Abstract
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•Electronic absorption spectra of α-, γ-pyrone and their derivatives were measured.•The effects of solvent polarity on absorption spectra have been discussed.•Energetics, donating and accepting power of the ground state were investigated.•DFT calculations were used to theoretically assign experimental bands.
The electronic absorption spectra of 6-ethyl-4-hydroxy-2,5-dioxo-pyrano[3,2-c] quinoline 1, 6-ethyl-4-hydroxy-3-nitro-2,5-dioxo-pyrano[3,2-c] quinoline 2, 6-ethyl-4-chloro-2,5-dioxo-pyrano[3,2-c] quinoline 3, 6-ethyl-3-nitro-4-chloro-2,5-dioxo-pyrano[3,2-c] quinoline 4, 6-ethyl-4,5-dioxopyrano[3,2-c] quinoline 5, and 6-ethyl-3-nitro-6H-pyrano [3,2-c]quinoline-4,5-dione 6, were measured in polar (methanol) as well as nonpolar (dioxane) solvents. The geometries were optimized using B3LYB/6-311G (p,d) method. The most stable geometry of the studied compounds, 1–6, is the planar structure as indicates by the values of the dihedral angles. The insertion of a nitro group in position 3 in both α- and γ-pyrone ring decreases the energy gap and hence increases the reactivity of 3 and 6 compounds. Assignment of the observed bands as localized, delocalized and/or of charge transfer (CT) has been facilitated by TD-DFT calculations. The correspondences between the calculated and experimental transition energies are satisfactory. The solvent and substituent effects have been investigated. Chloro-substituent has a higher band position and intensity effects on the spectra more than hydroxyl or nitro groups.