Exploring the limits of the electrostatically induced conformational folding process in charge-separated excited states: retarding effect of long alkyl tails attached to the chromophores

Six new donor-bridge-acceptor compounds have been synthesized which contain a long n-tetradecyl chain attached to the donor or acceptor moiety, or to both of them. Systems 1, 2, and 3 are analogs of the fluorescent probe molecule Fluoroprobe (4). They contain a rigidly extended 4-methylenepiperidine bridge and show relatively strong charge transfer fluorescence in solvents of low and medium polarity. Systems 1a, 2a, and 3a contain a semiflexible 4-methylpiperidine bridge, obtained after hydrogenation of the exocyclic double bond of 1, 2 and 3, respectively. These systems undergo a conformational change following photoinduced charge separation (harpooning) in nonpolar solvents and probably also in solvents of medium polarity. Both the steady state fluorescence spectra and the fluorescence decay times of the extended charge transfer (ECT) species show that the photoinduced folding process is effectively slowed down by the introduction of the long alkyl tails. This is most pronounced for 1a which has an n-tetradecyl group attached to both donor and acceptor. In solution a small difference in the rate of folding is observed between 2a and 3a, which have a single n-tetradecyl chain attached to the acceptor only and to the donor only, respectively.