Femtosecond dynamics on 2-(2'-hydroxy-4'-diethylaminophenyl)benzothiazole: solvent polarity in the excited-state proton transfer.

Detailed insights into the excited-state enol(N*)-keto(T*) intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) reaction in 2-(2'-hydroxy-4'-diethylaminophenyl)benzothiazole (HABT) have been investigated via steady-state and femtosecond fluorescence upconversion approaches. In cyclohexane, in contrast to the ultrafast rate of ESIPT for the parent 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole (>2.9+/-0.3 x 10(13) s(-1)), HABT undergoes a relatively slow rate (approximately 5.4+/-0.5 x 10(11) s(-1)) of ESIPT. In polar aprotic solvents competitive rate of proton transfer and rate of solvent relaxation were resolved in the early dynamics. After reaching the solvation equilibrium in the normal excited state (N(eq)*), ESIPT takes place with an appreciable barrier. The results also show N(eq)*(enol)<-->T(eq)*(keto) equilibrium, which shifts toward N(eq)* as the solvent polarity increases. Temperature-dependent relaxation dynamics further resolved a solvent-induced barrier of 2.12 kcal mol(-1) for the forward reaction in CH(2)Cl(2). The observed spectroscopy and dynamics are rationalized by a significant difference in dipole moment between N(eq)* and T(eq)*, while the dipolar vector for the enol form in the ground state (N) is in between that of N(eq)* and T(eq)*. Upon N-->N* Franck-Condon excitation, ESIPT is energetically favorable, and its rate is competitive with the solvation relaxation process. Upon reaching equilibrium configurations N(eq)* and T(eq)*, forward and/or backward ESIPT takes place with an appreciable solvent polarity induced barrier due to differences in polarization equilibrium between N(eq)* and T(eq)*.