Electrostatic Investigation of 4-Dicyanomethylene-2,6-dimethyl-4H-pyran (DDP) Dye with Amide Derivatives in Water.

Cyclic voltammetry (CV) studies of 4-dicyanomethylene-2,6-4H-pyran (DDP) dye with alkyl-substituted amides were carried out in an aqueous solution. Formamide and substituted amide interaction with DDP dye were characterized by fluorescence spectral techniques in an aqueous solution, but the electrochemical nature and the interaction at the interface region between dye-amide remains largely unexplored. The introduction of formamide to DDP dye exhibits an increase in the peak current accompanied with potential values gradually shifting more toward a less positive region. A large variation in the current-potential characteristics is observed in alkyl-substituted amides. The cyclic voltammograms of alkyl amides are found to be entirely different from each other. The role of alkyl substitution in the amide molecular framework influences the reduction potential of the dye in an aqueous medium. The mode of interaction of the dye with alkyl-substituted amides is predominantly due to the electrostatic behavior, even though hydrogen-bonding interactions coexist throughout the aqueous phase. The binding constant parameter (K), free-energy changes (ΔG), and the variation in the potential behavior of the dye in the presence of formamide and alkyl amides authenticate that the nature of interaction operates by both hydrogen-bonding mode and electrostatic interactions. Electrochemical techniques when coupled with fluorescence methods provide an efficient method of determining the interaction at the bulk and the interface regions of a water-soluble dye with nonfluorophoric solutes.

Fluorescence coupled with electrochemical approach at the bulk and the interface region of hydrogen-bonding self assemblies of urea derivatives with DDP dye in aqueous solution.

Photophysical and electrochemical techniques were employed to hydrogen-bonding self assemblies forming solutes (Urea, Dimethylurea and Tetramethylurea) in the presence of 4-dicyanomethylene 2, 6-dimethyl-4H-pyran (DDP) dye. Addition of urea derivatives to DDP dye (Intramolecular Charge Transfer (ICT)) results in a fluorescence enhancement accompanied with a significant shift. Fluorescence lifetime behavior exhibits a tri-exponential decay with a large variation in the fluorescence lifetime and relative amplitude distribution. The coexistence of three different fluorescence lifetime components of DDP with urea derivatives signifies the existence of heterogeneous micro environment. The dye is surrounded by varying proportion of solute and water molecules are established from fluorescence lifetime studies. Urea derivatives govern the excited state characteristics of DDP dye resulting in the formation and promotion of different microenvironment which are clearly distinguishable. The existence of multi environment attributed to urea-water structural behaviour is authenticated by electrochemical impedance spectral studies (EIS). A large variation in the contour pattern, shape and intensity in 3D fluorescence contour spectra of dye with urea validate the existence of dye in a heterogeneous micro environment. The hydrophobicity of urea derivatives along with the hydrogen-bonding properties of urea-water and urea-urea influence the photophysical and electrochemical nature of dye is emphasized.