Photosensitizers that display “unusual”
emission
from upper electronically excited states offer possibilities for initiating
higher-energy processes than what the governing Kasha’s rule
postulates. Achieving conditions for dual fluorescence from multiple
states of the same species requires molecular design and conditions
that favorably tune the excited-state dynamics. Herein, we switch
the position of the electron-donating NMe2 group around
the core of benzo[g]coumarins (BgCoum) and tune the
electronic coupling and the charge-transfer character of the fluorescent
excited states. For solvents with intermediate polarity, three of
the four regioisomers exhibit fluorescence from two different excited
states with bands that are well separated in the visible and the near-infrared
spectral regions. Computational analysis, employing ab initio methods,
reveals that the orientation of an ester on the pyrone ring produces
two conformers responsible for the observed dual fluorescence. Studies
with solid solvating media, which restricts the conformational degrees
of freedom, concur with the computational findings. These results
demonstrate how “seemingly inconsequential” auxiliary
substituents, such as the esters on the pyrone coumarin rings, can
have profound effects leading to “anti-Kasha” photophysical
behavior important for molecular photonics, materials engineering,
and solar-energy science.