Synthesis, physical properties and cytotoxicity of stilbene-triazine derivatives containing amino acid groups as fluorescent whitening agents.

A series of novel stilbene-triazine derivatives containing amino acid groups were synthesized and screened to evaluate their cytotoxicity. The UV absorptions of the derivatives were in the range of 240-450 nm. The absorption peaks of the cis-isomers and trans-isomers were in 281-291 nm and 353-361 nm, respectively. Their fluorescence emission peaks of the derivatives were located in the range of 400-650 nm. The whiteness data indicated that all the stilbene-triazine-amino acid derivatives showed excellent whitening effect on cotton fiber compared to untreated cotton. The preliminary cytotoxicity of these derivatives on a mouse fibroblast cell line (L-929 cells) was also investigated. The results showed that the compounds (7a-h) were nontoxic to L-929 cells as fluorescent whitening agents.