Journal
PHYSICA SCRIPTA
Volume 95, Issue 5, Pages -Publisher
IOP PUBLISHING LTD
DOI: 10.1088/1402-4896/ab5ff2
Keywords
chromic materials; spiropyran; merocyanine; DFT; reaction mechanism; molecular switch
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Funding
- Spanish Administration [CTQ2017-83566-P]
- Generalitat de Catalunya [2017SGR629]
- EMINENCE II grant (European Commission)
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Spiropyran (SP) is a chromic material that undergoes isomerization to merocyanine (MC) under irradiation. To extend its applicability as a molecular switch, it would be convenient to be able to induce and control its isomerization also in the dark, what seems to be possible in acidic media. We present here a computational study of the mechanism of isomerization of protonated SP. We have found that protonation induces the stabilization of MC, protonated at O, relative to SP, protonated at N. Given the different site of protonation for both species, the ring-opening reaction must take place together with a proton transfer event. We have shown that the barrier of this process decreases if a protic solvent molecule take part in the reaction. In this way, the rate determining step of the process is the isomerization between different rotamers of protonated MC. The detailed knowledge of the reaction mechanism can help in the design of structural or electronic modifications of SP to improve its switchability.
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