Molecular aggregates of quinuclidine and chlorophyll a

A slightly polar molecule quinuclidine seems to form weakly bound aggregates in concentrated water solutions. Molecular dynamics simulation of a 6 mol water solution indicates clustering of quinuclidine molecules into an almost spherical structure with polar ends of the molecules pointing towards the solvent. Experimental evidence of aggregation was obtained by observing a small but obvious red shift of the o'' a absorption and a dramatic shortening of the fluorescence lifetime of the c n transition of concentrated solutions. The observed self-quenching is interpreted in terms of Frster model for energy transfer in the cluster. It is estimated that excitation may migrate on the cluster surf…