Molecular switches

Molecular photoswitches are chemical systems whose geometry can be regulated by means of light. Now researchers led by means of Dr. Henry Dube at the branch of Chemistry at LMU have advanced the sort of transfer, whose moves may be managed with exceptional precision. "Our new photoswitch is a two-dimensional one. In contrast to maximum different chemical switches, it could be operated in  modes," explains Henry Dube, who heads an Emmy Noether studies group at LMU.

The transfer is derived from a compound labeled as a hemithioindigo, in which a so-referred to as thioindigo moiety is connected thru a carbon double bond (C=C) and a single bond (C-C) to a planar fragrant ring. This derivative reacts to light with the aid of altering the orientation of the fragrant ring in different methods relying on the character of the medium wherein it unearths itself. "And that allows us to govern the intramolecular motion of the photoswitch with a degree of precision in no way earlier than done for this elegance of molecules" says Dube. whilst the photoswitch is dissolved within the non-polar solvent cyclohexane, mild reasons rotation solely approximately the double bond mentioned above. In a polar medium which includes DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide), however, the rotation occurs about the single bond in the linker. moreover, the compound is the maximum efficient photoswitch of the hemithioindigo type but evolved," Dube provides.

the new findings appear in the journal of the american Chemical Society and represent an vital step towards the improvement of molecular additives for the meeting of nanomachines: For the more the degree of manipulate to be had, the more complex are the functions that may be achieved by way of such systems. furthermore, Dube and his colleagues have determined why exactly the molecule behaves in another way in solvents of different polarities. And their exact knowledge of the underlying response mechanism need to permit the LMU researchers to use this fairly simple manner of controlling molecular motions to other sorts of chemical switches.