Intramolecular photo-induced electron transfer in a rigid anthracene-N, N-dimethylaniline system

2-(N,N-Dimethylamino)-5, 14-ethanopentacene (1) was synthesized and spectroscopic behaviors investigated. Results suggest that 1 undergoes photoinduced electron transfer (PET) in solvents more polar than saturated hydrocarbons. The resulting charge-transfer (CT) state undergoes CT fluorescence efficiently in solvents of low dielectric constants. Fluorescence excitation studies of the CT emission reveal the existence of an EDA interaction in the ground state. The implications of these results are discussed.