A family of ethyl n-salicylideneglycinate dyes stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bonding: Photophysical properties and computational study

Abstract

In this work we report solvatochromic and luminescent properties of ethyl N-salicylideneglycinate (1), ethyl N-(5-methoxysalicylidene)glycinate (2), ethyl N-(5-bromosalicylidene)glycinate (3), and ethyl N-(5-nitrosalicylidene)glycinate (4) dyes. 1-4 correspond to a class of N-salicylidene aniline derivatives, whose photophysical properties are dictated by the intramolecular proton transfer between the OH-function and the imine N-atom, affording tautomerization between the enol-imine and keto-enamine forms. Photophysical properties of 1-4 were studied in different pure non-polar and (a)protic polar solvents as well as upon gradual addition of NEt3, NaOH, and CH3SO3H. The DFT calculations were performed to verify the structures of 1-4 as well as their electronic and optical properties. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.