Short-circuiting azobenzene photoisomerization with electron-donating substituents and reactivating the photochemistry with chemical modification

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/ejoc.201100216

Azobenzene (AB undergoes (E → (Z isomerization upon exposure to light. Whereas the light-induced structural change can be exploited for numerous applications, a second, light-orthogonal switch would facilitate the development of new uses for AB derivative