Near-Infrared Photoswitching of Azobenzenes under Physiological Conditions.

Biological tissue exhibits an absorbance minimum in the near-infrared between 700 and 900 nm that permits deep penetration of light. Molecules that undergo photoisomerization in this bio-optical window are highly desirable as core structures for the development of photopharmaceuticals and as components of chemical-biological tools. We report the systematic design, synthesis, and testing of an azobenzene derivative tailored to undergo single-photon photoswitching with near-infrared light under physiological conditions.

Borinic Acid Catalyzed, Regioselective Chloroacylations and Chlorosulfonylations of 2,3-Epoxy Alcohols.

In the presence of a borinic acid derived catalyst, 2,3-epoxy alcohols undergo couplings with acyl and sulfonyl chlorides. This transformation directly generates O-acylated or O-sulfonylated chlorohydrin diols, with significant levels of regioselectivity for both the ring-opening and O-functionalization steps.