BODIPY-derived photoremovable protecting groups unmasked with green light

J Am Chem Soc. 2015 Mar 25;137(11):3783-6. doi: 10.1021/jacs.5b01297. Epub 2015 Mar 17.

Abstract

Photoremovable protecting groups derived from meso-substituted BODIPY dyes release acetic acid with green wavelengths >500 nm. Photorelease is demonstrated in cultured S2 cells. The photocaging structures were identified by our previously proposed strategy of computationally searching for carbocations with low-energy diradical states as a possible indicator of a nearby productive conical intersection. The superior optical properties of these photocages make them promising alternatives to the popular o-nitrobenzyl photocage systems.