Molecular fluorescence emission quantum yield

An apparent decrease in the emission quantum yield and/or distortion of the band shape due to the reabsorption of emitted radiation. If such an effect is not corrected or compensated for, results of an emission experiment may prove to be incorrect. This is especially true in fluorescence quenching experiments conducted to evaluate the stoichiometry and affinity of ligand binding. 2. In a light irradiation experiment, the absorption of incident radiation by a species or molecular entity other than the intended primary absorber. See Fluorescence... 

Exceptional fluorescence properties also characterize the ri.s-isomer 38e. Unsubstituted cis-l,2-di-9-anthrylethylene 38a and its monosubstituted derivatives such as 38b are nonfluorescent at room temperature. By contrast, cis-dianthrylethylene 38e does fluoresce with quantum yields of 0.0018, 0.0042, and 0.0064 in cyclohexane, dichloromethane, and acetonitrile, respectively. The emission is structureless (see Figure 18), and is associated with a solvent-independent Stokes shift of about 6000cm-1. As the molecular geometry of 38e is characterized by overlapping anthracene systems [80], the structureless emission may be attributable to an intramolecular excimer state. 

The lifetimes of molecular fluorescence emissions are determined by the competition between radiative and nonradiative processes. If the radiative channel is dominant, as in the anthracene molecule, the fluorescence quantum yield is about unity-and the lifetime lies in the nanosecond range. In molecular assemblies, however, due to the cooperative emission of interacting molecules, much shorter lifetimes—in the picosecond or even in the femtosecond range—can theoretically be expected an upper limit has been calculated for 2D excitons [see (3.15) and Fig. 3.7] and for /V-multilayer systems with 100 > N > 2.78 The nonradiative molecular process is local, so unless fluorescence is in resonance by fission (Section II.C.2), its contribution to the lifetime of the molecular-assembly emission remains constant it is usually overwhelmed by the radiative process.118121 The phenomenon of collective spontaneous emission is often related to Dicke s model of superradiance,144 with the difference that only a very small density of excitation is involved. Direct measurement of such short radiative lifetimes of collective emissions, in the picosecond range, have recently been reported for two very different 2D systems ... 

A small molecule has been previously defined as a system of discrete molecular levels interacting with a radiation field in the absence of other dissipative continua (predissociation, preionization, collisional relaxation). The excited system may thus decay uniquely by the radiative path, and the emission quantum yield Q must be equal to one if measured in a sufficiently broad spectral range. On the other hand, the s-l coupling, inducing redistribution of the s) level oscillator strength, always implies a lengthening of the fluorescence lifetime of mixed levels with respect to that of a pure s> state. 

Name of Luciferin Molecular Formula (Mr) Absorption Max. (nm) (e value) Fluorescence Emission Max. (nm) Luminescence Max. (nm) Quantum Yield... 

This method is perfectly suitable for low concentrations of fluorescent materials. However, in order to study factors which affect the fluorescence quantum yield, such as molecular association or photochemical reactions, much higher concentrations than can be used in the right-angle fluorescence method are required. This follows from the fact that the 0 - 0 vibrational bands in the absorption and emission spectra often overlap. Therefore at relatively high concentrations light emitted at these overlapping wavelengths will be reabsorbed. 

Molecular rotors are useful as reporters of their microenvironment, because their fluorescence emission allows to probe TICT formation and solvent interaction. Measurements are possible through steady-state spectroscopy and time-resolved spectroscopy. Three primary effects were identified in Sect. 2, namely, the solvent-dependent reorientation rate, the solvent-dependent quantum yield (which directly links to the reorientation rate), and the solvatochromic shift. Most commonly, molecular rotors exhibit a change in quantum yield as a consequence of nonradia-tive relaxation. Therefore, the fluorophore s quantum yield needs to be determined as accurately as possible. In steady-state spectroscopy, emission intensity can be calibrated with quantum yield standards. Alternatively, relative changes in emission intensity can be used, because the ratio of two intensities is identical to the ratio of the corresponding quantum yields if the fluid optical properties remain constant. For molecular rotors with nonradiative relaxation, the calibrated measurement of the quantum yield allows to approximately compute the rotational relaxation rate kor from the measured quantum yield [Pg.284]

Fluorescence-based bulk viscosity measurement is one application that advertises itself almost immediately, particularly with julolidine-derived molecular rotors where the quantum yield is widely independent from solvent polarity. Solving (5) for r] and assuming proportionality of quantum yield and emission intensity leads to (13),... 

Molecular rotors are fluorophores characteristic for having a fluorescent quantum yield that strongly depends on the viscosity of the solvent [50], This property relies on the ability to resume a twisted conformation in the excited state (twisted intramolecular charge transfer or TICT state) that has a lower energy than the planar conformation. The de-excitation from the twisted conformation happens via a non-radiative pathway. Since the formation of the TICT state is favored in viscous solvents or at low temperature, the probability of fluorescence emission is reduced under those conditions [51]. Molecular rotors have been used as viscosity and flow sensors for biological applications [52], Modifications on their structure have introduced new reactivity that might increase the diversity of their use in the future [53] (see Fig. 6.7). 

The fluorescent components are denoted by I (intensity) followed by a capitalized subscript (D, A or s, for respectively Donors, Acceptors, or Donor/ Acceptor FRET pairs) to indicate the particular population of molecules responsible for emission of/and a lower-case superscript (d or, s) that indicates the detection channel (or filter cube). For example, / denotes the intensity of the donors as detected in the donor channel and reads as Intensity of donors in the donor channel, etc. Similarly, properties of molecules (number of molecules, N quantum yield, Q) are specified with capitalized subscript and properties of channels (laser intensity, gain, g) are specified with lowercase superscript. Factors that depend on both molecular species and on detection channel (excitation efficiency, s fraction of the emission spectrum detected in a channel, F) are indexed with both. Note that for all factorized symbols it is assumed that we work in the linear (excitation-fluorescence) regime with negligible donor or acceptor saturation or triplet states. In case such conditions are not met, the FRET estimation will not be correct. See Chap. 12 (FRET calculator) for more details. 

Among other factors, the quantum yield of fluorescence determines the intensity of light emission in a CL. This, as well as the position in the spectrum occupied by the fluorescence band, is largely a function of the molecular structure. 

Most of the energy associated with an incident x-ray or y-ray is absorbed by ejected electrons. These secondary electrons are ejected with sufficient energy to cause further ionizations or excitations. The consequences of excitations may not represent permanent change, as the molecule may just return to the ground state by emission or may dissipate the excess energy by radiationless decay. In the gas phase, excitations often lead to molecular dissociations. In condensed matter, new relaxation pathways combined with the cage effect greatly curtail permanent dissociation. Specifically in DNA, it is known that the quantum yields for fluorescence are very small and relaxation is very fast [6]. For these reasons, the present emphasis will be on the effects of ionizations. 

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