Modulating and Accelerating Photolysis of Photoactivatable [2.2]Paracyclophane Aryl Azide in Supramolecular Host for Bioimaging

Abstract

Photolysis of aryl azides offers a versatile approach to achieve more sophisticated functionalization, for instance in the field of chemical biology. In this study, a photoactivatable aryl azide named Pcp‐Az is presented that forms three distinct emissive molecules after irradiation. Computational studies unveiled that the photolysis of Pcp‐Az in aqueous medium undergoes different reaction channels, leading to the three mentioned distinct products. When the photoreaction is performed using the supramolecular host cucurbit[8]uril(CB8) for Pcp‐Az, the reaction is found to be tuned and accelerated. Finally, the potential application of the photoproducts are showcased in bioimaging, and also the time‐dependent photoactivating imaging.