Thefluorescencequenchingofnaphthalene(2)and1,3-di(α-naphthyl)propane(1)byRNAandbasesinmethanol-water(v:v=1:1)binarysolventsinthepresenceorabsenceofcyclodex-trin(CD)hasbeeninvestigated.Theresultsshowthatboththemonomerandexcimerfluorescenceof1canbequenchedbythesequenchers.Thequenchingandratesdependonthequencherandtem-perature.Itisshownthatthereisacriticaltemperature(Tc)foreachquencher.BelowTc,theexcimerfluorescencespectrashowvibrationalstructuresandtheStern-Volmerplotsarestraightlines(forura-cilandcytosine);whileabovetheTc,thevibrationalstructuresdisappearandtheStern-Volmerplotsdeviatefromlinearityandcurveupward.Theformerisastaticprocess;whilethelatterisamixtureofbothstaticanddynamicprocesses.Theadditionofα-CDhasnoeffectonthefinestructure,whereasβ-CDpreventstheappearanceofthisstructureefficiently.Thequenchingratesbothforthemonomerandexcimerof1bybasesexceptcytosineinthepresenceofβ-CDatambienttemperaturearenotchanged;thequenchingoffluorescenceof1byRNAinthepresenceofβ-CD,however,ishindered.Time-resolvedfluorescencestudyshowsthattheexcimerfinestructuresappearfromthezerotime.Theintensityoffinestructuresdependonthefractionofwater(φ)inbinarysolvents,anditisindependentofthepHvalueofthesolvents.ItissuggestedthatbasesandRNAinducedaggregates(perhapsmicrocrystal)areformed,inwhichthemotionofmolecules1islimited.
