ABSTRACT:
Organic photochromic molecules including diarylethenes are of particular interest for their numerous potential applications including high-density optical data storage and light-activated switches. In this report, we examined the temperature dependence of the light-drive photocyclization reaction in a classic diarylethene. The steady-state populations were monitored spectroscopically and by temperature dependent in situ photocrystallography, the latter being the first reported example of this technique. The observed decrease in the steady-state population with decreasing temperature suggests this classic diarylethene possesses an excited-state potential energy surface topology similar to previously reported “inverted” diarylethenes.
Jordan M. Cox†, Ian M. Walton†, Dinesh G. (Dan) Patel‡, Mengyang Xu§, Yu-Sheng Chen∥, and Jason B. Benedict*†
† Department of Chemistry, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
‡ Department of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, Hazleton, Pennsylvania 18202, United States
§ Department of Physics, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
∥ ChemMatCARS, The University of Chicago, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States
J. Phys. Chem. A, 2015, 119 (5), pp 884–888
DOI: 10.1021/jp512488q