Control over molecular motion using the cis–trans photoisomerization of the azo group

Control over molecular motion represents an important objective in modern chemistry. Aromatic azobenzenes are excellent candidates as molecular switches since they can exist in two forms, namely the cis (Z) and trans (E) isomers, which can interconvert both photochemically and thermally. This transformation induces a molecular movement and a significant geometric change, therefore the azobenzene unit is an excellent candidate to build dynamic molecular devices. We describe selected examples of systems containing an azobenzene moiety and their motions and geometrical changes caused by external stimuli.

• Publication year

  2012

• Venue

  Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry

• Publication date

  2012-07-12

• Fields of study

  Medicine, Chemistry

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.3762/bjoc.8.119PMID 23019434PMCID 3458724
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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