Studies About the Effect of Halogenated Solvents on the Fluorescence Properties of 9-Aryl-Substituted Isoquinolinium Derivatives – A Case Study

It was demonstrated that 9-aryl-substituted isoquinolinium derivatives have significantly increased fluorescence quantum yields in halogenated solvents, mostly pronounced in chloroalkanes, which appears to be specific for this type of solvents. Further analysis with selected halogenated solvents revealed that the type and number of halogen substituents and the dielectric constant of the solvent have a distinct impact on the emission quantum yield. The solvent effect is explained by a solvation of the charge shift (CS) state by attractive halogen–π interactions (halogen bond), which impedes the torsional relaxation of the excited state.