Spectroscopic studies on the formation of charge transfer complexes of l-phenylalanine with 2,3,5-trichloro-6-alkoxy-1,4-benzoquinones in aqueous medium

Abstract

UV–Vis, FT-IR, LC–MS and fluorescence spectral techniques were employed to investigate the mechanism of interaction of l-phenylalanine with new π-acceptors, 6-alkoxy-2,3,5-trichloro-1,4-benzoquinones. The interaction of these quinones with l-phenylalanine (LPA) yielding radical ion pair was found to proceed through the formation of donor–acceptor complex. The stoichiometry of the complexes was determined by Job’s continuous variation method and was found to be 1:1 in all the cases. Kinetic and thermodynamic properties of the complexes were determined in aqueous medium at physiological conditions (pH = 7). Fluorescence quenching studies indicated that the interaction between the donors and the acceptor is spontaneous. Correlation of association constants of the CT complexes with Taft’s polar and steric constants indicated that the electronic effects of the substitutions play a significant role in governing the reactivity of the quinones when compared to steric factors. Keywords: Charge transfer, l-Phenylalanine, Substituent effect, Fluorescence, Theoretical studies, Taft correlation