Solvatochromic study of 2-hydroxy-4-methylquinoline for the determination of dipole moments and solute-solvent interactions

The electronic absorption and fluorescence spectra of 2-hydroxy-4-methylquinoline (HMQ) have been recorded at room temperature (298 K) in solvents of different polarities. The spectral data have been used to evaluate the ground and first excited singlet state dipole moment using the solvatochromic shift method (Bakhshiev [31] and Kawski-Chamma-Viallet [32,33]). The validity of these methods in the light of proper choice of solvents is discussed.