title: Continuous irradiation and flash-photolysis studies of new[3H]naphtho[2,1-b]pyrans linked by covalent bonds to oligothiophene units. Effect of thiophene substituents on the photochromism.
abstract: The influence of oligothiophene substituents on five new [3H]naphtho[2,1-b]pyrans has been investigated using flash photolysis and continuous irradiation techniques. Photochromic properties strongly depend on the number and position of the thienyl units. Thienyl substitution increases the UV/visible absorbance of the lower energy transition of both the naphthopyran and merocyanine isomers. The rate constants of the thermal fading processes also increase with the number of thiophenic entities. Although several minor photoisomers, whose relative amounts depend on the irradiation conditions could be involved, it has been assumed that under continuous monochromatic irradiation, the evolution of the photochromic reaction can be described by the formation of only one photoisomer. Under these conditions, quantum yields of photocolouration and molar absorption coefficients of the non-isolable photomerocyanine isomer were evaluated by photokinetic analysis. Flash-photolytic colourability can be interpreted using continuous irradiation parameters. A linear correlation has been established between experimental and calculated colourability. This result shows that similar photochromic reactions leading to similar photoisomers are triggered either by polychromatic flash photolysis or by continuous monochromatic irradiation.
authors.affiliation: UMR 6114, Université de la Méditerranée, 163 Avenue de Luminy, 13288, Marseille 9, France.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frigoli
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pimienta
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moustrou
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Samat
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guglielmetti
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aubard
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maurel
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Micheau