A series of arylmercuric dithizonate complexes have been synthesized and characterized. Optical spectra of dissolved and pure compounds show transition energies around 480 nm which have been rationalized by semiempiric PM3 calculations. All complexes show a pronounced photochromism. The calculations also account for the observed blue absorption of the metastable species when an underlying geometric arrangement according to the proposal of Meriwether's is assumed
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.