O sistema peroxioxalato possui diversas aplicações analíticas, principalmente devido aos altos rendimentos de emissão obtidos e relativa simplicidade. Aqui se estudou a alta eficiência desse sistema em diversas frentes, comparando-o a sistemas semelhantes, relacionando-o com um sistema intramolecular eficiente, procurando a estrutura do seu intermediário de alta energia e investigando as etapas de produção desse, tentando-se obter informações experimentais e teóricas sobre essa reação. A cinética do sistema peroxioxalato foi estudada utilizando-se como ativador o naftaleno, um composto aromático relativamente simples, que permite a aplicação de cálculos teóricos precisos ao sistema. Esses estudos teóricos dos complexos de transferência de carga entre naftaleno e o 1,2-dioxetano, a 1,2-dioxetanona e a 1,2-dioxetanodiona mostraram que a acessibilidade dos estados excitados está diretamente relacionada às propriedades eletrônicas do peróxido envolvido. Estudando-se os ânions radicais desses peróxidos se observou que o aumento no número de carbonilas do peróxido faz dele um melhor aceptor de elétron e que, especificamente para a 1,2-dioxetanona, a transferência de elétron é capaz de promover um caminho de decomposição sem barreiras energéticas. Estudos cinéticos da reação peroxioxalato utilizando DBU como catalisador básico forte não nucleofílico indicaram a viabilidade da reação nessas condições, embora com velocidades altas. Entretanto, não foi possível obter resultados cinéticos usando fenolatos como ativadores. Experimentos de adição retardada de ativador também foram efetuados usando um solvente que poderia facilitar a detecção do intermediário de alta energia, observando-se um acúmulo desse intermediário nas cinéticas de emissão. Porém, não foi possível detectar esse intermediário por espectrometria de massas. Por último, verificou-se que as etapas iniciais do sistema são exotérmicas, exceto a formação do anel de quatro membros. Estudando-se esse passo detalhadamente obteve-se para uma das etapas um valor de ρ de Hammett semelhante ao observado experimentalmente, indicativo de que essa deve ser a etapa determinante de velocidade e de que o intermediário de alta energia deve ser a 1,2-dioxetanodiona. / The peroxyoxalate system has several analytical applications, mainly due to its high emission yields and relative simplicity. Here this system high efficiency was studied in several fronts, comparing it with similar systems, connecting it with an intramolecular efficient system, searching for the structure of its high-energy intermediate and investigating the steps in its production, trying to obtain experimental and theoretical information about this reaction. The peroxyoxalate system kinetics was studied using naphthalene as activator, an aromatic compound relatively simple, that allows the application of accurate theoretical calculations to this system. These theoretical study of charge transfer complexes between naphthalene and 1,2-dioxetane, 1,2-dioxetanone, and 1,2- dioxetanedione have shown that the availability of excited states is directly related to the electronic properties of the involved peroxide. Studying the radical anion of these peroxides it was observed that an increase in the number of peroxide carbonyls makes it a better electron acceptor and that, specifically for 1,2-dioxetanone, the electron transfer can provide a barrierless decomposition path. Kinetic studies of the peroxyoxalate system using DBU as a nonnucleophilic strong base catalyst indicated the reaction feasibility in these conditions, despite its high rate. However, it was not possible to obtain kinetic results using phenolates as activators. Experiments of delayed addition of activator were made as well using a solvent that could facilitate the detection of the high-energy intermediate, observing accumulation of this intermediate in emission kinetics. Yet, it was not possible to detect this intermediate by mass spectroscopy. At last, it was verified that the initial steps of the system are exothermic, with exception of the four-membered ring formation. Studying this step in more detail, it was obtained for a step a Hammett ρ value similar to the one observed experimentally, indicating that this step should be the rate limiting step and that the high-energy intermediate should be the 1,2-dioxetanedione.

O sistema peroxioxalato possui diversas aplicações analíticas, principalmente devido aos altos rendimentos de emissão obtidos e relativa simplicidade. Aqui se estudou a alta eficiência desse sistema em diversas frentes, comparando-o a sistemas semelhantes, relacionando-o com um sistema intramolecular eficiente, procurando a estrutura do seu intermediário de alta energia e investigando as etapas de produção desse, tentando-se obter informações experimentais e teóricas sobre essa reação. A cinética do sistema peroxioxalato foi estudada utilizando-se como ativador o naftaleno, um composto aromático relativamente simples, que permite a aplicação de cálculos teóricos precisos ao sistema. Esses estudos teóricos dos complexos de transferência de carga entre naftaleno e o 1,2-dioxetano, a 1,2-dioxetanona e a 1,2-dioxetanodiona mostraram que a acessibilidade dos estados excitados está diretamente relacionada às propriedades eletrônicas do peróxido envolvido. Estudando-se os ânions radicais desses peróxidos se observou que o aumento no número de carbonilas do peróxido faz dele um melhor aceptor de elétron e que, especificamente para a 1,2-dioxetanona, a transferência de elétron é capaz de promover um caminho de decomposição sem barreiras energéticas. Estudos cinéticos da reação peroxioxalato utilizando DBU como catalisador básico forte não nucleofílico indicaram a viabilidade da reação nessas condições, embora com velocidades altas. Entretanto, não foi possível obter resultados cinéticos usando fenolatos como ativadores. Experimentos de adição retardada de ativador também foram efetuados usando um solvente que poderia facilitar a detecção do intermediário de alta energia, observando-se um acúmulo desse intermediário nas cinéticas de emissão. Porém, não foi possível detectar esse intermediário por espectrometria de massas. Por último, verificou-se que as etapas iniciais do sistema são exotérmicas, exceto a formação do anel de quatro membros. Estudando-se esse passo detalhadamente obteve-se para uma das etapas um valor de ρ de Hammett semelhante ao observado experimentalmente, indicativo de que essa deve ser a etapa determinante de velocidade e de que o intermediário de alta energia deve ser a 1,2-dioxetanodiona. / The peroxyoxalate system has several analytical applications, mainly due to its high emission yields and relative simplicity. Here this system high efficiency was studied in several fronts, comparing it with similar systems, connecting it with an intramolecular efficient system, searching for the structure of its high-energy intermediate and investigating the steps in its production, trying to obtain experimental and theoretical information about this reaction. The peroxyoxalate system kinetics was studied using naphthalene as activator, an aromatic compound relatively simple, that allows the application of accurate theoretical calculations to this system. These theoretical study of charge transfer complexes between naphthalene and 1,2-dioxetane, 1,2-dioxetanone, and 1,2- dioxetanedione have shown that the availability of excited states is directly related to the electronic properties of the involved peroxide. Studying the radical anion of these peroxides it was observed that an increase in the number of peroxide carbonyls makes it a better electron acceptor and that, specifically for 1,2-dioxetanone, the electron transfer can provide a barrierless decomposition path. Kinetic studies of the peroxyoxalate system using DBU as a nonnucleophilic strong base catalyst indicated the reaction feasibility in these conditions, despite its high rate. However, it was not possible to obtain kinetic results using phenolates as activators. Experiments of delayed addition of activator were made as well using a solvent that could facilitate the detection of the high-energy intermediate, observing accumulation of this intermediate in emission kinetics. Yet, it was not possible to detect this intermediate by mass spectroscopy. At last, it was verified that the initial steps of the system are exothermic, with exception of the four-membered ring formation. Studying this step in more detail, it was obtained for a step a Hammett ρ value similar to the one observed experimentally, indicating that this step should be the rate limiting step and that the high-energy intermediate should be the 1,2-dioxetanedione.

Depuis plusieurs années, il est devenu plus aisé de détecter et d’étudier les mécanismes biologiques in cellulo grâce aux techniques d’imagerie optique que sont la fluorescence, la bioluminescence et la chimiluminescence. Bien que la fluorescence soit la technique la plus employée de nos jours, la bioluminescence et la chimiluminescence, qui sont la conséquence d’une cascade de réactions (bio)chimiques, sont très étudiées depuis quelques décennies. En effet, elles permettent de contourner la source des problèmes rencontrés dans l’utilisation d’un fluorophore : la lumière excitatrice. La chimiluminescence est par conséquent une méthode de choix pour s’affranchir de l’auto-fluorescence tissulaire. Le 1,2-dioxétane est un des motifs chimiluminescent qui, par décomposition, peut générer un état excité sur un fluorophore auquel il est connecté, autorisant ainsi sa luminescence intrinsèque. Ainsi, le but de ce projet de thèse a été de développer et d’étudier des nouvelles sondes chémiluminescentes à motif 1,2-dioxétane à coeurs naphtolique et phénolique, compatibles avec le vivant pour une détection ciblée de complexes enzymatiques. La stratégie envisagée passait par la préparation d'une plateforme chimiluminescente comportant un motif 1,2-dioxétane thermiquement stable, sur laquelle il est possible de faire varier le déclencheur (i.e. possibilité d'adapter cette plateforme à l'analyte ou événement que l'on souhaite détecter) et d'accrocher un fluorophore NIR. Deux méthodes ont été tentées : d’une part une greffe d’une version hydrosoluble d’un fluorophore connu (i.e. le Nile red) pour réaliser un transfert d’énergie à travers les liaisons (i.e. TBET), et d’autre part un couplage à un complexe de lanthanide permettant un transfert d’énergie à travers l’espace (i.e. CRET). / Since several years, it is easier to exploit biological phenomena in cellulo through technologies dealing with bioimaging. This method gathers fluorescence, bioluminescence and chemiluminescence. Even though fluorescence is the most employed technic, bioluminescence and chemiluminescence, being the consequence of (bio)chemical reaction, have been widely studied for decades. In fact, they can avoid the main problems encountered in fluorophore use: exciting light. Chemiluminescence is thus the appropriate approach to avoid biological autofluorescence. 1,2-dioxetane is one of the moieties that, upon decomposition, can generate an excited state on a connected fluorophore, giving rise to its intrinsic luminescence. The aim of our project was to develop and study new 1,2-dioxetan chemiluminescent probes based on phenol or naphthol moieties, for targeted enzymatic complexes detection with in cellulo and in vivo bioimaging. The strategy relied on the synthesis of chemiluminescent scaffolds comprising thermally stable 1,2-dioxetan, on which the trigger and the connected NIR fluorophore can be easily diversified. Two methods have been attempted: 1) coupling to a water-soluble version of a known fluorophore (i.e. Nile red) allowing an energy transfer through bonds (i.e. TBET) 2) connection with a lanthanide complex giving rise to an energy transfer through space (i.e. CRET).

L’imagerie moléculaire optique joue maintenant un rôle essentiel dans le diagnostic pré-clinique et le développement de médicaments. En effet, c’est un outil précieux dans la détection et le suivi de cellules vivantes que ce soit en utilisant de simples agents de marquage ou des sondes plus développées, dites « intelligentes » et activées uniquement par une interaction spécifique avec le bio-analyte ciblé. Ce travail de thèse a consisté à développer des outils synthétiques innovants afin d’optimiser les paramètres physico-chimiques et les propriétés optiques des sondes luminescentes. Ceci dans le but de répondre à la problématique complexe de l’imagerie dans le contexte in vivo. Nous avons notamment travaillé sur des aspects de pro-fluorescence et de chémiluminescence. De nouveaux pro-fluorophores à phénol basés sur une architecture originale de type bis-coumarinique ont été développés. De plus, nous avons mis en place une méthode d’hydrosolubilisation généralisable aux fluorophores à phénol de type coumarine et xanthène. Nos recherches en chémiluminescence ont permis la synthèse de nouveaux chémiluminophores couplés à des fluorophores organiques afin d‘augmenter l’efficacité d’émission de chémiluminescence dans le rouge. Enfin, nos travaux ont permis de mettre en place les premières « cassettes » chémiluminescentes basées sur une architecture de type 1,2-dioxétane. / Optical molecular imaging is now playing a pivotal role both in pre-clinical diagnosis and drug development. Indeed, this is a valuable tool for the real time detection and monitoring of living cells either through the use of structurally simple labels or more recently by means of sophisticated fluorescent probes, called “smart” probes and only activatable upon specific interaction with the targeted bio-analyte. The aim of this PhD work was the design of new synthetic tools aimed at optimizing physico-chemical and optical properties of fluorescent probes intended for challenging in vivo imaging applications. We have focused on the pro-fluorescence and chemiluminescence approaches. New phenol-based pro-fluorophores have been developed by using an original bis-coumarinic scaffold. In the context of the chemistry of fluorophores, we have also investigated a general method for the water-solubilisation of phenol-based fluorophore belonging to the coumarin and xanthene families. Our research in chemiluminescence has led the synthesis of new chemiluminophores covalently linked to fluorescent organic dyes aimed at increasing the emission efficiency in the red region of such chemiluminophores. Thus, the first chemiluminescent “energy transfer cassettes” based on a 1,2-dioxetane scaffold have been obtained.