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Designing highly efficient purely organic phosphors at room temperature remains a challenge because of fast non-radiative processes and slow intersystem crossing (ISC) rates. The majority of them emit only single component phosphorescence. Herein, we have prepared 3 isomers (o, m, p-bromophenyl)-bis(2,6-dimethylphenyl)boranes. Among the 3 isomers (o-, m- and p-BrTAB) synthesized, the ortho-one is the only one which shows dual phosphorescence, with a short lifetime of 0.8 ms and a long lifetime of 234 ms in the crystalline state at room temperature. Based on theoretical calculations and crystal structure analysis of o-BrTAB, the short lifetime component is ascribed to the T\(^M_1\) state of the monomer which emits the higher energy phosphorescence. The long-lived, lower energy phosphorescence emission is attributed to the T\(^A_1\) state of an aggregate, with multiple intermolecular interactions existing in crystalline o-BrTAB inhibiting nonradiative decay and stabilizing the triplet states efficiently.
Boric acid (BA) has been used as a transparent glass matrix for optical materials for over 100 years. However, recently, apparent room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) from BA (crystalline and powder states) was reported (Zheng et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 9500) when irradiated at 280 nm under ambient conditions. We suspected that RTP from their BA sample was induced by an unidentified impurity. Our experimental results show that pure BA synthesized from B(OMe)\(_{3}\) does not luminesce in the solid state when irradiated at 250–400 nm, while commercial BA indeed (faintly) luminesces. Our theoretical calculations show that neither individual BA molecules nor aggregates would absorb light at >175 nm, and we observe no absorption of solid pure BA experimentally at >200 nm. Therefore, it is not possible for pure BA to be excited at >250 nm even in the solid state. Thus, pure BA does not display RTP, whereas trace impurities can induce RTP.
A series of bis‐(4’‐pyridylethynyl)arenes (arene=benzene, tetrafluorobenzene, and anthracene) were synthesized and their bis‐N‐methylpyridinium compounds were investigated as a class of π‐extended methyl viologens. Their structures were determined by single crystal X‐ray diffraction, and their photophysical and electrochemical properties (cyclic voltammetry), as well as their interactions with DNA/RNA were investigated. The dications showed bathochromic shifts in emission compared to the neutral compounds. The neutral compounds showed very small Stokes shifts, which are a little larger for the dications. All of the compounds showed very short fluorescence lifetimes (<4 ns). The neutral compound with an anthracene core has a quantum yield of almost unity. With stronger acceptors, the analogous bis‐N‐methylpyridinium compound showed a larger two‐photon absorption cross‐section than its neutral precursor. All of the dicationic compounds interact with DNA/RNA; while the compounds with benzene and tetrafluorobenzene cores bind in the grooves, the one with an anthracene core intercalates as a consequence of its large, condensed aromatic linker moiety, and it aggregates within the polynucleotide when in excess over DNA/RNA. Moreover, all cationic compounds showed highly specific CD spectra upon binding to ds‐DNA/RNA, attributed to the rare case of forcing the planar, achiral molecule into a chiral rotamer, and negligible toxicity toward human cell lines at ≤10 μM concentrations. The anthracene‐analogue exhibited intracellular accumulation within lysosomes, preventing its interaction with cellular DNA/RNA. However, cytotoxicity was evident at 1 μM concentration upon exposure to light, due to singlet oxygen generation within cells. These multi‐faceted features, in combination with its two‐photon absorption properties, suggest it to be a promising lead compound for development of novel light‐activated theranostic agents.
Three novel tetracationic bis‐triarylboranes with 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) linkers, and their neutral precursors, showed significant red‐shifted absorption and emission compared to their thiophene‐containing analogues, with one of the EDOT‐derivatives emitting in the NIR region. Only the EDOT‐linked trixylylborane tetracation was stable in aqueous solution, indicating that direct attachment of a thiophene or even 3‐methylthiophene to the boron atom is insufficient to provide hydrolytic stability in aqueous solution. Further comparative analysis of the EDOT‐linked trixylylborane tetracation and its bis‐thiophene analogue revealed efficient photo‐induced singlet oxygen production, with the consequent biological implications. Thus, both analogues bind strongly to ds‐DNA and BSA, very efficiently enter living human cells, accumulate in several different cytoplasmic organelles with no toxic effect but, under intense visible light irradiation, they exhibit almost instantaneous and very strong cytotoxic effects, presumably attributed to singlet oxygen production. Thus, both compounds are intriguing theranostic agents, whose intracellular and probably intra‐tissue location can be monitored by strong fluorescence, allowing switching on of the strong bioactivity by well‐focused visible light.
We synthesized new pyrene derivatives with strong bis(para ‐methoxyphenyl)amine donors at the 2,7‐positions and n ‐azaacene acceptors at the K‐region of pyrene. The compounds possess a strong intramolecular charge transfer, leading to unusual properties such as emission in the red to NIR region (700 nm), which has not been reported before for monomeric pyrenes. Detailed photophysical studies reveal very long intrinsic lifetimes of >100 ns for the new compounds, which is typical for 2,7‐substituted pyrenes but not for K‐region substituted pyrenes. The incorporation of strong donors and acceptors leads to very low reduction and oxidation potentials, and spectroelectrochemical studies show that the compounds are on the borderline between localized Robin‐Day class‐II and delocalized Robin‐Day class‐III species.