Time resolved and steady state experiments with PRODAN and laurdan solutions

Abstract

2-propionyl-6-dimethylamino naphthalene (PRODAN) is used in biomedical research due to the sensitivity of its emission spectrum to changes in the environment. Typically, the fluorescence intensity at two wavelengths is analyzed to draw conclusions about water content, for example, of the PRODAN’s microenvironment. However, both polarity and hydrogen bonding ability of the environment play roles in PRODAN’s emission behavior. PRODAN was studied in a variety of solvents and mixtures, using steady state spectroscopy and time resolved techniques to bring a new perspective to the discussion of the nature of the excited states of PRODAN and the factors which give rise to them.