Spectral and Photophysical Behaviors of Curcumin and Curcuminoids

In order to obtain detailed information on ground and excited states of curcumin and curcuminoids, as well as to understand the photobiological characteristics of them, their spectral and photophysical behaviors are investigated in various conditions. Various curcuminoids were obtained and their structures were determined by spectroscopic methods. In n-hexane, the absorption and fluorescence spectra of these compounds contain some structure, which disappear in more polar solvent such as methanol. The fluorescence intensities of curcumin and dimethylated curcumin decrease as the concentration of water increases. The intensities also decrease as the solvent varies from neutral to extremely acidic (lower than pH 1.5) or to basic (higher than pH 8.0) condition. These results indicate that the spectral and photophysical properties of both of curcumin and curcuminoids are strongly influenced by solvent, water, and pH.