Fluorescent Probes for Monitoring Temperature in Organic Solvents

Abstract

We report two fluorophores, N -(1-pyrenylmethyl)-1-pyrenebutanamide and N -(1-pyrenylmethyl)-1-pyreneacetamide, that exhibit temperature-dependent emission spectra over the temperature range of 20−100 °C. The fluorophores are readily synthesized via a one-pot process and can be used in dilute form (<1 μM) for measuring the temperature of various organic solvents nonintrusively. The fluorophores allow measurement of temperatures within a precision of ±1 °C and provide an internal reference signal that allows factors such as fluorophore concentration, optical path, and excitation light intensity to be ignored.