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Related Concept Videos

Redox Reactions01:24

Redox Reactions

Oxidation-reduction or redox reactions involve the transfer of electrons from one molecule or atom to another. When an atom gains an electron, another atom must lose an electron, meaning oxidation and reduction must occur together. Since the redox occurs in pairs, the atom that gets oxidized is also called the reducing agent or reductant, and the atom that is reduced is also called the oxidizing agent or oxidant. A straightforward way to remember the definitions of oxidation and reduction is...
Redox Reactions01:27

Redox Reactions

Redox reactions are vital biochemical processes that underpin energy metabolism in cells. These reactions involve the transfer of electrons between molecules, occurring in tandem as oxidation and reduction. Oxidation refers to the loss of electrons, while reduction denotes their gain. This coupling ensures the seamless flow of electrons through metabolic pathways. For example, in bacterial metabolism, glucose undergoes oxidation to carbon dioxide, while oxygen is simultaneously reduced to...
Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Stereochemistry01:26

Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Stereochemistry

The absorption of UV–visible light by conjugated systems causes the promotion of an electron from the ground state to the excited state. Consequently, photochemical electrocyclic reactions proceed via the excited-state HOMO rather than the ground-state HOMO. Since the ground- and excited-state HOMOs have different symmetries, the stereochemical outcome of electrocyclic reactions depends on the mode of activation; i.e., thermal or photochemical.
Selection Rules: Photochemical Activation
Channel Rhodopsins01:11

Channel Rhodopsins

Most organisms use photoreceptors to sense and respond to light. Examples of photoreceptors include bacteriorhodopsins and bacteriophytochromes in some bacteria, phytochromes in plants, and rhodopsins in the photoreceptor cells of the vertebral retina. The light-sensitive property of these receptors is because of the bound chromophores, such as bilin in the phytochromes and retinal in the rhodopsins.
Rhodopsins belong to the family of cell surface proteins called G-protein coupled receptors,...
Thermal and Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Overview01:26

Thermal and Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Overview

Electrocyclic reactions are reversible reactions. They involve an intramolecular cyclization or ring-opening of a conjugated polyene. Shown below are two examples of electrocyclic reactions. In the first reaction, the formation of the cyclic product is favored. In contrast, in the second reaction, ring-opening is favored due to the high ring strain associated with cyclobutene formation.
Oxidation of Phenols to Quinones01:17

Oxidation of Phenols to Quinones

In the presence of oxidizing agents, phenols are oxidized to quinones. Quinones can be easily reduced back to phenols using mild reducing agents. The electron-donating hydroxyl group enhances the reactivity of the aromatic ring, enabling oxidation of the ring even in the absence of an α hydrogen.
o-hydroxy phenols are oxidized to o-quinones and p-hydroxy phenols to p-quinones. Such redox reactions involve the transfer of two electrons and two protons. The reversible redox property is crucial in...

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An Electrochemical Cholesteric Liquid Crystalline Device for Quick and Low-Voltage Color Modulation
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Published on: February 27, 2019

Redox-triggered chiroptical molecular switches.

James W Canary1

  • 1Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA. canary@nyu.edu

Chemical Society Reviews
|March 27, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Chiroptical molecular switches with reversible redox processes and multiple stable forms were engineered. These systems offer sensitive chiroptical responses and dynamic stereochemical properties for advanced applications.

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Area of Science:

  • Molecular switches and supramolecular chemistry
  • Stereochemistry and optical activity
  • Electrochemistry and redox processes

Background:

  • Chiroptical molecular switches are crucial for dynamic stereochemical and electronic control.
  • Existing systems include electro-active polymers, coordination complexes, and organic compounds.
  • Reversible redox processes are key to switch functionality.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce basic design criteria for chiroptical molecular switches.
  • To summarize current examples of engineered chiroptical molecular switches.
  • To provide an outlook on future research directions in this field.

Main Methods:

  • Engineering of molecular systems with multiple stable, optically active forms.
  • Incorporation of chemically reversible redox processes.
  • Characterization of sensitive chiroptical responses.

Main Results:

  • Successful engineering of chiroptical molecular switches with desired properties.
  • Demonstration of multiple stable optically active forms.
  • Achieved chemically reversible redox processes and sensitive chiroptical responses.

Conclusions:

  • Chiroptical molecular switches represent a versatile platform benefiting from dynamic phenomena.
  • The reviewed systems offer significant potential for advanced applications.
  • Further research is warranted to explore novel designs and functionalities.