Preventing the formation of the long-lived colored transoid-trans photoisomer in photochromic benzopyrans

A new photochromic fused benzopyran presenting a bridge between the pyran double bond and the benzenic ring was prepared. While the UV irradiation of usual benzopyrans leads to the formation of two colored photoisomers with very different thermal stabilities, studies by laser flash photolysis showed that the presence of this particular bridge prevents the formation of the undesirable long-lived colored TT isomer and therefore after laser irradiation the colored solution fades following a fast monoexponential decay.     

Metallocenyl‐[2H]naphtho[1,2‐b]pyrans: metal effect on the photochromic behaviour

Previous studies have shown that the substitution by a ferrocenyl group in the 2‐position of naphthopyrans has a specific and an original effect on the photochromic behaviour. In this work, the synthesis and the photochromic properties of new naphthopyrans substituted in the 2‐position by three different metallocenyl groups (ferrocenyl, ruthenocenyl and osmocenyl) are presented. Whereas the ferrocenyl‐substituted derivatives under UV irradiation show two absorption bands, the ruthenocenyl and osmocenyl derivatives are characterized by only one absorption band under the same condition. The photochromic behaviour of these compounds is compared with that of their parent alkyl or phenyl 2‐substituted [2H]‐naphtho[1,2‐b]pyrans. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New benzopyranocarbazoles: synthesis and photochromic behaviour

The synthesis of three new benzopyranocarbazoles (=[indole]naphthopyrans) from hydroxybenzo[a]carbazoles is described. The photochromic properties of these novel compounds were investigated under flash photolysis and continuous irradiation. Compared to known [indole]benzopyrans these new compounds showed a significant bathochromic shift in the spectra of the open forms, an increase in colourabilities and slower ring closure kinetics. The photochromic behaviour of compound 4 has been further investigated. Continuous near-UV irradiation led to the formation of one photoisomer (TC) that was subsequently partially converted, to the other (TT). Thermal reversion of the preirradiated system to the original form was only partial and followed a monoexponential decay involving the back-conversion of the TC-isomer to the uncoloured closed form (CF). The thermally stable TT-isomer could only be photobleached with visible light. This process was shown to proceed through a fast photoconversion TT→TC followed by the thermal path TC→CF. Thermal relaxation of the activated system was also studied at various temperatures.     

Photochromic hybrid sol–gel films containing naphthopyrans

Abstract  

Several photochromic benzo- and naphthopyrans were embedded in hybrid organic–inorganic ureasilicate based films obtained by a sol–gel process. The resulting films, containing 0.1% (w/w) of the photochromic compound, were transparent and flexible and for naphthopyrans they were colourless or presented just a slight colouration. Under UV continuous irradiation the films developed a significant absorption in the visible region that fades in the dark with variable kinetics depending on the naphthopyran structure. 2,2-Diphenyl-3H-naphtho[2,1-b]pyran films showed a very fast colouration under UV light giving rise to coloured open forms, containing mainly the TC isomer (98%) along with a very small amount of the more stable TT isomer (2%), that practically returned to the initial absorbance in 1 min.     

Thermally reversible photochromic behaviour of new naphthopyrans involving an intramolecular [2+2] cyclization reaction

New 4-(2,2-diphenylethenyl)naphthopyrans were synthesized and their photochromic behaviour in solution were studied under continuous UV light irradiation conditions. Although only one coloured photoproduct was expected to be formed, due to the naphthopyran substitution pattern, NMR analysis on degassed UV irradiated solutions, performed at low temperature, showed the formation of different compounds. Among them, the main product is formed through an intramolecular [2+2] cyclization reaction and show thermally reversible photochromic properties.     

Solid-state photochromism of chromenes: enhanced photocoloration and observation of unstable colored species at low temperatures

Solid-state photochromism of benzopyrans and naphthopyrans (chromenes) was investigated in the temperature range between 300 and 80 K. Variable-temperature diffuse reflectance spectroscopy of microcrystalline powders showed that the extent of photocoloration was greatly enhanced at low temperatures. All the chromenes examined exhibited solid-state photochromism at low temperatures, even when they showed little or no photocoloration at room temperature. The solid-state photochromic properties of the chromenes were quite similar to those reported for analogous photochromic compounds of spiropyrans and spirooxazines, which indicates that these classes of compounds are generally photochromic even in the solid state. Photobleaching reactions of the colored merocyanine forms proceeded at low temperatures through the formation of a colorless intermediate, instead of directly resuming the original closed form. In addition to two stable planar merocyanine forms, which are usually observed in the photochromic reactions in solution, photoreactions at low temperatures allowed us to observe unstable colored species, which were tentatively assigned as nonplanar cisoid forms, and were stabilized in the solid state at low temperatures.     

Crown-containing styryl derivatives of naphthopyrans: Complexation with alkaline-earth metal cations and photochemistry

The photochemistry and complexation with alkaline-earth metal cations of two crown-containing naphthopyrans and their crownless analogues are reported. Two types of photoreactions occur in the system, namely, the reversible formation of the open form, which is responsible for the photochromism of these compounds, and the geometric isomerization of the closed form. The photochromic properties (UV spectrum and lifetime) of the naphthopyrans do not change upon complexation with metal cations. This is explained by the specific features of the structure of the open form and by the kinetic parameters of the processes.     

Photochromic,Thermochromic, and Fluorescent Spirooxazines and Naphthopyrans: A Spectrokinetic and Thermodynamic Study

The photochromic and thermochromic behavior of four commercially available Reversacol dyes are presented. The compounds studied belong to the class of spirooxazines and naphthopyrans, which are typically thermoreversible photochromic molecules. On stimulation with UV light, these compounds become colored and exhibit spectra which extend over the whole visible region. Increasing the temperature causes spontaneous coloration (thermochromism). Herein, absorption and fluorescence spectra, molar absorption coefficients of the colorless and colored forms, fluorescence and photochemical quantum yields, and kinetic parameters of thermal bleaching (rate constant, frequency factor, and activation energy) are determined in acetonitrile solution. The thermal ground‐state reaction is exhaustively described in terms of thermodynamic parameters (equilibrium constant, free energy, enthalpy, and entropy). Temperature effects on photochemical and thermal colorabilities are evaluated. The results indicate that the two spirooxazines are good photochromes below room temperature, whereas they are efficient thermochromic compounds above room temperature. Naphthopyrans are better photochromes but worse thermochromic compounds than spirooxazines.     

Synthesis,Characterization and Photochromic Properties of Novel Naphthopyrans with Hydrazone Unit Residue

A series of naphthopyrans with hydrazone unit ( 8a – 8m ), were synthesized and characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, IR and HRMS. The photochromic properties were investigated under continuous irradiation, in particular regard to the fatigue resistance and the lifetime of the colored open form in solution and polymers. The results showed that these compounds had both good photochromic properties and high fatigue resistance. Detailed studies showed that representative compound 8d (3,3‐di‐4‐methoxybenzoic acid methylenehydrazino‐[3H]‐naphtho [2,1‐b]pyran) had good photochromic properties in THF solution, in solid state, and in polymers, and exhibited a significant bathochromic shift in the spectra of the open forms compared to known naphthopyrans 9 (3,3‐diphenyl‐[3H]‐naphtho[2,1‐b]pyran). On the other hand, the higher melting points of target compounds are promising for the polymer film preparation through hot‐melt method.     

P‐Type Photochromism of New Helical Naphthopyrans: Synthesis and Photochemical,Photophysical and Theoretical Study

Two novel helical naphthopyrans have been synthesised. The helical scaffold has the interesting effect of increasing the thermal stability of the transoid‐trans (TT) open isomer formed upon UV irradiation of the closed form (CF), which transforms these naphthopyrans from thermal to photochemical photochromes. The photochromic performance is excellent in both polar and apolar solvents and the conversion percentage from the CF to the TT form can be as high as 92.8 %. We propose a new method to determine the quantum yields of the photochemical processes that lead to transoid‐cis (TC) and TT isomers, and their molar absorption coefficients. The thermal stability of the TT and TC isomers has been studied in different solvents. The quantum yields of fluorescence before and after irradiation, along with the decay lifetimes, have also been measured. TD‐DFT calculations have been performed to determine the relative thermodynamic stability of the species involved in the photochromic mechanism and to rationalise their spectral properties.     

Photochromism of dihydroindolizines. Part 16: Tuning of the photophysical behavior of photochromic dihydroindolizines in solution and in polymeric thin film

In this work, photochromic materials based on the dihydroindolizine (DHI) system were synthesized in multistep reactions using chemical and photochemical methods. Some of the synthesized photochromic dihydroindolizine derivatives were substituted on the fluorene (region A) and pyridazine (region C) moieties in order to provide the appropriate functionality for optimal tuning of the photochromic properties of the system. Irradiation of the photochromic DHIs with polychromatic light led to ring opened colored betaines, which underwent thermal 1,5-electrocyclization. The red to green colored betaines produced after UV irradiation returned back through 1,5-electrocyclization to the corresponding DHIs with different rate constants depending on the substituents in both fluorene and pyridazine regions. The kinetic measurements of the thermal 1,5-electrocyclization under different temperatures that ranged from −10 to 25 °C showed that the half-lives of the colored betaines fall in the second to hours domain. Interestingly, these materials showed a very good photochromic behavior not only in solution but also in the PMMA matrix. Irradiation of a slide prepared by the deep-coating method led to the formation of the colored betaine and the kinetics of the thermally reversible 1,5-electrocyclization and the AFM image of the film has been recorded. Indeed, the chemical and thermal stability of the investigated betaines in polymer (PMMA) will render such species useful for a plethora of new of applications.     

Accelerating the thermal fading rate of photochromic naphthopyrans by pillar[5]arene-based conjugated macrocycle polymer

A new micro-spherical conjugated macrocycle polymer (P[5]-TFB-CMP) was prepared by the condensation reaction between dihydrazide functionalized pillar[5]arene and 1,3,5-triformylbenzene under ambient conditions. P[5]-TFB-CMP exhibits large surface area with excellent thermal stability and has been used as additive to prepare composite PMMA film of photochromic naphthopyrans. The results showed that the addition of P[5]-TFB-CMP could dramatically accelerate the thermal fading rate of the photochromic composite film by up to 12 times. This is a new strategy to overcome the drawback of the matrix effect.     

Spectral Properties and Photochromic Characteristics of Spiropyran Dyes

IntroductionSince the last decade, a large number of workshave concentrated on the photochromic behavior of in-dolinospirobenzopyran dyes[1—4]. Interest in these com-pounds has been concerned with the reversibility of thetransformation between the colorl…     

The effect of a sulphur bridge on the photochromic properties of indeno-fused naphthopyrans

The synthesis of four new 2,2-diphenyl-2H-naphtho[1,2-b]pyrans with a fused indeno group at the f face and a sulphur junction between the 2,2-phenyl groups is described. The photochromic properties in solution of these novel compounds were investigated under continuous irradiation. Compared to known indeno-fused naphthopyrans, these new compounds showed a significant bathochromic shift in the spectra of the open forms, faster ring closure kinetics and an expected decrease in the colourabilities.     

Readily accessible rhodamine B-based photoresponsive material

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十八烷基取代吲哚啉螺吡喃衍生物的合成及光谱性质

螺吡喃类化台物是一种重要的光响应分子,它在光信息存储技术中作为光盘材料具有广阔的应用前景。这类化合物在不同介质中的光谱、光电和光致变色性质引起了众多科学家的兴趣,并且已有大量研究工作报道。近年来,光致变色固体膜,特别是光致变色化合物的LB膜和超分子膜的特性引起了广泛的关注。因为在这种状态下,化合物分子具     

磺酸功能化的离子液体型多金属氧酸盐的光色性能

发现磺酸功能化离子液体型多金属氧酸盐(IL-POM)具有可逆光色性质,并在紫外光激发下,详细考察了[PyPS]_nH_3-nPW₁₂(n=1,3)(PyPs:吡啶丙磺酸盐)、[PyPS]₄SiW₁₂、[TEAPS]₃PW₁₂(TEAPS:3-(三乙胺基)丙磺酸盐)等样品的光致变色行为。 结果表明,磺酸化的IL-POM是一类弱的电荷转移多金属氧酸盐,但在紫外光激发下有机阳离子和POM阴离子间可以发生电子相互作用,实现W⁶⁺→W⁵⁺的还原,并形成稳定的电荷转移复合物,导致样品显色。 钨磷酸盐的光色性大大强于钨硅酸盐,且空气中避光放置可以消色。 但样品容易疲劳,着色-褪色重复性不好。 对光色机理的研究显示,有机阳离子中的-SO₃H基团作为电子供体参与了变色过程。 揭示了磺酸基团的电子供体作用,为设计电荷转移多金属氧酸盐和POM基光色材料提供了新的思路。     

Phptotophysics and kinetics of naphthopyran derivatives,part 4: Investigation of [3H]‐naphthopyran kinetics considered as an ABC(2k, 6ϕ) system yielding a monoexponential trace

The elucidation of [3H]‐naphthopyran photochromic kinetics has been dealt with in this investigation by approximating the photocoloring traces as monoexponential. The experimental data have been analyzed, and 13 defining equations of the reactive dynamics have been established. These have been solved simultaneously as a system of nonlinear equations depending on the extinction coefficients and the six possible quantum yields of this ABC type system. The results of this new approach predict that both colored species are directly photochemically produced from the starting material. The most photochemically reactive photoisomer is the most thermally stable and is also the one characterized by the lowest extinction coefficient of the visible absorption band. The mechanism predicted for 3,3‐diphenyl‐3H‐naphtho[2,1‐b]pyran in toluene at 30°C obeys ABC(1k,6?) kinetics. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Chem Kinet 38: 431–438, 2006     

Development of a convenient synthetic route to aminochromenes via Buchwald C-N coupling

A convenient new synthetic route to p-aminophenylaminobenzo- and naphthopyrans was developed via palladium-catalyzed C-N coupling. It was demonstrated that novel targeted aminoderivatives reveal photochromic properties. The structure of intermediate p-nitrophenylaminochromenes was confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analysis.     

Ring contraction during the 6pi-electrocyclisation of naphthopyran valence tautomers

The thermal and photochemical ring-opening of spiro(3H-naphtho[2,1-b]pyran-3,9'-thioxanthene-10,10-dioxide) results in the facile ring-contraction to 9-(naphtho[2,1-b]furan-2-yl)-9H-thioxanthene-10,10-dioxide . Similar behaviour is displayed by the isomeric spiro(2H-naphtho[1,2-b]pyran-2,9'-thioxanthene-10,10-dioxide) affording 9-(naphtho[1,2-b]furan-2-yl)-9H-thioxanthene-10,10-dioxide , though more severe reaction conditions were required. The comparative ease of this rearrangement for the isomers and was rationalised on the basis of the relative isomer populations of the ring-opened naphthopyrans. The rearrangement of simple mono- and bis-methylsulfonylphenyl substituted photochromic naphthopyrans , was examined; the former failed to rearrange whereas the latter could be induced to rearrange only under prolonged UV irradiation. The photochromism of diastereoisomerically pure sulfoxides derived from the oxidation of spiro(3H-naphtho[2,1-b]pyran-3,9'-thioxanthene) and spiro(2H-naphtho[1,2-b]pyran-2,9'-thioxanthene) resulted in conversion to the most thermodynamically stable trans-isomer in each case.