Spectroscopic properties, structure, and photoinduced motion of 4-(2-naphthyl)pyridine in cyclodextrin cavities

V. B. Nazarov, V. G. Avakyan, S. P. Gromov, A. I. Vedernikov, M. V. Fomina, T. G. Vershinnikova, V. Yu Gak, N. A. Lobova, V. Yu Rudyak, M. V. Alfimov

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Spontaneous and photoinduced protonation of 4-(2-naphthyl)pyridine (1) in solutions and in complexes with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) was studied using the absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies. The structures and stabilities of complexes of compound 1 and its quaternized derivative, 1-methyl-4-(2-naphthyl) pyridinium perchlorate (3), with β-CD and HP-β-CD were examined by 1H NMR titration (logK = 1.5-2.3). The molecule of naphthylpyridine 1 is always in the cyclodextrin cavity, regardless of the pH value of the solution. 2-Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin binds better the neutral form of compound 1 than does β-CD, while naphthylpyridinium salts exhibit nearly equal affinities to both cavitands. According to spectroscopic data, pK a (1) is 5.12 in water, which favors protonation of the N atom both in the ground and excited states; as a result, the fluorescence spectrum exhibits only the band of the protonated form with a lifetime of 15 ns. The addition of HP-β-CD to a solution of naphthylpyridine 1 results in the formation of inclusion complex 1@HP-β-CD, lowers pK a to 4.62, and gives rise to a fluorescence band of the nonprotonated form of compound 1 with a lifetime of 1.25 ns. Therefore, the presence of compound 1 in the HP-β-CD cavity precludes its protonation in the excited state. The initial portions of the fluorescence curves for compound 1 in solution and in its complex with HP-β-CD obtained upon pulsed excitation were compared to propose the initiation mechanism of short-lived fluorescence of the nonprotonated form of naphthylpyridine 1. Quantum chemical modeling of the protonation and complexation of compound 1 in the presence of water was performed. Based on the results obtained, a reversible photoinduced mechanical motion of naphthylpyridine 1 in the HP-β-CD cavity was suggested.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)941-953
Number of pages13
JournalRussian Chemical Bulletin
Volume59
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2010
Externally publishedYes

Funding

FundersFunder number
Russian Foundation for Basic Research
Russian Academy of Sciences

    Keywords

    • β-cyclodextrin
    • electronic absorption spectroscopy
    • fluorescence
    • hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin
    • inclusion complexes
    • naphthylpyridine
    • NMR spectroscopy
    • quantum chemical modeling
    • stability constants

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