Photophysical properties of ESIPT inspired fluorescent 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-6-methylimidazo[4,5-f]isoindole-5,7(1H,6H)-dione and its derivative: Experimental and DFT based approach

•Synthesis of phthalimide based ESIPT molecules.•Spectroscopic investigations of a series of new benzimidazole.•Existence of ESIPT has been experimentally and is computationally supported.•Good thermal stability.

The excited-state intramolecular proton transfer chromophores 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-6-methylimidazo[4,5-f]isoindole-5,7(1H,6H)-dione and 2-(4-(diethylamino)-2-hydroxyphenyl)-6-methylimidazo[4,5-f]isoindole-5,7(1H,6H)-dione are synthesized from 4,5-diamino-N-methylphthalimide. The photophysical behavior of the synthesized chromophores was studied using UV–visible and fluorescence spectroscopy in the polar and non-polar solvents. The synthesized o-hydroxyphenyl benzimidazole derivatives are fluorescent and very sensitive to the solvent polarity. These dyes are thermally stable up to 317 °C. Density Functional Theory computations have been used to understand the structural, molecular, electronic and photophysical properties of the chromophores. The experimental absorption and emission wavelengths are in good agreement with the computed vertical excitation and theoretical emission obtained by Density Functional Theory and Time Dependant Density Functional Theory.

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