Intense White Molecular Fluorescence from Naphthoxazole-Quinoline Derivatives

Naphthoxazole derivatives are small heterocyclic compounds endowed with outstanding fluorescence properties. In this work, we report a detailed study of the intense white light fluorescence observed in naphthoxazole-quinoline dyads in solvent mixtures including at least a strong hydrogen bonding solvent. The same phenomenon was also studied in inclusion complexes naphthoxazole derivatives—sulfonated-βCD either in aqueous solution as well as in solid phase. A novel mechanism of white molecular fluorescence generation based on solvent-to-fluorophore proton transfer facilitated by ground state hydrogen bonding was characterized. The emission combines both, a blue charge transfer fluorescence emitted by the locally excited singlet state along with a red-shifted emission from a proton transfer complex.