Photolabile Amphiphiles with Fluorogenic Thioxanthone-Dithiane Functionality: Synthesis and Photoinduced Fragmentation in Micelles.

Novel photolabile amphiphiles containing thioxanthone-based fluorogenic caging groups are developed. Photoinduced fragmentation in dithiane-thioxanthone adducts was demonstrated to occur with 100% quantum efficiency at λ ~ 320 nm and more than 50% at λ ~ 360 nm. A plausible mechanism involves homolytic fission of a carbon-carbon single bond in the excited thioxanthone followed by disproportionation via hydrogen transfer.

Photoinduced signal amplification through controlled externally sensitized fragmentation in masked sensitizers.

Addition of lithiated dithianes to diaryl ketones, potential electron-transfer sensitizers, disrupts conjugation between the two aromatic moieties, effectively masking the sensitizer. A novel photoamplification strategy is developed based on photosensitized cleavage in such adducts, where each fragmentation event releases more diaryl ketone, capable of sensitization. As a result, mass release of dithianes, triggered with a very small amount of the initiator, is observed.

Release and report: a new photolabile caging system with a two-photon fluorescence reporting function.

A new efficient photocaging system with a fluorescence reporting function has been developed. The photolabile latch is based on adducts of C-nucleophiles with aromatic ketones, such as thioxanthones and xanthones. The system is designed to quantify the release of biological effectors and to monitor their spatial distribution and localization by single- and two-photon fluorescence microscopy.