Protonation ground-state compounds

The proton dissociation constants, of two series of 3,7-bis(arylazo)-2,6-diphenyl-1 //-irnidazo[l,2-7]pyrazoles, in the ground state and the excited state were determined by the spectrophotometric method and utilizing the Forster energy cycle, respectively. These constants were correlated by the Hammett equation and the results of such correlations with spectral data indicated that both series of compounds exist in solution almost exclusively in the l//-bis-(arylazo) tautomeric form A <2002T2875> (Scheme 3). 

It is also noteworthy that complexes containing ligands such as TAP, HAT, bpz (2,2 -bipyrazine) or bipym (2,2 -bipyrimidine) (Fig. 2), have free non-chelated nitrogen atoms. It has been shown that all these compounds are all more basic in the excited state than the ground state [75,93,94], so that the excited states are already protonated at pH 5-6 on the non-chelated nitrogen atoms. 

Finally, the relative intensities of Sq-Sj transitions of different tautomers of the same compound show significant dependence on the solution temperature. This temperature effect is caused by changing equilibrium tautomer concentrations due to the existence of a potential barrier for proton migration in the ground state. Because of large energy separation aE between Sq-Si... 

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