Photophysics of Curcumin excited state in toluene-polar solvent mixtures: Role of H-bonding properties of the polar solvent

Excited state dynamics of Curcumin in binary solvent mixtures of toluene and polar H-bonding solvents were compared by using an instrument endowed with 40 ps time resolution. The solvation time constant of Curcumin increases significantly (and can therefore be measured) in polar solvents which have, either, both H-bond donating and accepting ability, or, only H-bond donating ability. These results suggest that the rate limiting step in the excited state dynamics of the pigment might be the formation and reorganization of the intermolecular H-bonding between the keto group of the pigment and the H-bond donating moieties of the polar solvent.