Hydroxycruciforms: amine-responsive fluorophores

Chemistry. 2008;14(15):4503-10. doi: 10.1002/chem.200800296.

Abstract

The synthesis of three hydroxy-substituted cruciforms (XF, 1,4-bis(4'-hydroxystyryl)-2,5-bis(4''-methoxyphenylethynyl)benzene, 1,4-bis(4'-methoxystyryl)-2,5-bis(4''-hydroxyphenylethynyl)benzene, and 1,4-bis(4'-hydroxystyryl)-2,5-bis(4''-hydroxyphenylethynyl)benzene) starts with a Horner reaction followed by a Sonogashira coupling and subsequent deprotection. The three herein described XFs contain either two or four free phenolic hydroxyl groups. All three XFs were subjected to photometric UV/Vis titrations in a methanol/water mixture. The respective pK(a) values were obtained by data deconvolution. As the three XFs display a significant change in emission color upon photoinduced deprotonation, the XFs were taken up in different solvents and exposed to twelve amines. The amine-dependent change in emissivity of the tetrahydroxy XF is sufficiently distinct in the eight solvents that all of the inspected amines are discerned by a linear discriminant analysis. The tetrahydroxy XF in different solvents forms a sensor array, the response of which is based on the excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) to amines and mediated by the choice of the battery of solvents that are utilized.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Alkynes / chemical synthesis*
  • Alkynes / chemistry
  • Amines / chemistry*
  • Benzene Derivatives / chemical synthesis*
  • Benzene Derivatives / chemistry
  • Fluorescent Dyes / chemical synthesis*
  • Fluorescent Dyes / chemistry
  • Molecular Structure
  • Phenols / chemical synthesis*
  • Phenols / chemistry
  • Stereoisomerism
  • Stilbenes / chemical synthesis*
  • Stilbenes / chemistry

Substances

  • Alkynes
  • Amines
  • Benzene Derivatives
  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Phenols
  • Stilbenes