Dithiane- and trithiane-based photolabile scaffolds for molecular recognition

[see structure]. A modular synthetic approach to novel dithiane- and trithiane-based photolabile molecular hosts equipped with elements of molecular recognition is developed. The approach provides ready access to a family of amino-derivatized photocleavable molecular systems capable of hydrogen-bonding-based recognition of biologically relevant molecules, e.g., ureas, barbiturates etc. These systems undergo efficient photofragmentation in the presence of external (e.g., benzophenone) or internal (e.g., nitropyridine) electron-transfer sensitizers.