Design and synthesis of 1,8-naphthalimide (5)
The 4-hydrazino-1,8-naphthalimide 5 represents the “fluorophore-receptor” architecture with ICT chemosensing properties, where the 4-amino-1,8-naphthalimide is fluorophore and amino group possessing labile protons is a receptor moiety. The fragments with labile N-H bonds widely are used in anion recognition because the acidity of the NH group can be easily tuned by adjusting the electronic properties of neighboring substituents so that it can recognize anions through hydrogen-bonding or deprotonation interactions.
It is well known that absorption and fluorescence characteristics of the 1,8-naphthalimides depend on the nature of the substituent at C-4 position of the 1,8-naphthalimide ring .The 4-amino-1,8-naphthalimide is a “push-pull” π-electron system in which the light absorption generates a charge transfer interaction between C-4 amine donating substituent and the both peri-positioned carbonyl acceptors (Scheme 2) .
The novel compound were prepared in basic steps: synthesis of 4-nitro-1,8-naphthalic anhydride, synthesis of amino functional yellow-green emitting 1,8-naphthalimide donors, The starting 4-nitro-1,8-naphthalic anhydride 3 was prepared in two steps as shown in (schemes 1-2) . First, 4-nitro-acenaphtene 2 was obtained by nitration of acenaphtene 1 with 48% nitric acid. Then the intermediate compound 2 was converted into the desire 4-nitro-1,8-naphthalic anhydride 3 after oxidation with sodium bichromate. The imidation of aromatic cyclic anhydride is a nucleophilic displacement reaction in which allylamine is the attacking group, and this reaction is carried out in alcoholic media under reflux conditions .In this reaction, nitro group remains on naphthalene ring and it is not replaced with allylamine. In this reaction,4-nitro- N- allyl-1,8-naphthalimide 4 was prepared with high purity, then reaction of the 1,8-naphthalimide 4 with hydrazine monohydrate in ethanol to give the fluorescent target compound 5 with high purity (scheme 3,4)
The abosorbtion of 5 in solvents of different polarity is shifted bathochromically with increasing the solvent polarity due to ICT enhacement with increasing solvent polarity which leads to solvation, a large dipole moment which results bathochromic shift of absorption in 5 (Figure 1) .
Table 1 . Photophysical characteristics of 5 in different solvents (Excitation at 420 nm).
Solvent
|
λA
(nm)
|
λF
(nm)
|
νA – νF
(cm-1)
|
ФF
|
DMF
|
438
|
522
|
3673
|
0.16
|
Ethanol
|
440
|
528
|
3787
|
0.22
|
Chloroform
|
422
|
505
|
3894
|
0.48
|
Acetonitrile
|
440
|
522
|
3570
|
0.24
|
In all cases the shape and the maximum of the fluorescence band do not depend of the excitation wavelength and the excitation spectra are identical to the corresponding absorption spectra.
Influence of pH on the absorption and fluorescence characteristics of 1,8-naphthalimide (5):
The compound 5 under study was designed as fluorescence sensors for determining pH changes over a wider pH scale. This was the reason to investigate the photophysical behaviour of compound 5 in water/DMF (3:1, v/v) solution at different pH values and investigation in water/DMF due to aggregation of the compound 5 in pure water.
The influence of pH on the absorbance of 5 is illustrated in the Figs. 2-3. Upon addition of sodium hydroxide from pH 2.38 to pH 4 the wavelength absorption is bathochromic shifted. The major reason is that in very acidic conditions the push–pull character of the ICT state is decreased due to the protonation of the 4-amino moiety itself (compound 5) that decreased the “push-pull” character of the ICT transition and caused a considerable decrease of the absorption band. Addition of sodium hydroxide from pH 4 to pH 10 bathochromically shifted the absorption wavelengths as well. However, the major reason is that in very alkaline conditions the push–pull character of the ICT state is increased due to the deprotonation of the 4-amino moiety itself (compound 5) that increased the “push-pull” character of the ICT transition and caused a considerable increase of the absorption band.
Addition of sodium hydroxide from (PH=10 to PH=13.27) leads to appearance of novel band at 550 nm due to that ICT reduced this one attributed to deprotonation of 4-amino-1,8-naphthalimide in the presence of NaOH.
The fluorescence spectra of compound 5 were also recorded in water/DMF (3:1, v/v) solution at different pH values (Figs. 4-5).
Upon addition of NaOH solution the fluorescence intensity of 1,8-naphthalimide 5 as a function of pH in water/DMF (3:1, v/v) was gradually increased in range of pH = 2.38 to 8.50 as demonstrated in Fig. 4. With addition of excess amount of NaOH the emission intensity at 542 nm had enhanced. Under very acidic conditions the push-pull character of the ICT state is decreased due to the protonation of the 4-amino moiety of compound 5 that caused a considerable decrease of the fluorescence intensity. Furthermore, the addition of NaOH from pH 8.50 to 13.27 to compound 5 causes gradually decreases of the emission as demonstrated in Fig. 5. This is due to the deprotonation of the amine moiety in the presence of NaOH excess.
These changes are of such magnitude that they can be considered as representing two different “states”, where the fluorescence emission is “switched off” in acidic solution, “switched on” in neutral solution and “switched off” in alkaline solution (Fig. 6). The changes in the fluorescence intensity as a function of pH for compound 5 should be related to the protonation of its amine receptor in acidic solution and deprotonation of the amine receptor in strong alkaline solution.
Molecular logic gates for 1,8-naphthalimide (5) :
With single input (analyte binding H+) and single output (e.g., “switch-on” of fluorescence intensity) only two simple operations are possible, YES when input is 0 or 1 and the output is the same, and NOT, which is the opposite - when input is 0 or 1, the output is 1 or 0. Fluorescent “off-on” sensors where an analyte causes a fluorescence enhancement (FE) can be understood as YES logic gates . A logical inverter, some-times called a NOT gate reverses the logic state and it would be implement on molecular level using “on-off” sensors which fluorescence is quenched in the presence of an analyte (OH-).
More complicated logical operations are possible with two inputs such as two different ions bound to two different sites. There are six basic logic gates that oper-ate with two inputs and one output: AND, OR, XOR, NAND, NOR and XNOR. And all of this logic gates were achieved by molecules The AND gate is so named because, if 0 is called “false” and 1 is called “true,” the gate acts in the same way as the logical “and” operator. The output is “true” when both inputs are “true.” Otherwise, the output is “false”.
The XNOR (exclusive-NOR) gate is a combination of XOR gate followed by an inverter. Its output is “true” if the inputs are the same and “false” if the inputs are different. Since the receptor 5 shows optical sensing towards H+ and HO- ions, it was investigated the “off-on-off” switching behavior of the receptor between H+ and HO- ions. The addition of H+ ions to the solution of compound 5 at pH=8 leads to fluorescence quenching, that is, “off-state”. And at pH=8 fluorescence emission is “on-state”. The addition of HO- ions to the solution of 5 at pH = 8 (“off-state”). Such fluorescence changes upon the actions of two chemical inputs mimic the performance of an exclusive-NOR (XNOR) logic gate (Table 1).
Table 1 : Truth table for XNOR logic gate of 5 with two chemical inputs (H+ and HO-).
Compound
5
At PH
8
|
Input H+
|
Input HO-
|
Output Fl
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
Antibacterial evaluation of the synthesized dyes:
Some of the synthesized compounds were tested for antimicrobial activity using the agar diffusion method [41,42] against representatives of Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) (Table 2). Compounds 3, 4 and 5 have excellent results against Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli) and the most effective compound against Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli and P. aeruginosa) is 5 and inhibition zone for compound 6 is 18 and 17 mm, respectively, and the best result against Gram-positive bacteria for compound 3 while inhibition zone is 15 mm, in general compounds were tested have a good antibacterial activity as compared with standard compounds (Gentamycin).
Table 2: Mean zone of inhibition in mm produced on a range of pathogenic microorganisms results are depicted in the following table.
Selected samples
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
Control
|
|
Tested microorganisms
|
Mean IZ
|
Mean IZ
|
Mean IZ
|
Mean IZ
|
± SD
|
Gram-positive bacteria
|
|
|
|
Gentamycin
|
|
Bacillus subtilis: RCMB 015 (1) NRRL B-543
|
15
|
17
|
15
|
26.02
|
0.03
|
Gram-negatvie bacteria
|
|
|
|
Gentamycin
|
|
Escherichia coli: (RCMB 010052) ATCC 25955
|
15
|
13
|
18
|
29.90
|
0.01
|
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
|
10
|
12
|
17
|
21.01
|
0.04
|
The test was done using the diffusion agar technique, well diameter: 6.0 mm (100 µl was tested), RCMB: Regional,Center for Mycology and Biotechnology.
Positive control for bacteria Gentamycin 4 µg/ml.
The sample was tested at 5 mg/ml concentration.
From the data present in Table 2 it is clear that, all compounds have effect upon gram positive and gram negative bacteria, compound no. 5 affects gram positive (Bacillus subtilis) 15 mm lower than gram negative (E. coli) 18 mm Furthermore, compounds no. 4 affects gram positive (Bacillus subtilis) 17 mm greater than gram negative (E. coli) 13 mm .while, compound no. 3 affects gram positive (Bacillus subtilis) and Escherichia coli gram negative similarly, in general 3,4 and 5 compounds which were tested have a good antibacterial activity as compared with standard compounds (Gentamycin) .