Effect of substitution position of aryl groups on the thermal back reactivity of aza-diarylethene photoswitches and prediction by density functional theory

• Misato Suganuma,
• Daichi Kitagawa,
• Shota Hamatani and
• Seiya Kobatake

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 242–252, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.16

• reactivity, closely matching the experimental data. These findings offer valuable insights for the design of advanced photochromic materials with tailored thermal and photophysical characteristics. Keywords: aza-diarylethene; DFT calculation; photochromism; prediction; thermal back reactivity; Introduction

Extension of the π-system of monoaryl-substituted norbornadienes with acetylene bridges: influence on the photochemical conversion and storage of light energy

• Robin Schulte,
• Dustin Schade,
• Thomas Paululat,
• Till J. B. Zähringer,
• Christoph Kerzig and
• Heiko Ihmels

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 3061–3068, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.254

• up to 8 h at room temperature. Furthermore, the norbornadienes were transformed quantitatively into their quadricyclane photoproducts by irradiation with green light (520 nm) in the presence of a photosensitizer. Keywords: light energy conversion; photochemistry; photochromism; quadricyclanes

Synthesis of photo- and ionochromic N-acylated 2-(aminomethylene)benzo[b]thiophene-3(2Н)-ones with a terminal phenanthroline group

• Vladimir P. Rybalkin,
• Sofiya Yu. Zmeeva,
• Lidiya L. Popova,
• Irina V. Dubonosova,
• Olga Yu. Karlutova,
• Oleg P. Demidov,
• Alexander D. Dubonosov and
• Vladimir A. Bren

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 552–560, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.47

• light and H+ or sequential addition of Fe2+ and AcO− ions. Keywords: fluorescence; molecular switches; N→O acyl rearrangement; naked eye effect; photochromism; Introduction Photochromism is defined as the reversible transformation of a molecular entity between different forms, having different

• , molecular logic gates, photopharmacology, bioimaging and chemosensorics [5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. For most photochromic compounds, irradiation of the solution or solid results in a deepening of the color (positive photochromism). Less studied are those characterized by photoinduced bleaching (negative or

• inverse photochromism), such as merocyanine forms of spiropyrans and spirooxazines, azomethine imines, thioindigoid dyes and N→O acylotropic systems [12][13][14][15]. Recently, they have been actively used to create next-generation molecular switches, materials with new properties (in particular, color

Photochromic derivatives of indigo: historical overview of development, challenges and applications

• Gökhan Kaplan,
• Zeynel Seferoğlu and
• Daria V. Berdnikova

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 228–242, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.23

• derivatives, outline the structural peculiarities, photophysical and photochemical properties of indigo and proceed with the detailed discussion of the photochromic indigo derivatives. Finally, we highlight the photochromism of the structural isomers of indigo (isoindigo and indirubin) and provide an overview

• 1956: first report on the photochromism of N,N'-dimethylindigo 1956–1978: extension of the range of photochromic N,N'-dialkyl and N,N'-diacetylindigos and development of experimental and theoretical approaches towards the characterisation of the photoisomerization of indigo 1979–1984: development of

• –E isomerization of N,N'-substituted indigos Since 1980s: detailed mechanistic and structural studies of the photoisomerization of indigo 2015: first report on photochromism of N,N'-diBOC indigos (follow-up studies in 2019, 2021) 2017: rationalisation of the design of indigo photochromes: symmetrical

Borylated norbornadiene derivatives: Synthesis and application in Pd-catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions

• Robin Schulte and
• Heiko Ihmels

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 368–373, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.41

• the borylation reaction (see above). Photochromism of naphthylnorbornadiene 6b The photoisomerization reaction of substrate 5b was monitored by absorption spectroscopy (Figure 1) and by 1H NMR-spectroscopic analysis (see Supporting Information File 1, Figure S51). In MeCN solution, norbornadiene 5b

Synthesis and highly efficient light-induced rearrangements of diphenylmethylene(2-benzo[b]thienyl)fulgides and fulgimides

• Vladimir P. Rybalkin,
• Sofiya Yu. Zmeeva,
• Lidiya L. Popova,
• Valerii V. Tkachev,
• Andrey N. Utenyshev,
• Olga Yu. Karlutova,
• Alexander D. Dubonosov,
• Vladimir A. Bren,
• Sergey M. Aldoshin and
• Vladimir I. Minkin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 1820–1829, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.149

• moiety, usually demonstrate positive photochromism as the result of conversion to their deeply colored cyclic isomers. However, fulgides containing a diphenylmethylene group are capable of negative photoinduced rearrangements [14][15][16][17]. Comparison of the photochromic properties of aromatic and

Cation-induced ring-opening and oxidation reaction of photoreluctant spirooxazine–quinolizinium conjugates

• Phil M. Pithan,
• Sören Steup and
• Heiko Ihmels

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 904–916, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.82

• photoreaction [12][15][16]. The photochromism is based on a reversible electrocyclic reaction that proceeds through the UV light-induced cleavage of the C2’–O bond of the closed, colorless form to give the colored, metastable merocyanine form, whereas the back reaction can be initiated thermally or by the

• photochromism, i.e., a blue shift of the absorption maximum of the merocyanine form [5][19][27][28][29], and increased stability of the latter towards the thermal back reaction [21][28][30][31][32][33][34]. In this context, the complexation of metal cations has also been exploited to utilize this compound class

Potent hemithioindigo-based antimitotics photocontrol the microtubule cytoskeleton in cellulo

• Alexander Sailer,
• Franziska Ermer,
• Yvonne Kraus,
• Rebekkah Bingham,
• Ferdinand H. Lutter,
• Julia Ahlfeld and
• Oliver Thorn-Seshold

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 125–134, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.14

• Information File 1). Photocharacterisation Although some para-hydroxy-substituted HTIs have been described [28][29], we are unaware of any report of the solvent- and pH-dependency of their photochromism and thermal relaxation. Dube and co-workers have reported that in general, increasing the electron-donating

Design, synthesis and investigation of water-soluble hemi-indigo photoswitches for bioapplications

• Daria V. Berdnikova

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2822–2829, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.275

• that allowed to obtain an RNA-binding hemi-indigo derivative with photoswitchable fluorescent properties. Keywords: hemi-indigo; molecular switches; photochromism; photoswitching; visible light; water solubility; Introduction The application of organic photochromes in biological systems is fraught

• photochemical properties. Along these lines, special efforts have been devoted to design, for example, water-soluble derivatives of spiropyran [1][2][3], azobenzene [4][5], diarylethene [6][7][8], or chromene [9] that keep efficient photochromism in aqueous medium. Although a significant progress has been made

Chemical tuning of photoswitchable azobenzenes: a photopharmacological case study using nicotinic transmission

• Lorenzo Sansalone,
• Jun Zhao,
• Matthew T. Richers and
• Graham C. R. Ellis-Davies

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2812–2821, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.274

• into the corresponding cis configuration [1]. The reverse reaction can be initiated with a different wavelength. In a biological context, this photochromism was exploited first by Erlanger and colleagues for enzyme inhibitors in 1968 [2], and ion channels in 1971 [3]. Their ingenious approach was

In search of visible-light photoresponsive peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) for reversible control of DNA hybridization

• Lei Zhang,
• Greta Linden and
• Olalla Vázquez

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2500–2508, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.243

• the PNAs, UV–vis spectroscopy of 20 μM solutions in phosphate buffer (10 mM NaH2PO4, 150 mM NaCl, pH 7.4) confirmed that PNA incorporation did not significantly affect the photochromism (Figures S24, S20, S30 and S33, Supporting Information File 1). This verifies the integrity of the chromophores

Experimental and computational electrochemistry of quinazolinespirohexadienone molecular switches – differential electrochromic vs photochromic behavior

• Eric W. Webb,
• Jonathan P. Moerdyk,
• Kyndra B. Sluiter,
• Benjamin J. Pollock,
• Amy L. Speelman,
• Eugene J. Lynch,
• William F. Polik and
• Jason G. Gillmore

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2473–2485, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.240

• photochromism results from a spirocyclic ring-opening or other isomerization which results in increased conjugation. Electrochromism is also of increasing materials relevance, e.g., for self-dimming automotive mirror and aircraft window darkening applications [6][7][8]. In electrochromic applications, the color

• tractable and is equivalent to S1 for orbital occupancy arguments. PSHD photochromism [10]. QSHD photochromism [21]. Proposed mechanism for differential formation of pLW (4) and eLW (5) from SW (3). Experimental and computational Eored of 1a,b and 3a,b and their LW isomers, reported in V vs SCE. Computed

Photochromic diarylethene ligands featuring 2-(imidazol-2-yl)pyridine coordination site and their iron(II) complexes

• Andrey G. Lvov,
• Max Mörtel,
• Anton V. Yadykov,
• Frank W. Heinemann,
• Valerii Z. Shirinian and
• Marat M. Khusniyarov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2428–2437, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.235

• ligand. The bridging nature of the diarylethene in the complexes prevents photocyclization. Keywords: diarylethene; 2-(imidazol-2-yl)pyridine; iron(II) complex; photochromism; Introduction Transition metal complexes with photoactive ligands are of great interest for advanced photonic applications [1][2

Reversible switching of arylazopyrazole within a metal–organic cage

• Anton I. Hanopolskyi,
• Soumen De,
• Michał J. Białek,
• Yael Diskin-Posner,
• Liat Avram,
• Moran Feller and
• Rafal Klajn

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2398–2407, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.232

• ; photochromism; Introduction The importance of confinement for chemical reactivity is becoming increasingly appreciated. Confining reactive species to small volumes can greatly increase their effective molarity and consequently, promote chemical reactions. Such reaction acceleration has been demonstrated at

• photochromism in the spiropyran switch [18]. Other recent studies of photochromic systems within macrocyclic and supramolecular hosts [19] include dihydroazulene switches [20] and red-shifted azobenzenes [21][22] inside cucurbiturils and cyclodextrins. The behavior of light-responsive compounds can also be

Excited state dynamics for visible-light sensitization of a photochromic benzil-subsituted phenoxyl-imidazolyl radical complex

• Yoichi Kobayashi,
• Yukie Mamiya,
• Katsuya Mutoh,
• Hikaru Sotome,
• Masafumi Koga,
• Hiroshi Miyasaka and
• Jiro Abe

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2369–2379, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.229

• acts as a singlet photosensitizer for PIC by the Dexter-type energy transfer. Visible-light sensitized photochromic reactions of PIC are important for expanding the versatility of potential applications to life sciences and materials science. Keywords: biradical; energy transfer; photochromism

• ; sensitizer; transient absorption spectroscopy; Introduction Photochromism, which is defined as the reversible transformation of a chemical species between two structural isomers by light, has been extensively studied over decades [1][2][3][4]. Recently, visible-light sensitized photochromic materials have

Mono- and bithiophene-substituted diarylethene photoswitches with emissive open or closed forms

• A. Lennart Schleper,
• Mariano L. Bossi,
• Vladimir N. Belov and
• Stefan W. Hell

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2344–2354, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.227

• large fluorescence quantum yield, compound SyOTh1 emerged as a candidate for single-molecule based super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. Keywords: diarylethenes; dyes; fluorescence; organic synthesis; photochromism; photoswitching; Introduction Reversibly photoswitchable diarylethenes (DAEs) with

Aggregation-induced emission effect on turn-off fluorescent switching of a photochromic diarylethene

• Luna Kono,
• Yuma Nakagawa,
• Ayako Fujimoto,
• Ryo Nishimura,
• Yohei Hattori,
• Toshiki Mutai,
• Nobuhiro Yasuda,
• Kenichi Koizumi,
• Satoshi Yokojima,
• Shinichiro Nakamura and
• Kingo Uchida

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2204–2212, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.217

• fluorescent turn-off behavior during photochromism in aprotic solvents as well as in crystalline state upon UV light irradiation. Furthermore, it showed AIE in THF/water mixtures with blue-shift of the emission. Keywords: AIE; diarylethene; ESIPT fluorescent switching; turn-off fluorescence; Introduction

Click chemistry towards thermally reversible photochromic 4,5-bisthiazolyl-1,2,3-triazoles

• Chenxia Zhang,
• Kaori Morinaka,
• Mahmut Kose,
• Takashi Ubukata and
• Yasushi Yokoyama

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 2161–2169, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.213

• thus prepared, which belong to the terarylene family, showed thermally reversible photochromism. The absorption maximum wavelengths of the closed forms are longer than other terarylenes reported so far. The thermal back reactions are much faster when the substituents on the terminal phenyl groups are

• electron-withdrawing cyano groups than when they are electron-donating methoxy groups. Keywords: aromatic stabilization energy; diarylethene; ruthenium(I) catalysed Huisgen cyclization; terarylene; thermally reversible photochromism; Introduction Diarylethenes are one of the most widely investigated

• among the photochromic families [1][2][3]. They are known to show thermally irreversible photochromism. However, some of them are thermally reversible [4]: (1) when the aromatic stabilization energy of the aromatic rings is large [5]; (2) when the substituent groups on the ring-closing carbon atoms are

Azologization of serotonin 5-HT₃ receptor antagonists

• Karin Rustler,
• Galyna Maleeva,
• Piotr Bregestovski and
• Burkhard König

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 780–788, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.74

• substitution at a chloro-substituted purine (15a,b) or thienopyrimidine (15c), respectively, and subsequent oxidation of the hydrazine moiety afforded the corresponding azobenzene derivatives 16a–d [71]. Synthesis of azobenzene-extended thiopurine derivatives To further tune the photochromism and compare the

Synthesis and metal binding properties of N-alkylcarboxyspiropyrans

• Alexis Perry and
• Christina J. Kousseff

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2017, 13, 1542–1550, doi:10.3762/bjoc.13.154

• for binding divalent metal cations and a modest increase in M2+ binding affinity correlated with increased alkycarboxylate tether length. Keywords: carboxylate ligand; merocyanine; metal binding; photochromism; spiropyran; Introduction Spiropyrans are a class of spiro-fused indolochromene (e.g

The role of alkyl substituents in deazaadenine-based diarylethene photoswitches

• Christopher Sarter,
• Michael Heimes and
• Andres Jäschke

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1103–1110, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.106

• substitution pattern, diarylethenes with one alkyl group can exhibit significant photochromism, but they generally show poor stability towards extended UV irradiation, low thermal stability, and decreased fatigue resistance. The results obtained provide an important direction for the design of new efficient

• DNA photoswitches for the application in bionanotechnology and synthetic biology. Keywords: diarylethene; nucleoside; electrocyclic rearrangement; photochromism; photoswitch; Introduction Most biomacromolecules are per se not responsive to light. Their conversion into photoresponsive molecules opens

Photo, thermal and chemical degradation of riboflavin

• Muhammad Ali Sheraz,
• Sadia Hafeez Kazi,
• Sofia Ahmed,
• Zubair Anwar and
• Iqbal Ahmad

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2014, 10, 1999–2012, doi:10.3762/bjoc.10.208

• icing sugar, lactose and wheat starch while those with biosynthetic RF, it was found to decolorize in the presence of nicotinamide, lactose, talc and sodium starch glycolate [73]. The color changes in solid RF are often reversible and are due to photochromism [73][134]. Such color changes might not

Multichromophoric sugar for fluorescence photoswitching

• Stéphane Maisonneuve,
• Rémi Métivier,
• Pei Yu,
• Keitaro Nakatani and
• Juan Xie

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2014, 10, 1471–1481, doi:10.3762/bjoc.10.151

• photo resistance. Keywords: click chemistry; energy transfer; fluorophore; monosaccharide; photochromism; Introduction The development of functional nanomaterials is nowadays a very attractive field of fundamental and applied research. The chemical functions at the molecular level yield properties

Spin state switching in iron coordination compounds

• Philipp Gütlich,
• Ana B. Gaspar and
• Yann Garcia

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2013, 9, 342–391, doi:10.3762/bjoc.9.39

Design and synthesis of a photoswitchable guanidine catalyst

• Philipp Viehmann and
• Stefan Hecht

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2012, 8, 1825–1830, doi:10.3762/bjoc.8.209

• rac-lactide in order to explain the findings. Keywords: azobenzenes; guanidines; molecular switches; organocatalysis; photochromism; ring opening polymerization; Introduction The macroscopic properties of a given polymer, e.g., the glass-transition temperature, morphology, density and tensile