Synthesis, characterization and study of Stiff-Stilbene based Photo-switchable Cyclic Ethers

Abstract

Photo-switchable molecules undergo configurational changes between two or more isomeric states upon irradiation by light. One of those photo-switchable molecules is stiff-stilbene. It is used in many applications in a wide range of fields from material science to biologic systems. In some of these applications stiff-stilbene is the backbone of cyclic molecules. In this project, a model system was designed introducing different length linkers between stiff-stilbene aromatic rings. The main aim is to study the dependence of photo-isomerization properties on the linker length. A good synthetic route to target molecules was planned and followed giving moderate to good yields. The photo-switching study of the target molecules revealed that the linker length has a large impact on the photo-isomerization process. NMR spectroscopy was used to follow the progress of the isomerization