A fluorescent photochromic diarylethene based on naphthalic anhydride with strong solvatochromism†
Abstract
A novel “push–pull” diarylethene molecule consisting of an electron withdrawing ethene bridge (1,8-naphthalic anhydride) and two moderate electron donating side chains (2,5-dimethylthiophene) has been designed and synthesized. The photochromism study, together with density functional theory calculations, revealed that the molecule exhibits reversible fluorescence switching capacity upon photo-isomerization and remarkable solvatochromism with red shift of the fluorescence maximum by more than 150 nm owing to intramolecular charge transfer.