Effects of alcohols on emission spectra of toluene-triethylamine mixtures in THF: separation into polar and hydrogen-bonding interactions

The emission spectra of toluene (T)–triethylamine (TEA) systems were measured under conditions of steady-state illumination in some protic and aprotic solvent–THF mixtures. The fluorescence spectrum of the T–TEA system in THF could be separated into three component bands (band A at 279 nm (fluorescence of T), band B at 336 nm (fluorescence of TEA) and band C at 373 nm (emission from an intermolecular exciplex)). The intensities of bands B and C decreased with increasing solvent polarity. The decrease in the intensities of bands B and C is considered to be caused by the enhanced conversion of the exciplex to an ion-pair with increase in solvent polarity. The intensities of bands B and C also decreased owing to the hydrogen-bonding interaction between TEA and protic solvents, but in this case the intensity of band A increased. Acetonitrile only has a polar effect and trichloroacetic acid only has a hydrogen-bonding (or protonation) effect, while alcohols have both effects. The equilibrium constants for the formation of intermolecular hydrogen-bonded complexes of TEA with alcohols were estimated from the changes in the intensity of band A. The hydrogen-bonding and polar effects of alcohols on the intensities of bands B and C could be evaluated separately. The ratio of the hydrogen-bonding effect to the polar effect of alcohols was observed to increase with increasing vol.% of alcohol.