Photophysical properties of coumarin-7 dye: role of twisted intramolecular charge transfer state in high polarity protic solvents.

Photophysical studies on coumarin-7 (C7) dye in different protic solvents reveal interesting changes in the properties of the dye on increasing the solvent polarity (Deltaf; Lippert-Mataga solvent polarity parameter) beyond a critical value. Up to Deltaf approximately 0.31, the photophysical properties of the dye follow good linear correlations with Deltaf. For Deltaf > approximately 0.31, however, the photophysical properties, especially the fluorescence quantum yields (Phi(f)), fluorescence lifetimes (tau(f)) and nonradiative rate constants (k(nr)), undergo large deviations from the above linearity, suggesting an unusual enhancement in the nonradiative decay rate for the excited dye in these high polarity protic solvents. The effect of temperature on the tau(f) values of the dye has also been investigated to reveal the mechanistic details of the deexcitation mechanism for the excited dye. Studies have also been carried out in deuterated solvents to understand the role of solute-solvent hydrogen bonding interactions on the photophysical properties of the dye. Observed results suggest that the fluorescence of the dye originates from the planar intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state in all the solvents studied and the deviations in the properties in high polarity solvents (Deltaf > approximately 0.31) arise due to the participation of a new deexcitation channel associated with the formation of a nonfluorescent twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) state of the dye. Comparing present results with those of a homologous dye coumarin 30 (C30; Photochem. Photobiol., 2004, 80, 104), it is indicated that unlike in C30, the TICT state of the C7 dye does not experience any extra stability in protic solvents compared to that in aprotic solvents. This has been attributed to the presence of intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the NH group (in the 3-benzimidazole substituent) of the C7 dye and its carbonyl group, which renders an extra stability to the planar ICT state, making the TICT state formation relatively difficult. Qualitative potential energy diagrams have been proposed to rationalize the differences observed in the results with C7 and C30 dyes in high polarity protic solvents.