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Donor–acceptor Stenhouse adducts (DASAs) are a rapidly emerging class of visible light-activatable negative photochromes. They are closely related to (mero)cyanine dyes with the sole difference being a hydroxy group in the polyene chain. The presence or absence of the hydroxy group has far-reaching consequences for the photochemistry of the compound: cyanine dyes are widely used as fluorescent probes, whereas DASAs hold great promise for visible light-triggered photoswitching. Here we analyze the photophysical properties of a DASA lacking the hydroxy group. Ultrafast time-resolved pump–probe spectroscopy in both the visible and IR region show the occurrence of E–Z photoisomerization on a 20 ps time scale, similar to the photochemical behavior of DASAs, but on a slower time scale. In contrast to the parent DASA compounds, where the initial photoisomerization is constrained to a single position (next to the hydroxy group), 1H NMR in situ-irradiation studies at 213 K reveal that for nonhydroxy DASAs E–Z photoisomerization can take place at two different bonds, yielding two distinct isomers. These observations are supported by TD-DFT calculations, showing that in the excited state the hydroxy group (pre)selects the neighboring C2–C3 bond for isomerization. The TD-DFT analysis also explains the larger solvatochromic shift observed for the parent DASAs as compared to the nonhydroxy analogue, in terms of the dipole moment changes evoked upon excitation. Furthermore, computations provide helpful insights into the photoswitching energetics, indicating that without the hydroxy group the 4π-electrocyclization step is energetically forbidden. Our results establish the central role of the hydroxy group for DASA photoswitching and suggest that its introduction allows for tailoring photoisomerization pathways, presumably both through (steric) fixation via a hydrogen bond with the adjacent carbonyl group of the acceptor moiety, as well as through electronic effects on the polyene backbone. These insights are essential for the rational design of novel, improved DASA photoswitches and for a better understanding of the properties of both DASAs and cyanine dyes.

The triplet excited state properties of two BODIPY phenothiazine dyads (BDP-1 and BDP-2) with different lengths of linker and orientations of the components were studied. The triplet state formation of BODIPY chromophore was achieved via photoinduced electron transfer (PET) and charge recombination (CR). BDP-1 has a longer linker between the phenothiazine and the BODIPY chromophore than BDP-2. Moreover, the two chromophores in BDP-2 assume a more orthogonal geometry both at the ground and in the first excited state (87°) than that of BDP-1 (34–40°). The fluorescence of the BODIPY moiety was significantly quenched in the dyads. The charge separation (CS) and CR dynamics of the dyads were studied with femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy (kCS = 2.2 × 1011 s–1 and 2 × 1012 s–1 for BDP-1 and BDP-2, respectively; kCR = 4.5 × 1010 and 1.5 × 1011 s–1 for BDP-1 and BDP-2, respectively; in acetonitrile). Formation of the triplet excited state of the BODIPY moiety was observed for both dyads upon photoexci...

A new chiroptical compound, (E)-(R(p),R(p))-1,2-bis{4-methyl-[2]paracyclo[2](5,8)quinolinophan-2-yl}ethene (trans-RPQE) has been synthesized, and its photoresponse has been investigated through steady state and time-resolved absorption and emission spectroscopies and theoretical calculations. To elucidate the relaxation mechanism of trans-RPQE after photoexcitation, the photophysics of the 2,4-dimethyl-[2]paracyclo[2](5,8)quinolinophane chromophore has also been studied. The quantum yields of the different relaxation paths for trans-RPQE have been determined. It emerges that in addition to thermal and radiative routes, trans-RPQE also photoisomerizes with a quantum yield of 8%. Trans- and cis-RPQE isomers are pseudoenantiomers exhibiting appreciably different CD spectra, whereby RPQE can be a model for the design of new promising chiroptical photoswitches.