A new coumarin laser dye 3-(benzothiazol-2-yl)-7-hydroxycoumarin

The electronic absorption, and emission spectra as well as fluorescence quantum yield of 3-(benzothiazol-2-yl)-7-hydroxycoumarin (BTHC) were measured in different solvents and are affected by solvent polarity (Deltaf) The deprotonation of BTHC by triethylamine is a reversible process. BTHC is relatively photostable, the quantum yield of photodecomposition (phi(c)) was found to be 2 x 10(-4) and 2.7 x 10(-4) in EtOH and DMF, respectively. The fluorescence lifetimes of BTHC were measured in the absence and in the presence of molecular oxygen and were found to be 2.82 and 2.78 ns, respectively. BTHC acts as good laser dye upon pumping with nitrogen laser (gimel(ex) = 337.1 nm) in ethanol and gives laser emission with maxima at 508 and 522 nm. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.