Here we report a cavitand with a photochemical switch as one of the container walls. The azoarene switch undergoes photoisomerization when subjected to UV light producing a self-fulfilled cavitand. This process is thermally and photochemically reversible. The reported cavitand binds small molecules and these guests can be ejected from the cavitand through this photochemical process.Molecular devices on the nanoscale continue to attract attention, 1 and a variety of stimuli to drive the machinery are available. Changes in redox, 2 pH, 3 metal ion presence, 4 and other chemical inputs 5 have been used to cycle between well-defined molecular states, but perhaps the oldest-and one of the most frequently used stimuli-is light. In supramolecular devices the trans/cis photoisomerism of the azo benzene module provided the first switching mechanism applied to the binding behavior of cyclodextrins 6 and crown ethers. 7 Its ease of introduction, reliable shape and distance changes and broad applicability, even to foldamers 8 and biological molecules such as proteins comprising ion channels, 9 have insured the popularity of the photoisomerization process. Surprisingly, the azobenzene module has not appeared in deep cavitands and we correct that omission here. 10 In contrast to most photo-switchable devices-where the photo-responsive unit is appended on the structure's periphery to impart function-we integrated it into the cavitand's structure. We devised two light-responsive cavitands that exhibit very different guest binding behavior when exposed to light. Control of guest uptake and release is achieved through an unusual conformational preference, but only when a tert-butyl group is present on the azo-arene substituent. The switching is dictated by weak attractive forces and not through typical covalent bonds or steric constraints.We prepared azo cavitands 1 and 2 in one step from the known mono-amine cavitand 3 11 (Scheme 1). Mixing nitrosoarenes 12 at room temperature in glacial acetic acid with cavitand 3 resulted in the precipitation of pure azo-arene cavitands as orange solids (see ESI † for 1 H, 13 C NMR and mass spectrometry characterization data).In the resting configuration azo-arene cavitands trans-1 and trans-2 present deep cavities for guest binding. Upon irradiation with UV light, the azo substituent undergoes photoisomerization to produce cis-1 and cis-2. The tert-butyl substituent of 1 was expected to fold into and occupy the cavitand void where it can enjoy stabilizing CH-π interactions. In contrast, the unsubstituted azo cavitand cis-2 can neither reach the same CH-π distances nor adequately fill the space.The switching capabilities of 1 and 2 were investigated in d 12 -mesitylene. Both cavitands present only trans configuration by 1 H NMR after heating to reflux and cooling to room temperature in the dark. Under ambient conditions a small percentage of cis cavitand is observed, 8% for 1 and 5% for 2. 13 Computational and crystallographic studies reveal that cis-azobenzene derivatives adopt a n...