Digital logic circuit based on a single molecular system of salicylidene Schiff base

The salicylidene Schiff base N-3,5-dichloro-salicylidene-(S)-alpha-phenylethylamine (SPEA) has been synthesized and characterized. Stimulated by one optical input (UV light) and two chemical inputs (OH- and Zn2+), SPEA undergoes reactions of photochemistry, deprotonation, and complexation. Tailing these reactions by means of the UV-vis absorption spectra and fluorescence spectra, two obvious optical outputs, an absorption band at 323 nm and a fluorescent emission peak at 460 nm, have been obtained. On the basis of encoding binary digits in these inputs and outputs applying positive logic conventions, one monomolecular circuit, which integrates one OR, two NOT, and four AND gates, has been achieved.