Dynamics and mechanisms of the multiphoton gated photochromic reaction of diarylethene derivatives

The cycloreversion (ring-opening) process of one of the photochromic diarylethene derivatives, bis(2-methyl-5-phenylthiophen-3-yl)perfluorocyclopentene, was investigated by means of picosecond and femtosecond laser photolysis methods. The drastic enhancement of the reaction yield was observed only by the picosecond laser exposure. The excitation intensity effect of the reaction profiles revealed that the successive multiphoton absorption process leading to higher excited states opened the efficient cycloreversion process with a reaction yield of (50 +/- 10)%, while the one-photon absorption directly pumped to a higher excited state did not lead to the efficient cycloreversion reaction. These results indicate that not the energy of the excitation but the character of the electronic state takes an important role in the enhancement of the cycloreversion reaction.