N-Alkyl imines are prevalent in dynamic-covalent chemistry and self-assembled structures, yet their E/Z photochromism is often overlooked due to the high-energy light required for isomerization. Here, we present a simple strategy to enhance their photoswitching properties, achieving switching wavelengths and photostationary state distributions comparable to azobenzene. Moreover, we demonstrate that these N-alkyl imines undergo photoisomerization in the condensed phase and exhibit isomer-dependent fluorescence. We anticipate that this study will inspire the design of photoresponsive architectures that operate directly at the dynamic-covalent bond, eliminating the need for dedicated photoswitchable motifs.

Molecular control of chiroptical properties lies at the heart of advanced photonic applications including molecular information processing, optical memories, sensing, or absolute asymmetric synthesis....

Photoswitching molecules like the azoarenes have myriad potential applications, ranging from energy storage to targeted drug delivery. Upon irradiation, azoarenes convert from an E-form to a Z-form. T...

Precisely probing the endogenous roles of target proteins is crucial for biological research. Photochemical tools can be photoactuated with high spatiotemporal resolution but often they are unreliable in vivo because spatiotemporal variations of reagent concentration result in inhomogeneous bioactivity. We now describe ideal efficacy photoswitching, a paradigm that internally compensates for reagent concentration by self-competitive binding, allowing purely wavelength-dependent chromocontrol over bioactivity that is consistent from cell culture to deep tissues. We demonstrate this with photoswitches for endogenous transient receptor potential (TRP) C4 and C5 ion channels, reproducibly delivering strong agonism under 360-nm illumination, weak agonism under 385-nm illumination and strong antagonism under 440-nm illumination. These ligands unlock a range of high-precision investigations in TRP biology, from neuronal activity to exocytosis, reproductive signaling and smooth muscle contract

PinkyCaMP is a red genetically encoded calcium indicator with improved brightness and photostability. Derived from mScarlet, it does not exhibit photoswitching upon blue light illumination and is ther...

PinkyCaMP is a red genetically encoded calcium indicator with improved brightness and photostability. Derived from mScarlet, it does not exhibit photoswitching upon blue light illumination and is ther...

We recently demonstrated that suitably functionalised aryliminopyrazoles can exhibit useful photoswitching properties. This study investigates the photoswitching potential of iminobispyrazoles (IBPs)....

We recently demonstrated that suitably functionalised aryliminopyrazoles can exhibit useful photoswitching properties. This study investigates the photoswitching potential of iminobispyrazoles…

Heterocycles dramatically change the performance of hydrazone photoswitches. Basic rings cause rapid thermal isomerization via tautomerization, while ones that can participate in H-bonding lower swit...

Using chemical photoswitchable reagents to exert purely wavelength-dependent control over biological systems in deep tissue and in vivo requires a concentration-independent design paradigm. Here, such...

Spin-state photoswitching has become a field of broad interest in the last decades due to unique physical and chemical properties accessible from controlling the spin state of a molecular entity. Thi....

The unique photophysical properties of the lanthanoids provide the core functionality for various high-tech applications including optoelectronic materials, lasers, anti-counterfeiting dyes or tools ...

Fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging are complementary modalities that provide distinct advantages for biological imaging: fluorescence microscopy offers high sensitivity and resolution, while photo...

The purpose of the conference is to bring prominent researchers from various fields of chemistry together and promote fruitful discussions and future collaborations.

To interrogate animal physiology in vivo, there is a lack of non-genetic methods to control the activity of endogenous proteins with pharmacological a…

Azobenzene is a widely recognized tool for achieving artificial spatiotemporal control of enzyme activity through the use of light. Photocontrol reversibility is typically based on photostationary sta...