Curcumin in dimethyl sulfoxide: Stability, spectral, luminescent and acid-base properties

What is it about?

Studying the properties of curcumin in alkaline dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) has led to the following unexpected findings. Curcumin is inert towards autooxidation in this medium. Its triple-deprotonated form exhibits fluorescence with the emission maximum at 580 nm, which is reported for the first time in the present work. The fluorescence quantum yield of such a form amounts to 0.13, that is more than twice as high as the fluorescence quantum yield of the neutral form of curcumin. Solutions of curcumin in DMSO, unlike its aqueous solutions, manifest contrasting color transitions of deprotonated forms.

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