Interactions of 7-diethylamino-4-methylcoumarin with wool and indole

Abstract

At relatively low concentrations, the fluorescence emission and excitation spectra of 7-diethylamino-4-methylcoumarin (dmc) on wool are structureless and shifted to longer wavelengths compared with the spectra of dmc on polyethylene. With certain reservations, these effects are interpreted to signify an interaction between dmc and wool. The interactions between dmc and indole were investigated in paraffin in an effort to understand the nature of the interactions between dmc and wool. From ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy and from thermodynamic data, it is proposed that dmc and indole form a hydrogen- bonded complex involving the carbonyl group of dmc and the NH group of indole. There are indications of a further interaction between the two molecules.