Organic letters

A fast and stable photochromic switch based on the opening and closing of an oxazine ring

M Tomasulo, S Sortino, FM Raymo

Index: Tomasulo, Massimiliano; Sortino, Salvatore; Raymo, Francisco M. Organic Letters, 2005 , vol. 7, # 6 p. 1109 - 1112

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Citation Number: 114

Abstract

We have designed a molecular switch based on the photoinduced opening and thermal closing of an oxazine ring. Ultraviolet excitation of this molecule induces the cleavage of a [CO] bond to form ap-nitrophenolate chromophore in less than 10 ns with a quantum yield of ca. 0.1. The photogenerated isomer reverts thermally to the original oxazine within 50 ns. Our photochromic switch survives more than 3000 excitation cycles without decomposing, ...