Spectroscopic Investigation of Fluorescence Quenching Agents. Part III: Effect of Solvent Polarity on the Selectivity of Nitromethane for Discriminating between Alternant versus Nonalternant Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Abstract

To better assess the applicability of nitromethane as a selective quenching agent for alternant versus nonalternant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in HPLC, TLC, and HPTLC analysis, we measured the effect that it has on the fluorescence emission behavior of 96 different polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons dissolved in binary toluene/acetonitrile solvent mixtures. Results of these measurements revealed that the “selective quenching” rule is obeyed for the vast majority of PAHs, with the coronene derivatives being the only major exceptions. Fluorescence emission spectra are also reported for benzo[g]chrysene, naphtho[2,3g]chrysene, 4 H-benzo[c]cyclopenta[mno]chrysene, dibenzo[ghi,mno]fluoranthene (commonly called corannulene), rubicene, diacenaphtho[l,2j:l‘,2'l]fluoranthene, 10-methyl-benzo[b]fluoranthene, 3-methoxybenzo[k]fluoranthene, and 3-hydroxybenzo[k]fluoranthene in organic nonelectrolyte solvents of varying polarity. Calculated emission intensity ratios failed to vary systematically with solvent polarity, and all nine of the aforementioned solutes were thus classified as nonprobe molecules.