Micelle assisted structural conversion with fluorescence modulation of benzophenanthridine alkaloids

• Both CHL and SANG exist as pH dependent charged iminium and neutral alkanolamine form.
• The two different forms have two distinctly different colour.
• The charged iminium form of the alkaloids acquires stability in the anionic micelle (SDS) environment.
• The neutral alkanolamine form gets converted into the iminium form in the same environment.

In this study we have reported the anionic surfactant (Sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) driven structural conversion of two benzophenanthridine plant alkaloids namely Chelerythrine (herein after CHL) and Sanguinarine (herein after SANG). Both the alkaloids exist in two forms: the charged iminium and the neutral alkanolamine form. The iminium form is stable at low pH (< 6.5) and the alkanolamine form exists at higher pH (> 10.1). The fluorescence intensity of the alkanolamine form is much stronger than the iminium form. The iminium form of both the alkaloids remains stable whereas the alkanolamine form gets converted to the iminium form in the SDS micelle environment. The iminium form possesses positive charge and it seems that electrostatic interaction between the positively charged iminium and negatively charged surfactant leads to the stabilization of the iminium form in the Stern layer of the anionic micelle. Whereas the conversion of the alkanolamine form into the iminium form takes place and that can be monitored in naked eye since the iminium form is orange in colour and the alkanolamine form has blue violet emission. Such a detail insight about the photophysical properties of the benzophenanthridine alkaloids would be a valuable addition in the field of alkaloid-surfactant interaction.

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