Photochromic dithienylethene-containing four-coordinate boron(iii) compounds with a spirocyclic scaffold

Abstract

A series of photochromic four-coordinate spirocyclic boron(iii) compounds that display thermally activated upconversion processes from the lower-lying unreactive excited state to the higher-lying photoreactive excited state is reported.

Benzo[b]Germole-Fused Diarylethenes as Photochromic Organogermanium Compounds

“…To the best of our knowledge, the exploration of heavier metalloles with main group elements is rare, and there has not been any report on germole-containing diarylethenes despite the interesting electronic structures and weak aromaticity of germole. With the continuous interest in developing various photochromic heterocycle-fused diarylethenes with versatile photocontrolled functions, − we herein report the first photochromic benzo­[ b ]­germole-fused dithienylethene and diselenophenylethene compounds (Figure a), with their chemical synthesis and structural characterizations, as well as electrochemical, photophysical, photochromic, and computational studies. It is anticipated that this work would encourage the further development of other series of germole-fused diarylethenes with promising photochromic properties and provide another example of a new class of heterocycle-fused diarylethenes capable of displaying attractive performance for potential applications of photochromic materials in the foreseeable future.…”