Efficient Synthesis and Properties of a Photochromic Hybrid Diarylethene Bearing a Pyrimidine Moiety

A novel photochromic diarylethene bearing a six-membered pyrimidine as one aryl moiety was synthesized to investigate its photochromic behaviors. The diarylethene exhibited good photochromism and functioned as a fluorescence switch both in hexane and in PMMA film. The fluorescence had a remarkable initial increase with subsequent dramatic decrease with increasing concentration. The results suggested that the pyrimidine moiety played a vital role during the process of photoisomerization reaction for the diarylethene.