Excited-state acidity double proton transfer

The photophysics of solid salicylic acid (SA) has been studied by using steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques [207,208], Dimers of SA form in two possible structures (59 and 60) due to fast ground-state double proton transfer. Dual fluorescence is observed at 380 nm and 440 nm, which are ascribable to the excited-state double proton transfer between different dimeric structures of SA. The enol form is more stable in the ground state. However, in the excited singlet state, the keto form has a lower potential energy [207], This excited enol-keto tautomerism has a barrier height of -1250 cm as is calculated from the dependence of dual fluorescence on excitation wavelength in the... 

Research of a more fundamental nature - not directly geared toward finding useful applications - has been reported on two other groups of molecules. 7-Azaindole is another biologically relevant molecule since it is closely related to indole, the core of the amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan is an important reporter molecule in protein spectroscopy, and replacement of the indole group by an azaindole makes it even more suitable for its simpler decay characteristics and red-shifted spectrum [90]. It was also extensively investigated by Kasha and coworkers [91], and has been the subject of much theoretical work[92].The tendency of 7-azaindole to form dimers in particular solvents has also led to the study of double proton transfer reactions in the excited state [93, 94]. Some of these issues are complicated by the possible presence of anion fluorescence [95] (Figure 1.13). 

Yates and coworkers have examined the mechanism for photohydration of o-OH-8. The addition of strong acid causes an increase in the rate of quenching of the photochemically excited state of o-OH-8, and in the rate of hydration of o-OH-8 to form l-(o-hydroxyphenyl)ethanol. This provides evidence that quenching by acid is due to protonation of the singlet excited state o-OH-8 to form the quinone methide 9, which then undergoes rapid addition of water.22 Fig. 1 shows that the quantum yields for the photochemical hydration of p-hydroxystyrene (closed circles) and o-hydroxystyrene (open circles) are similar for reactions in acidic solution, but the quantum yield for hydration of o-hydroxystyrene levels off to a pH-independent value at around pH 3, where the yield for hydration of p-hydroxystyrene continues to decrease.25 The quantum yield for the photochemical reaction of o-hydroxystyrene remains pH-independent until pH pAa of 10 for the phenol oxygen, and the photochemical efficiency of the reaction then decreases, as the concentration of the phenol decreases at pH > pAa = 10.25 These data provide strong evidence that the o-hydroxyl substituent of substrate participates directly in the protonation of the alkene double bond of o-OH-8 (kiso, Scheme 7), in a process that has been named excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT).26... 

With one exception, these results are based solely on quantum-chemical calculations of the potential energy surface. Theoretical evaluation of the transfer dynamics has been attempted only for the formic acid dimer, for which two general level splittings have been observed and assigned to synchronous double proton tunneling in the ground state and a vibrational excited state, respectively. 

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