We designed and synthesized a new prochiral molecule in which two azobenzene moieties were embedded in [2,2]paracyclophane and showed the chirality induction by E-Z photoisomerization. We also demonstrated the on/off switching of asymmetry by irradiation and reflux respectively.

A versatile synthetic method has been developed to incorporate photochromic azobenzene moieties into tetraphenylporphyrin frameworks in an orthogonal fashion, positioning the phenylazo substituents above and below the plane of the macrocycle. Surprisingly, photoisomerization is completely suppressed in the resulting azobenzene-confined porphyrins.

The double bond photoisomerization of fulvene has been studied with quantum dynamics calculations using the multi-configuration time-dependent Hartree method. Fulvene is a test case to develop optical control strategies based on the knowledge of the excited state decay mechanism. The decay takes place on a time scale of several hundred femtoseconds, and the potential energy surface is centered ...