Optical sensing of cesium using 1,3-alternate calix[4]-mono- and di(anthrylmethyl)aza-crown-6

Hai Feng Ji, Reza Dabestani, Robert L. Hettich, Gilbert M. Brown

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

We have synthesized two derivatives of alkylanthracene covalently bonded to 1,3-alternate calix[4]aza-crown-6 at the nitrogen position to study the effect of alkali metal ion complexation on the emission properties of anthracene fluorophore. The mono- and dianthryl-substituted probes are weakly fluorescent because their emission is partially quenched by photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from the nitrogen lone pair to the excited singlet state of anthracene. Upon complexation of alkali metal ions (e.g. K+, Cs+) by the crown moiety, the nitrogen lone pair can no longer participate in the PET process causing an enhancement in the emission of anthracene fluorophore (fluorescent turn on). The maximum fluorescence enhancement observed upon complexation of cesium ions by mono- and dianthryl-substituted calix[4]aza-crown-6 relative to the uncomplexed form was 8.5- and 11.6-fold, respectively.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)882-886
Number of pages5
JournalPhotochemistry and Photobiology
Volume70
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1999

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