxygenated conditions in the presence of 0.2 M KI, provided additional kinetic information about the HSA-BPA interactions. Fluorescence DAS that were also recorded in the presence of 0.2 M KI revealed that the solvent-exposed conformer is the major contributor to the RTP signal. The phosphorescence quenching is mostly dynamic at pH 7 and mostly static at pH 9, presumably related to the protonation state of the alkylamino chain of BPA. This provides direct insight into the binding mode of the antihistamine drug, as well as kinetic information at both the nanosecond and the millisecond time scales.

pH-dependent complexation of histamine H1 receptor antagonists and human serum albumin studied by UV resonance Raman spectroscopy.

UV resonance Raman spectroscopy was used to characterize the binding of three first-generation histamine H(1) receptor antagonists-tripelennamine (TRP), mepyramine (MEP), and brompheniramine (BPA)-to human serum albumin (HSA) at pH 7.2 and pH 9.0. Binding constants differ at these pH values, which can be ascribed to the different extent of protonation of the ethylamino side chain of the ligands. We have recently shown [Tardioli et al. J. Raman Spectrosc. 2011, 42, 1016-1024] that for the solution conformation of TRP and MEP the side chain plays an important role by allowing an internal hydrogen bond with the aminopyridine nitrogen in TRP and MEP. Results presented in this paper suggest that the existence of such molecular structures has serious biological significance on the binding affinity of those ligands to HSA. At pH 7.2, only the stretched conformers of protonated TRP and MEP bind in HSA binding site I. Using UV absorption data, we derived binding constants for the neutral and protonated forms of TRP to HSA. The neutral species seems to be conjugated to a positive group of the protein, affecting both the tryptophan W214 and some of the tyrosine (Y) vibrations. BPA, for which the structure with an intramolecular hydrogen bonded side chain is not possible, is H bound to the indole ring nitrogen of W214, of which the side chain rotates over a certain angle to accommodate the drug in site I. We propose that the protonated BPA is also bound in site I, where the Y150 residue stabilizes the presence of this compound in the binding pocket. No spectroscopic evidence was found for conformational changes of the protein affecting the spectroscopic properties of W and Y in this pH range.

Noninvasive detection of concealed explosives: depth profiling through opaque plastics by time-resolved Raman spectroscopy.

The detection of explosives concealed behind opaque, diffusely scattering materials is a challenge that requires noninvasive analytical techniques for identification without having to manipulate the package. In this context, this study focuses on the application of time-resolved Raman spectroscopy (TRRS) with a picosecond pulsed laser and an intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) detector for the noninvasive identification of explosive materials through several millimeters of opaque polymers or plastic packaging materials. By means of a short (250 ps) gate which can be delayed several hundred picoseconds after the laser pulse, the ICCD detector allows for the temporal discrimination between photons from the surface of a sample and those from deeper layers. TRRS was applied for the detection of the two main isomers of dinitrotoluene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, and 2,6-dinitrotoluene as well as for various other components of explosive mixtures, including akardite II, diphenylamine, and ethyl centralite. Spectra were obtained through different diffuse scattering white polymer materials: polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyoxymethylene (POM), and polyethylene (PE). Common packaging materials of various thicknesses were also selected, including polystyrene (PS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). With the demonstration of the ability to detect concealed, explosives-related compounds through an opaque first layer, this study may have important applications in the security and forensic fields.

Quenched phosphorescence as alternative detection mode in the chiral separation of methotrexate by electrokinetic chromatography.

Quenched phosphorescence was used, for the first time, as detection mode in the chiral separation of methotrexate (MTX) enantiomers by electrokinetic chromatography. The detection is based on dynamic quenching of the strong emission of the phosphorophore 1-bromo-4-naphthalene sulfonic acid (BrNS) by MTX under deoxygenated conditions. The use of a background electrolyte with 3 mg/mL 2-hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin and 20% MeOH in 25 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) and an applied voltage of 30 kV allowed the separation of L-MTX and its enantiomeric impurity D-MTX with sufficient resolution. In the presence of 1 mM BrNS, a detection limit of 3.2 × 10(-7) M was achieved, about an order of magnitude better than published techniques based on UV absorption. The potential of the method was demonstrated with a degradation study and an enantiomeric purity assessment of L-MTX. Furthermore, L-MTX was determined in a cell culture extract as a proof-of-principle experiment to show the applicability of the method to biological samples.

Computational study on the anomalous fluorescence behavior of isoflavones.

Isoflavones are known to show fluorescence with intensities that depend strongly on the solvent properties and exhibit Stokes' shifts as large as 1.4 eV. While some of this behavior can be explained by (excited state) deprotonation, this mechanism does not apply for all isoflavones. The aim of this study is to computationally and experimentally investigate the reasons for this anomalous behavior of neutral isoflavones, taking the daidzein molecule as a model compound. We find that the absence in fluorescence in aprotic solvents and the weak fluorescence in protic solvents can be explained by a change of order of the lowest singlet states in which a fluorescent charge-transfer state lies below the nonfluorescent locally excited state in water but not in acetonitrile. The large Stokes' shift is partly due to a significant rotation among the chromone-phenyl bond in the excited state.

Direct spectroscopic evidence of 8- and 9-fold coordinated europium(III) species in H(2)O and D(2)O.

In the present paper a detailed analysis of high-resolution luminescence spectra of Eu(III)-H(2)O species in frozen aqueous solution (T = 5 K) is presented. From the total luminescence spectra (TLS, excitation vs emission) and the luminescence decay matrixes (time vs emission), fundamental species-selective spectroscopic parameters are determined: excitation wavelength λ(exc), decay time τ, crystal field energy splitting ΔE (crystal field strength parameter N(ν)(B(2q))), crystal field parameters B(20) and B(22), asymmetry ratio r, and point symmetry group. The spectroscopic findings clearly show the presence of two distinct Eu(III) aquo species. Samples prepared with different counterions (Cl(-), ClO(4)(-)) and at different pH values (2 and 5) yielded comparable results. Furthermore, in D(2)O solutions the same two species were found, with similar spectral properties but much longer decay times. On the basis of the spectroscopic analysis, the two species were attributed to 8- and 9-fold coordinated Eu(III) aquo ions.

Sensitized phosphorescence as detection method for the enantioseparation of bupropion by capillary electrophoresis.

A new CE detection method was developed for the chiral drug bupropion (a second-generation antidepressant), based on phosphorescence both in the direct and in the sensitized mode using pulsed laser excitation at 266 nm. Electrokinetic chromatography using 5 mM sulfated-α-CD as chiral selector in 25 mM phosphate buffer at pH 3 allowed the separation of bupropion enantiomers with a high chiral resolution (Rs>3). In the sensitized phosphorescence detection mode, excitation energy is transferred from the analyte to an acceptor (1-bromo-4-napthhalenesulfonic acid or biacetyl) followed by time-resolved phosphorescence detection under deoxygenated buffer conditions. Using 2 × 10(-4) M biacetyl as the acceptor an LOD of 2 × 10(-7) M was obtained for each enantiomer, about 40 times better than in the direct mode. Under these separation conditions, no significantly different phosphorescence lifetimes (measured on-line) were obtained for the two bupropion enantiomers. The suitability of the method was demonstrated with the quantification of bupropion in a pharmaceutical formulation and its determination in a spiked urine sample.

Sensitized enantioselective laser-induced phosphorescence detection in chiral capillary electrophoresis.

The sensitivity of enantioselective cyclodextrin-induced room-temperature phosphorescence detection of camphorquinone (CQ) is enhanced using sensitization via a donor with a high extinction coefficient. The enantiomeric distinction is based on the different phosphorescence lifetimes of (+)-CQ and (-)-CQ after their complexation with α-cyclodextrin (α-CD). The collisional Dexter energy transfer from the selected donor 2,6-naphthalenedisulfonic acid (2,6-NS) to the acceptor CQ is still very efficient despite the inclusion of the acceptor into CD. For coupling to the chiral separation of (±)-CQ in cyclodextrin-based electrokinetic chromatography, the donor was added to the deoxygenated background electrolyte that consisted of 20 mM α-CD, 10 mM carboxymethyl-ß-CD, and 25 mM borate buffer at pH 9.0. Time-resolved batch studies on sensitized phosphorescence show a significant enantioselectivity for (+)- and (-)-CQ in the presence of both α-CD and CM-ß-CD although the lifetime difference is somewhat reduced with respect to direct excitation. The enantiomers were distinguished after their separation using an online time-resolved detection system. Excitation was performed at 266 nm with a pulsed, small-sized, quadrupled Nd:YAG laser. With 1 × 10(-5) M 2,6-NS, limits of detection of 4.1 × 10(-8) M and 5.2 × 10(-8) M were found for (+)-CQ and (-)-CQ, respectively. The online measured lifetimes were 238 ± 8 µs for (+)-CQ and 126 ± 10 µs for (-)-CQ. The method was used to determine the concentration of (±)-CQ leaching from a cured dental resin into water. The extracts contained 4.7 ± 0.1 × 10(-7) M of both (+)-CQ and (-)-CQ.

Time-resolved spatially offset Raman spectroscopy for depth analysis of diffusely scattering layers.

The objective of this study is to use time-resolved (TR) Raman spectroscopy, spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS), and a combination of these approaches to obtain high quality Raman spectra from materials hidden underneath an opaque layer. Both TR Raman and SORS are advanced techniques that allow for an increased relative selectivity of photons from deeper layers within a sample. Time-resolved detection reduces fluorescence background, and the selectivity for the second layer is improved. By combining this with spatially offset excitation we additionally increased selectivity for deeper layers. Test samples were opaque white polymer blocks of several mm thicknesses. Excitation was carried out with a frequency-doubled Ti:sapphire laser at 460 nm, 3 ps pulse width and 76 MHz repetition rate. Detection was either with a continuous-wave CCD camera or in time-resolved mode using an intensified CCD camera with a 250 ps gate width. The Raman photons were collected in backscatter mode, with or without lateral offset. By measuring the delay of the Raman signal from the second layer (polyethylene terephthalate/PET/Arnite), the net photon migration speeds through Teflon, polythene, Delrin and Nylon were determined. Raman spectra could be obtained from a second layer of PET through Teflon layers up to 7 mm of thickness. The ability to obtain chemical information through layers of diffusely scattering materials has powerful potential for biomedical applications.

Characterization of hybrid bilayer membranes on silver electrodes as biocompatible SERS substrates to study membrane-protein interactions.

Hybrid bilayer lipid membranes (HBMs) were built on roughened silver electrodes exhibiting surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity. The HBM consisted of a first layer of octadecanethiol (ODT) directly bound to the electrode surface, on which a second layer of 1,2-diphytanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPhPC) was obtained by self-assembled phospholipid vesicle fusion. The electrochemical properties of the HBM were investigated in situ by cyclic voltammetry (CV), AC voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results indicate that our HBMs are well-formed, and their insulating properties are comparable to those observed for HBM supported by smooth metal substrates. The interaction between the bilayer and the human enzyme cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) was investigated. Surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) measurements in combination with AC and EIS, performed on the same electrode sample, proved that the CYP2D6 is immobilized on the HBM without evident alterations of its active site and without significant perturbations of the bilayer architecture. This study yields novel insights into the properties of HBMs built on roughened surfaces, providing in situ electrochemical characterization of a substrate which is suitable for studying peripheral membrane proteins with SERRS spectroscopy.

The impact of urea-induced unfolding on the redox process of immobilised cytochrome c.

We have studied the effect of urea-induced unfolding on the electron transfer process of yeast iso-1-cytochrome c and its mutant K72AK73AK79A adsorbed on electrodes coated by mixed 11-mercapto-1-undecanoic acid/11-mercapto-1-undecanol self-assembled monolayers. Electrochemical measurements, complemented by surface enhanced resonance Raman studies, indicate two distinct states of the adsorbed proteins that mainly differ with respect to the ligation pattern of the haem. The native state, in which the haem is axially coordinated by Met80 and His18, displays a reduction potential that slightly shifts to negative values with increasing urea concentration. At urea concentrations higher than 6 M, a second state prevails in which the Met80 ligand is replaced by an additional histidine residue. This structural change in the haem pocket is associated with an approximately 0.4 V shift of the reduction potential to negative values. These two states were found for both the wild-type protein and the mutant in which lysine residues 72, 73 and 79 had been substituted by alanines. The analysis of the reduction potentials, the reaction enthalpies and entropies as well as the rate constants indicates that these three lysine residues have an important effect on stabilising the protein structure in the adsorbed state and facilitating the electron transfer dynamics.

Excited state processes of 2-butylamino-6-methyl-4-nitropyridine N-oxide in nonpolar solvents. A transient absorption spectroscopy study.

Earlier steady-state fluorescence studies showed that 2-butylamino-6-methyl-4-nitropyridine N-oxide (2B6M) can undergo fast excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT). In a nonpolar solvent such as n-octane, both normal and tautomeric fluorescence was observed. Strikingly, the relative ratio of those two emission bands and the fluorescence quantum yield of the normal emission were found to depend on the excitation wavelength in violation of the Kasha-Vavilov rule. In this work, the system was investigated further by means of transient absorption spectroscopy, followed by global and target analysis. Upon excitation at 420 nm, a normal excited singlet state S(1)(N) is reached, which decays in about 12 ps via fluorescence and ESIPT (minor pathways) and to a long-lived "dark" state (major pathway) that is most probably the triplet T(1)(N). Upon 330 nm excitation, however, a more complex pattern emerges and additional decay channels are opened. A set of four excited-state species is required to model the data, including a hot state S(1)(N)* that decays in about 3 ps to the tautomer, to the long-lived "dark" state and to the relaxed S(1)(N) state. A kinetic scheme is presented that can explain the observed transient absorption results as well as the earlier fluorescence data.

Effectiveness of charged noncovalent polymer coatings against protein adsorption to silica surfaces studied by evanescent-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy and capillary electrophoresis.

Protein adsorption to silica surfaces is a notorious problem in analytical separations. Evanescent-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy (EW-CRDS) and capillary electrophoresis (CE) were employed to investigate the capability of positively charged polymer coatings to minimize the adsorption of basic proteins. Adsorption of cytochrome c (cyt c) to silica coated with a single layer of polybrene (PB), or a triple layer of PB, dextran sulfate (DS), and PB, was studied and compared to bare silica. Direct analysis of silica surfaces by EW-CRDS revealed that both coatings effectively reduce irreversible protein adsorption. Significant adsorption was observed only for protein concentrations above 400 microM, whereas the PB-DS-PB coating was shown to be most effective and stable. CE analyses of cyt c were performed with and without the respective coatings applied to the fused-silica capillary wall. Monitoring of the electroosmotic flow and protein peak areas indicated a strong reduction of irreversible protein adsorption by the positively charged coatings. Determination of the electrophoretic mobility and peak width of cyt c revealed reversible protein adsorption to the PB coating. It is concluded that the combination of results from EW-CRDS and CE provides highly useful information on the adsorptive characteristics of bare and coated silica surfaces toward basic proteins.

High-resolution steady-state and time-resolved luminescence studies on the complexes of Eu(III) with aromatic or aliphatic carboxylic acids.

Eu(III) luminescence spectroscopy, both in the steady-state and the time-resolved mode, is an appropriate technique to study the properties of complexes between heavy metal ions and humic substances (HS), which play a key role in the distribution of metal species in the environment. Unfortunately, room temperature luminescence spectra of Eu(III) complexes with aromatic and aliphatic carboxylic acids - model compounds of HS binding sites - are too broad to fully exploit their potential analytical information content. It is shown that under cryogenic conditions fluorescence-line-narrowing (FLN) is achieved, and the highly resolved spectra provide detailed information on the complexes. Ten model ligands were investigated. Total luminescence spectra (TLS) were recorded, using the (5)D(0)<--(7)F(0) transition for excitation and the (5)D(0)-->(7)F(1) and (5)D(0)-->(7)F(2) transitions for emission. The energy of the excitation transition depends on the ligand involved and the structure and composition of the complex. For most ligands, discontinuities in the high-resolution TLS indicated that more species, i.e. distinct complex structures, coexisted in the sample. Selective excitation was performed to measure the species-associated luminescence decay times tau. The latter strongly depend on nearby OH oscillators from coordinating water molecules or ligand hydroxyl groups. Furthermore, the asymmetry ratios r, defined as the intensity ratio of the (5)D(0)-->(7)F(2) and (5)D(0)-->(7)F(1) transitions, were calculated and the variation of the excitation energy E(exc) with the splitting of the (7)F(1) triplet (DeltaE) was determined, which yielded the crystal field strength parameter N(nu)(B(2q)), as well as the crystal field parameters B(20) and B(22). An in-depth analysis of the results is presented, providing detailed information on the number of coexisting complexes, their stoichiometry, the number of water molecules in the first coordination sphere and their geometry (symmetry point group).

Picosecond Raman spectroscopy with a fast intensified CCD camera for depth analysis of diffusely scattering media.

A spectroscopic depth profiling approach is demonstrated for layers of non-transparent, diffusely scattering materials. The technique is based on the temporal discrimination between Raman photons emitted from the surface and Raman photons originating from a deeper layer. Excitation was carried out with a frequency-doubled, 3 ps Ti:sapphire laser system (398 nm; 76 MHz repetition rate). Time-resolved detection was carried out with an intensified CCD camera that can be gated with a 250 ps gate width. The performance of the system was assessed using 1 mm and 2 mm pathlength cuvettes with powdered PMMA and trans-stilbene (TS) crystals, respectively, or solid white polymer blocks: Arnite (polyethylene terephthalate), Delrin (polyoxymethylene), polythene (polyethylene) and Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene). These samples were pressed together in different configurations and Raman photons were collected in backscatter mode in order to study the time difference in such media corresponding with several mm of extra net photon migration distance. We also studied the lateral contrast between two different second layers. The results demonstrate that by means of a picosecond laser system and the time discrimination of a gated intensified CCD camera, molecular spectroscopic information can be obtained through a turbid surface layer. In the case of the PMMA/TS two-layer system, time-resolved detection with a 400 ps delay improved the relative intensity of the Raman bands of the second layer with a factor of 124 in comparison with the spectrum recorded with a 100 ps delay (which is more selective for the first layer) and with a factor of 14 in comparison with a non-gated setup. Possible applications will be discussed, as well as advantages/disadvantages over other Raman techniques for diffusely scattering media.

Excited-state double proton transfer in 1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinoline dimers.

Pyrazoloquinolines are highly fluorescent, both in liquid solutions and in the solid state, which makes them good candidates for various optical devices. The aim of the current work is to understand the photochemical behavior of pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinoline (PQ), which is quite complicated since in n-alkane solvents PQ tends to form strong complexes with protic solvent constituents (often present as minor impurities), as well as dimers. Both types of H-bond complexes were studied systematically by temperature-dependent conventional absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy; the effect of protic solvent constituents was mimicked by varying the ethanol concentration in n-octane in the range from 0.0 to 0.8%. At room temperature the PQ:ethanol association constant was estimated at 80 M(-1) and the dimerization constant at 2 x 10(3) M(-1). Dimer formation is enhanced upon lowering the temperature in pure n-alkane down to 220 K, and the fluorescence is strongly reduced since the dimer is nonfluorescent. Surprisingly, when irradiating a frozen sample for several minutes at very low temperatures (<40 K), a narrow-banded Shpol'skii-type fluorescence spectrum gradually appears. To explain this unusual photochemical behavior, PQ and its deuterated analogue were studied using low-temperature absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy over the 300-5 K temperature range. In the case of normal (protonated) PQ, very fast excited-state intermolecular double proton transfer is responsible for the efficient quenching of PQ dimer fluorescence. Deuteration significantly slows down this proton transfer process, and in that case under cryogenic conditions a fluorescent dimer is observed. Photoirradiation under cryogenic conditions leads to molecular rearrangement of the dimers and the appearance of monomer spectra. For both H-PQ and D-PQ, these processes were found to be reversible. A simplified reaction scheme, in which the excited tautomeric dimer plays a crucial role, is presented to explain the observations.

Anomalous photophysics of H1 antihistamines in aqueous solution.

Electronic absorption, emission, and excitation spectra, and fluorescence lifetimes of two H1 antihistamines--tripelennamine and mepyramine--are investigated in detail to ascertain their usefulness as fluorescent probes for ligand binding to G-protein coupled receptors. The photophysical behavior of these compounds in aqueous solution is complex due to the presence of three protonable nitrogens, intramolecular hydrogen bonding, quenching due to the formation of a charge transfer state, and intramolecular fluorescence resonance energy transfer. At physiological pH values, anomalous photophysical behavior is observed: the compounds are found to be in a ground-state equilibrium mixture of two species, one with the alkylamine tail involved in an intramolecular hydrogen bond and a second without such a bond. This internal hydrogen-bonded tail has a profound effect on the ground and excited-state properties of both tripelennamine and mepyramine, which is further elucidated by comparing them to the reference compounds 2-aminopyridine and 2-(N,N-dimethylamino)pyridine.