Susana P. G. Costa

2-Arylthienyl-Substituted 1,3-Benzothiazoles as New Nonlinear Optical Chromophores

A series of nonlinear optical chromophores 6 containing a substituted benzothiazole ring have been synthesized and characterized. 1,3-Benzothiazoles 6 were prepared by treating various formyl derivatives of thienyl compounds withortho-aminobenzenethiol in fair to excellent yields. These in turn were prepared by Suzuki coupling between aryl and thienyl precursors. The electronic interactions between donor and acceptor end groups in the conjugated 1,3-benzothiazoles 6 are revealed by the intense and markedly solvatochromic CT transitions. The solvatochromic behaviour of compounds 6 was determined by linear regression analyses of absorption maxima in several solvents, where benzothiazole 6f was found to be a very appropriate indicator dye whose absorption wavenumbers (Δmax = 1590 cm–1) in aliphatic and dipolar aprotic and in aromatic and chlorinated solvents correlated excellently with the π* values defined by Kamlet and Taft. Hyper-Rayleigh scattering was used to measure the first hyperpolarizabilities β of the aforementioned compounds. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to evaluate their thermal stability. The experimental results indicate that good nonlinearity and thermal stability are well balanced for chromophores 6, making them good candidates for device applications. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006)

Synthesis, Characterization and Metal Ion Detection of Novel Fluoroionophores Based on Heterocyclic Substituted Alanines

The synthesis of new fluorescent probes containing the thiophene and benzoxazole moieties combined with an alanine residue is described. The resulting highly fluorescent heterocyclic alanine derivatives respond via a quenching effect, with paramagnetic Cu(II) and Ni(II) metal ions and with diamagnetic Hg(II), as shown by the absorption and steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy studies. The formation of mononuclear or dinuclear metal complexes was postulated based on the presence of the free carboxylic acid as binding site and also with the interaction with the donor atoms in the chromophore. Interaction with other important biological metal ions such as Zn(II), Ca(II) and Na(I) was also explored.

Bioinspired Systems for Metal-Ion Sensing: New Emissive Peptide Probes Based on Benzo(d)oxazole Derivatives and Their Gold and Silica Nanoparticles )

Seven new bioinspired chemosensors (2-4 and 7-10) based on fluorescent peptides were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, (1)H and (13)C NMR, melting point, matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), and IR and UV-vis absorption and emission spectroscopy. The interaction with transition- and post-transition-metal ions (Cu(2+), Ni(2+), Ag(+), Zn(2+), Cd(2+), Hg(2+), Pb(2+), and Fe(3+)) has been explored by absorption and fluorescence emission spectroscopy and MALDI-TOF-MS. The reported fluorescent peptide systems, introducing biological molecules in the skeleton of the probes, enhance their sensitivity and confer them strong potential for applications in biological fields. Gold and silica nanoparticles functionalized with these peptides were also obtained. All nanoparticles were characterized by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. Stable gold nanoparticles (diameter 2-10 nm) bearing ligands 1 and 4 were obtained by common reductive synthesis. Commercial silica nanoparticles were decorated at their surface using compounds 8-10, linked through a silane spacer. The same chemosensors were also taken into aqueous solutions through their dispersion in the outer layer of silica core/poly(ethylene glycol) shell nanoparticles. In both cases, these complex nanoarchitectures behaved as new sensitive materials for Ag(+) and Hg(2+) in water. The possibility of using these species in this solvent is particularly valuable because the impact on human health of heavy- and transition-metal-ion pollution is very severe, and all analytical and diagnostics investigations involve a water environment.

Synthesis and evaluation of thiosemicarbazones functionalized with furyl moieties as new chemosensors for anion recognition

A family of heterocyclic thiosemicarbazone dyes (3a-f and 4) containing furyl groups was synthesized in good yields, characterized and their response in acetonitrile in the presence of selected anions was studied. Acetonitrile solutions of 3a-f and 4 showed absorption bands in the 335-396 nm range which are modulated by the electron donor or acceptor strength of the heterocyclic systems appended to the thiosemicarbazone moiety. Fluoride, chloride, bromide, iodide, dihydrogen phosphate, hydrogen sulphate, nitrate, acetate and cyanide anions were used in recognition studies. From these anions, only sensing features were seen for fluoride, cyanide, acetate and dihydrogen phosphate. Two clearly different chromo-fluorogenic behaviours were observed: (i) a small shift of the absorption band due to the coordination of the anions with the thiourea protons and (ii) the appearance of a new red shifted band due to deprotonation. For the latter effect, a change in the colour of solution from pale yellow to purple was observed. Fluorescence studies were also in agreement with the different effects observed in the UV/Vis titrations. In this case, hydrogen bonding interactions were visible through the enhancement of the emission band, whereas deprotonation induced the appearance of a new red-shifted emission. Logarithms of stability constants for the two processes (complex formation + deprotonation) for receptors in the presence of fluoride and acetate anions were determined from spectrophotometric titrations using the HypSpec V1.1.18 program. Semi-empirical calculations to evaluate the hydrogen-donating ability of the receptors and a prospective electrochemical characterization of compound in the presence of fluoride were also performed.

Imidazoanthraquinone derivatives for the chromofluorogenic sensing of basic anions and trivalent metal cations.

Four imidazoanthraquinone derivatives (2a-d) were synthesized and characterized and their coordination behavior against selected anions and cations tested. Acetonitrile solutions of probes showed charge-transfer absorptions in the 407-465 nm range. The four probes emitted in the 533-571 nm interval. The recognition ability of 2a-d was evaluated in the presence of F(-), Cl(-), Br(-), I(-), OCN(-), BzO(-), ClO4(-), AcO(-), HSO4(-), H2PO4(-), and CN(-). Only F(-), AcO(-), and H2PO4(-) induced a new red-shifted absorption band that was attributed to a deprotonation process involving the amine moiety of the imidazole ring. Moreover, upon increasing quantities of F(-), AcO(-), and H2PO4(-), moderate quenching was induced in the emission of 2a-d together with the appearance of a new red-shifted band. The UV-visible and emission behavior of the four probes in the presence of Cu(2+), Co(2+), Mg(2+), Fe(3+), Ba(2+), Fe(2+), Ni(2+), Ca(2+), Zn(2+), Pb(2+), Cd(2+), Cr(3+), Al(3+), K(+), and Li(+) was also assessed. Only addition of Fe(3+), Cr(3+), and Al(3+) caused a new blue-shifted band in 2a-d that was ascribed to a preferential coordination with the acceptor part of the probes. Moreover, an important quenching of the emission was observed which was ascribed to the interaction between these trivalent cations and 2a-d.

An improved approach for the synthesis of α,α-dialkyl glycine derivatives by the Ugi–Passerini reaction

A general and simple strategy for routine peptide synthesis with α,α-dialkyl glycines taking advantage of the four-component Ugi–Passerini reaction is presented. The isonitrile required for the reaction can be relatively simple and its selection based on cost, as the group it generates is easily removed under acidic conditions; in addition, this removal is not visibly affected by the bulkiness of the α-alkyl groups. Being a good leaving group from the N-terminal amino group of the amino acid, 4-methoxybenzyl was the choice for the amine component of the reaction. The method is illustrated with the synthesis of a series of acyl derivatives of several α,α-dialkyl glycines. The preparation of the latter compounds is also reported.

Cyanide and fluoride colorimetric sensing by novel imidazo-anthraquinones functionalised with indole and carbazole

Novel imidazo-anthraquinones functionalised with indole and carbazole have been synthesised and characterised and their evaluation as colorimetric chemosensors was carried out in acetonitrile as well as in acetonitrile/H2O (97:3) in the presence of several anions such as F− , Cl− , Br− , I− , CN− , , , AcO− , BzO− , , , and . In addition, their behaviour in the presence of H+ and OH− was also studied. Upon addition of CN− and F− to acetonitrile solutions of compounds 1–3, a marked colour change from yellow to orange was observed and the fluorescence emission of 1 and 2 was switched ‘on’. The recognition in organic aqueous solution leads to the selective and sensitive naked-eye detection (mM) of CN− for all receptors, with an easily detectable colour change from yellow to orange. The binding stoichiometry between the receptors and the anions was found to be 2:1. The binding process was also followed by 1H NMR titrations showing that two different binding modes occurred in the presence of fluoride or cyanide anions, which is in agreement with the spectrophotometric titrations.

Triphenylamine–Benzimidazole Derivatives: Synthesis, Excited-State Characterization, and DFT Studies

The synthesis and comprehensive characterization of the excited states of four novel triphenylamine-benzimidazole derivatives has been undertaken in solution (ethanol and methylcyclohexane) at room temperature. This includes the determination of the absorption, fluorescence, and triplet-triplet absorption spectra, together with quantum yields of fluorescence, internal conversion, intersystem crossing, and singlet oxygen. From the overall data the radiative and radiationless rate constants could be obtained, and it is shown that the compounds are highly emissive with the radiative decay dominating, with more than 70% of the quanta loss through this deactivation channel. The basic structure of the triphenylamine-benzimidazole derivatives (1a) was modified at position 5 of the heterocyclic moiety with electron-donating (OH (1b), OCH3 (1c)) or electron-withdrawing groups (CN, (1d)). It was found that the photophysical properties remain basically unchanged with the different substitutions, although a marked Stokes shift was observed with 1d. The presence and nature of a charge-transfer transition is discussed with the help of theoretical (DFT and TDFT) data. All compounds displayed exceptionally high thermal stability (between 399 and 454 °C) as seen by thermogravimetric analysis.

The influence of the relative position of the thiophene and pyrrole rings in donor-acceptor thienylpyrrolyl benzothiazole derivatives. A photophysical and theoretical investigation

A detailed spectroscopic and photophysical study has been carried out on a series of heterocyclic compounds-known to display nonlinear optical properties-consisting on a electron donating thienylpyrrolyl pi-conjugated system functionalized with an electron acceptor benzothiazole moiety. The absorption, emission and triplet-triplet absorption together with all relevant quantum yields (fluorescence, intersystem crossing and internal conversion), excited state lifetimes and the overall set of deactivation rate constants (k(F), k(IC) and k(ISC)) were obtained in solution at room (293 K) and low (77 K) temperature. The optimized ground-state molecular geometries for the compounds together with the prediction of the lowest vertical one-electron excitation energy and the relevant molecular orbital contours for the compounds were also determined using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/3-21G* level. The experimental results showed that the photophysical properties are influenced by the relative position of the pyrrole and thiophene relative to the benzothiazole group.

Exploring the emissive properties of new azacrown compounds bearing aryl, furyl or thienyl moieties : a special case of chelation enhancement of fluorescence upon interaction with Ca2+, Cu2+ or Ni2+

Three new compounds bearing furyl, aryl, or thienyl moieties linked to an imidazo-crown ether system (1, 2, and 3) were synthesized and fully characterized by elemental analysis, infrared, UV-vis absorption, and emission spectroscopy, X-ray crystal diffraction, and MALDI-TOF-MS spectrometry. The interaction toward metal ions (Ca(2+), Cu(2+), Ni(2+), and Hg(2+)) and F(-) has been explored in solution by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. Mononuclear and binuclear metal complexes using Cu(2+) or Hg(2+) as metal centers have been synthesized and characterized. Compounds 2 and 3 show a noticeable enhancement of the fluorescence intensity in the presence of Ca(2+) and Cu(2+) ions. Moreover compound 3 presents a dual sensory detection way by modification of the fluorimetric and colorimetric properties in the presence of Cu(2+) or Hg(2+). EPR studies in frozen solution and in microcrystalline state of the dinuclear Cu(II)3 complex revealed the presence of an unique Cu(2+) type.