Theoretical Insights into the Luminescence and Sensing Mechanisms of N , N '-Bis(salicylidene)-[2-(3',4'-diaminophenyl)benzthiazole] for Copper(II).

The intramolecular proton transfer (IPT) reaction potential energy surfaces (PESs) of N , N '-bis(salicylidene)-[2-(3',4'-diaminophenyl)benzthiazole] ( BTS ) in the S 0 state and S 1 state are constructed. It is found that the IPT reactions in the ground state hardly take place due to the high reaction energy barrier for single-proton (6.3 kcal/mol) and double-proton transfer (14.1 kcal/mol) reactions and low backward reaction energy barriers for single-proton (1.9 kcal/mol) and double-proton transfer (1.2 kcal/mol) reactions. In comparison, an excited-state intramolecular single-proton transfer reaction is a barrierless and exothermic process, and thus, single-proton transfer tautomer T 1H contributes most to the fluorescence emission. Based on the analysis of PESs, the experimental absorption and emission spectra are reproduced well by the calculated vertical excitation energies of BTS and its photoisomerization products, and the triple fluorescence emission profile in the experiment is reassigned unequivocally. Furthermore, thermodynamic analysis of the BTS -Cu(II) complex shows that the dinuclear complex (C1) with Cu(II) coordinating with O and N atoms of the hydrogen bonds is the most thermodynamically stable structure, and the intramolecular hydrogen bonding structure in BTS is destroyed due to the chelation of Cu(II) and BTS ; as a result, the IPT reaction of C1 in S 0 and S 1 states is significantly inhibited. The inhibitor of Cu(II) in the IPT reaction plays a major role in fluorescence quenching.