Photochemical Properties of Supramolecular Dyad with Pyrenylethenylquinoline as a Photochrome

Spectral and photochemical properties of a bichromophoric dyad with two photochromes, 2-[(2-(pyren-1-yl)ethenyl]quinoline (PEQ) bridged by ten methylene groups have been investigated. Stationary spectroscopy does not show substantial interaction between the PEQ groups in the dyad, but the appearance of another, more long-living component in the f luorescence decay kinetics indicates possible excimer formation. The formation of the chemically active excimer is also confirmed by the intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition reaction to give tetrasubstituted cyclobutane with two vicinal pyrene substituents. This reaction competes with trans–cis photoisomerization of the dyad. It has been proposed that the π-stacking interaction of two PEQ groups with a long system of π-bonds plays an important role in the excimer formation followed by the photocycloaddition reaction.