Safety Evaluation of a Prototypical Diazirine-Based Covalent Crosslinker and Molecular Adhesive

bis-Diazirine reagents are increasingly being used as polymer crosslinkers, adhesives, and photopatterning agents in the materials sciences literature, but little effort has been made thus far to document their chemical safety profile. Here, we describe the results of a detailed toxicity assessment of a representative bis-diazirine. Safety was evaluated by a series of in vitro assays, which found the product to be non-mutagenic in bacterial tester strains TA98 and TA100, non-corrosive and non-irritating to skin, and requiring no classification for eye irritation or serious damage. While in vitro tests do not capture the integrated whole animal system, and thus cannot completely rule out the possibility of adverse responses, the results of this study suggest a desirable safety profile for bis-diazirine reagents and provide a solid foundation upon which to add in vivo assessment of safety risk and dose-response studies.