Photoionization of psoralen derivatives in micelles: Imperatorin and alloimperatorin

The fluorescence properties of psoralen derivatives, 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP), imperatorin (IMP) and alloimperatorin (ALLOI), were investigated in various solvent and micellar solutions. The variation in intensity and maxima of the fluorescence in micellar solutions suggest that psoralens are located in the micelle–water interface region. Radical cations and hydrated electrons were generated by photoionization in micellar solution upon excitation at 266 nm. A nonlinear relationship between transient yield and photon fluency was obtained for each compound, indicating that a two-photon mechanism is predominant in the photoionization of the sensitizers. The photoionization efficiencies are significantly higher in anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) than in cationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) micelles, reflecting the influence of micelle charge on the efficiency of the separation of the photoproduced charge carriers. The photoionization efficiencies of IMP and ALLOI are similar.