FULL PAPER
DOI: 10.1002/chem.200800296
Hydroxycruciforms: Amine-Responsive Fluorophores
[a]
Psaras L. McGrier,[a] Kyril M. Solntsev, Shaobin Miao,[a] Laren M. Tolbert,[a]
Oscar R. Miranda,[b] Vincent M. Rotello,[b] and Uwe H. F. Bunz*[a]
Dedicated to Prof. Klaus Müllen
Abstract: The synthesis of three hy-
droxy-substituted cruciforms (XF, 1,4-
bis(4’-hydroxystyryl)-2,5-bis(4’’-meth-
jected to photometric UV/Vis titrations
in a methanol/water mixture. The re-
spective pKa values were obtained by
data deconvolution. As the three XFs
display a significant change in emission
color upon photoinduced deprotona-
tion, the XFs were taken up in differ-
ent solvents and exposed to twelve
amines. The amine-dependent change
in emissivity of the tetrahydroxy XF is
sufficiently distinct in the eight solvents
that all of the inspected amines are dis-
cerned by a linear discriminant analy-
sis. The tetrahydroxy XF in different
solvents forms a sensor array, the re-
sponse of which is based on the excit-
ed-state proton transfer (ESPT) to
amines and mediated by the choice of
the battery of solvents that are utilized.
ACHTREUNGoxyphenylethynyl)benzene, 1,4-bis(4’-
methoxystyryl)-2,5-bis(4’’-hydroxyphe-
nylethynyl)benzene, and 1,4-bis(4’-hy-
droxystyryl)-2,5-bis(4’’-hydroxyphenyl-
ACHTREUNGethynyl)benzene) starts with a Horner
reaction followed by a Sonogashira
couplingand subsequent deprotection.
The three herein described XFs contain
either two or four free phenolic hy-
droxyl groups. All three XFs were sub-
Keywords: alkynes · amines · fluo-
rescence · sensors · solvatochrom-
ism
Introduction
imprinted polymers,[2] enzymes,[3] single-molecule and array
sensors,[4] and chromatographic methods.[5] Recently Lavinge
elegantly demonstrated that the interplay of planarization
and aggregate formation in a water soluble polythiophene
We describe the synthesis, photophysics and amine respon-
sive optical properties in absorption and emission of three
cruciform (XF) chromophores 1–3. The detection determi-
nation and quantification of low-molecular-weight amines is
critical in the medical field, in environmental science, and in
food safety. The enhanced presence of low-molecular-weight
amines in breath can mark disease states in patients and in
foods it indicates spoilage. The detection and quantification
of amines has been achieved by antibodies,[1] molecularly
derivative is a powerful colorimetric tool to detect histamine
[6]
in food, predictingspoilaeg in fish samples.
Inspired by
Lavigneꢀs work, we have tailored a novel class of cruciform
fluorophores/chromophores (XF), 1,4-distyryl-2,5-bis(aryl-
AHCTREeUNG thynyl)benzenes, carryingphenol functionalities as model
probes for amines.[7] While these small XF-fluorophores do
not display aggregation or distinct planarization behavior,[8]
their specifically engineered frontier molecular orbitals
(FMOs) should allow signal generation and amplification of
amine-probingfunctions such as phenols. The phenols will
exhibit either full or partial proton transfer to the amine ni-
trogen atom, resulting in observable spectroscopic changes.
[a] P. L. McGrier, Dr. K. M. Solntsev, Dr. S. Miao, Prof. L. M. Tolbert,
Prof. U. H. F. Bunz
School of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Georgia Institute of Technology, 901 Atlantic Drive
Atlanta, GA 30332-0400 (USA)
Fax : (+1)404-385-1795
Chromophore design centers around different fundamental
paradigms: 1) Choose or construct a suitable (aromatic) car-
bocyclic or heterocyclic skeleton, then 2) attach the necessa-
ry auxochromic groups, that is, electron-accepting or elec-
tron-releasingsubstituents to the skeleton to tune absorp-
tion and emission. In most chromophores donor and accep-
[b] O. R. Miranda, Prof. V. M. Rotello
Department of Chemistry, 710 North Pleasant St.
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 (USA)
Supportinginformation for this article is available on the WWW
tails are provided for the synthesis of XFs 1–3, as well as details for
the photophysical experiments and the absorption and emission spec-
tra for all systems studied.
AHCTREtUNG or substituents are attached to the skeleton into positions
in which both FMOs have their largest orbital nodes, ensur-
Chem. Eur. J. 2008, 14, 4503 – 4510
ꢁ 2008 Wiley-VCH VerlagGmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
4503