“…Consequently, a significant proportion of the molecules should be protonated in water at pH = 5.5. It has been shown that protonation on the benzimidazolyl group leads to a strong shift of the absorption and emission maxima. , For instance, the absorption and emission maxima for 1 have been reported to be 454 and 498 nm, respectively, in water containing 30% ethanol, and 479 and 513 nm after addition of 1.7 M trifluoroacetic acid. For 2 , the values are 425 and 489 nm, respectively, in water with 30% ethanol, and 450 and 504 nm in the presence of acid .…”