Effect of the Media on the Quantum Yield of Singlet Oxygen (O2(1Δg)) Production by 9H-Fluoren-9-one: Solvents and Solvent Mixtures

We have investigated the effect of a series of 18 solvents and mixtures of solvents on the production of singlet molecular oxygen (O2(1Δg), denoted as 1O2) by 9H-fluoren-9-one (FLU). The normalized empirical parameter E derived from ET(30) has been chosen as a measure of solvent polarity using Reichardt's betaine dyes. Quantum yields of 1O2 production (ΦΔ) decrease with increasing solvent polarity and protic character as a consequence of the decrease of the quantum yield of intersystem crossing (ΦISC). Values of ΦΔ of unity have been found in alkanes. In nonprotic solvents of increasing polarity, ΦISC and, therefore, ΦΔ decrease due to solvent-induced changes in the energy levels of singlet and triplet excited states of FLU. This compound is a poor 1O2 sensitizer in protic solvents, because hydrogen bonding considerably increases the rate of internal conversion from the singlet excited state, thus diminishing ΦΔ to values much lower than those in nonprotic solvents of similar polarity. In mixtures of cyclohexane and alcohols, preferential solvation of FLU by the protic solvent leads to a fast decrease of ΦΔ upon addition of increasing amounts of the latter.