Chalcone-Analogue Dyes Emitting in the Near-Infrared (NIR):  Influence of Donor−Acceptor Substitution and Cation Complexation on Their Spectroscopic Properties and X-ray Structure

The photophysical properties of several newly synthesized 1-benzothiazole-3-(4-donor)-phenyl-substituted prop-2-en-1-ones (substituted chalcones) are studied as a function of solvent polarity, temperature, and metal ion by employing steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy. To investigate the effect of bulkiness and donor strength of the anilino moiety on the spectroscopic properties of these dyes, the spectroscopic behavior of the 4-N-dimethylamino (DMA), the 4-N-tetraoxa-monoaza-15-crown-5 (A15C5), and the 4-N-tetrathia-monoaza-15-crown-5 (AT415C5) derivatives as well as the 3-julolidino (Jul) analogue is compared. Absorption and fluorescence measurements reveal that the strength of the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) process increases on the order of AT415C5 < A15C5 ∼ DMA < Jul. The slight but significant differences between the two crowned dyes are well-supported by the results of the X-ray structure analysis, where oxa aza and thia aza crowns show essentially different geometries. For both fluoroionophores, this variation of heteroatom substitution pattern of the receptor induces specific cation selectivities. The spectroscopic effects accompanying complexation and the different binding sites are studied by steady-state and time-resolved optical spectroscopy as well as NMR spectroscopy. Whereas the probe carrying a tetraoxa monoaza 15-crown-5 receptor shows cation-induced fluorescence enhancement in the presence of alkali and alkaline-earth metal ions, its tetrathia analogue binds selectively to HgII, AgI, and CuII in acetonitrile. Moreover, an increase in fluorescence is observed for the latter probe even upon coordination to the widely known fluorescence quencher HgII. Besides receptor complexation, chelate formation in the benzothiazole-carbonyl acceptor part of these intrinsic fluorescent probes is possible, leading to a chromoionophoric signaling behavior in the near-infrared (NIR).