Photoactive azoimine dyes: 4-(2-pyridylazo)-N,N-diethylaniline and 4-(2-pyridylazo)-N,N-dimethylaniline: computational and experimental investigation.

4-(2-Pyridylazo)-N,N-dimethylaniline and 4-(2-pyridylazo)-N,N-diethylaniline, two photoactive azoimine dyes, were prepared from the reaction of 2-aminopyridine with N,N-dialkyl-1,4-nitrosoaniline at room temperature. Structural characterizations of these dyes using single crystal X-ray diffraction, (1)H NMR, elemental analysis, mass spectroscopy and IR spectroscopy have been carried out. The X-ray structure indicates a trans configuration around the azo group.

N,N-Dimethyl-4-[(2-pyrid-yl)diazen-yl]aniline.

The title compound, C(13)H(14)N(4), adopts a trans configuration about the azo bond. There is a dihedral angle of 12.18 (7)° between the pyridine and benzene rings and the mean plane of the dimethyl-amino substituent is twisted by 6.