Flourescence probes for the investigation of membrane mimetic systems

Abstract

Using aqueous micelles, reversed micells and surfactant vesicles as membrane mimetic agents and fluorescence measurements as a working tool, efficient energy, proton and electron transfer have been demonstrated. In aqueous micelles of sodium dodecylsulfate energy transfer from solubilized naphthalene to bound terbium chloride was observed. The luminescence intensity of terbium chloride was enhanced around 100 times. The process was seen to involve the triplet excited state of naphthalene donating the energy. In homogeneous solution no energy transfer is observed, triplet-triplet annihilation of the donor successfully competes with the energy transfer. In reversed micelles of dodecylammonium propionate in benzene, ultrafast excited state proton transfer was observed.