Fluorescence studies of some protonated cinchona alkaloids in polymers

In the present paper we report spectral and photophysical properties of two probes viz. cinchonidine and quinidine in two different polymers viz. polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). The emission spectra exhibit edge excitation red shift (EERS) for both the probes and multiexponential decays are observed. Presence of various conformers and geometries is suggested to explain the observed results. The photophysical properties and excited state behavior of Cd++ are more sensitive towards the microenvironment of the polymer. ► We report photophysical properties of cinchonidine and quinidine in PMMA and PVA. ► The emission spectra exhibit edge excitation red shift and multiexponential decays. ► Presence of conformers and geometries is suggested to explain the observed results.