Abstract
Photoswitches capable of accessing two geometric states are highly desirable, especially if their design is modular and incorporates a pharmacophore tethering site. We describe a redox isomerization strategy for synthesizing p-formylazobenzenes from p-nitrobenzyl alcohol. The resulting azo-aldehydes can be readily converted to photoswitchable compounds with excellent photophysical properties using simple hydrazide click chemistry. As a proof of principle, we synthesized a photoswitchable surfactant enabling the photocontrol of an emulsion with exceptionally high spatiotemporal precision.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 8765-8770 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Organic Letters |
Volume | 21 |
Issue number | 21 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 1 2019 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- Organic Chemistry