Excited-state charge coupled proton transfer reaction in dipole-functionalized salicylideneaniline

Based on design and synthesis of salicylideneaniline derivatives 1-4, we demonstrate an exceedingly useful system to investigate the excited-state intramolecular charge transfer (ESICT) coupled with excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) reaction via the dipolar functionality of Schiff base salicylideneaniline. In solid and aprotic solvents 1-4 exist mainly as E conformers that possess a strong intramolecular six-membered-ring hydrogen bond. Compounds 2-4 exhibit solely a long-wavelength proton-transfer tautomer emission, while dipole-functionalized Schiff base 1 exhibits remarkable dual emission due to the different solvent-polarity environments between ESICT and ESIPT states. Moreover, the geometric structures, frontier molecular orbitals (MOs) and the potential energy curves for 1-4 in the ground and the first singlet excited state were fully rationalized by density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations.