Crown-containing styryl derivatives of naphthopyrans: Complexation with alkaline-earth metal cations and photochemistry

The photochemistry and complexation with alkaline-earth metal cations of two crown-containing naphthopyrans and their crownless analogues are reported. Two types of photoreactions occur in the system, namely, the reversible formation of the open form, which is responsible for the photochromism of these compounds, and the geometric isomerization of the closed form. The photochromic properties (UV spectrum and lifetime) of the naphthopyrans do not change upon complexation with metal cations. This is explained by the specific features of the structure of the open form and by the kinetic parameters of the processes.