title: The importance of the rotor in hydrazone-based molecular switches.
abstract: The pH-activated E/Z isomerization of a series of hydrazone-based systems having different functional groups as part of the rotor (R = COMe, CN, Me, H), was studied. The switching efficiency of these systems was compared to that of a hydrazone-based molecular switch (R = COOEt) whose E/Z isomerization is fully reversible. It was found that the nature of the R group is critical for efficient switching to occur; the R group should be a moderate H-bond acceptor in order to (i) provide enough driving force for the rotor to move upon protonation, and (ii) stabilize the obtained Z configuration, to achieve full conversion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, United States.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lessing
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Aprahamian