We present comparative studies of the photophysical properties of ortho-, meta-, and para-aminobenzoic acid derivatives. The impact of solvent and substituent positioning on the spectral properties of the series of molecules is compared. Absorbance and emission spectroscopy is used to evaluate the quantum efficiency in different solvent environments, as well as probe the viability of an intramolecular charge transfer for the series. We also use computational modeling to look at differences in the electronic properties between the molecules. Finally, time-resolved emission provides insight into excited state kinetics. It is observed that the tertiary amines do support charge transfer, whereas primary amines do not. The ortho-substituted aminobenzoic acid shows pH-dependent spectral shifts not observed in other derivatives.

Structure and photophysical property relationships of aminobenzoic acids

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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