Exploring the diethylaminoflavylium derivatives multistate system of chemical reactions in the presence of CTAB micelles: thermodynamic reversibility achieved through different kinetic pathways

Aminoflavylium compounds like anthocyanins are involved in multiple reversible, pH-dependent chemical reactions. In very acidic media, the thermodynamically stable species is the flavylium cation, while it is trans-chalcone in near-neutral media. Different from anthocyanins, aminoflavylium compounds achieve the thermodynamic reversibility through different kinetic pathways depending on if the flavylium is transformed into the trans-chalcone upon a direct pH jump or the protonated trans-chalcone if converted into flavylium upon a reverse pH-jump. Three aminoflavylium compounds were prepared and investigated in the presence of CTAB micelles. Two of the compounds bear bridges linking rings C and B of the flavylium core, and the third lacks this bridge. The bridge has the effect of destabilizing the chalcones and the hemiketal. Only in the presence of CTAB micelles does the system respond to light stimuli, a powerful tool that provides a small cis–trans isomerization barrier for the three compounds. The relatively slow response of the system to direct and reverse pH jumps is due to the small mole fractions of Cc available for isomerization (giving Ct) and B available for dehydration (giving AH+). The mathematical expression that accounts for the pH-dependent kinetic processes was revisited to account for the consequences of amine protonation in very acidic media. The crystal structures of the compounds possessing the bridge were obtained, and for one of the compounds, two polymorphic forms were isolated from different crystallization solutions.