Evaluation of fluorescent materials for colour control of peroxylate chemiluminescence. IV. Fluorescence quantum yields of some phenyl and phenylethynyl aromatic compounds

Abstract

The fluorescence quantum yields of 32 phenyl- or phenylethynyl-substituted aromatic compounds have been determined in benzene using quinine sulfate as the reference standard. Correlation with available data for the primary members of the three groups of compounds, 9,10-diphenylanthracene, 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene and 5,12-bis(phenylethynyl)naphthacene was good. The bis- (phenylethynyl) anthracenes showed little variation in fluorescence efficiency within the series and high quantum yields of the order of 0.7-0.9 were observed. Steric interactions in 9,10-diphenyl-anthracene derivatives substituted in 1,4-positions lead to a significant reduction in quantum yield. 1,4-Bis(phenylethynyl)naphthalene (Q 1.0) is considered to rank with the most efficient of known fluorescent materials.