Perylen-3-ylmethyl: fluorescent photoremovable protecting group (FPRPG) for carboxylic acids and alcohols

Perylen-3-ylmethyl demonstrated as a new fluorescent photoremovable protecting group (FPRPG) for carboxylic acids and alcohols. Carboxylic acids including amino acids were protected as their corresponding esters by coupling with FPRPG, perylen-3-ylmethyl. Photophysical studies of caged esters showed that they all exhibited strong fluorescence properties and their fluorescence quantum yields were in the range of 0.85–0.95. Irradiation of the caged esters using visible light (≥410 nm) in aqueous acetonitrile released the corresponding carboxylic acids in high chemical (94–97%) and quantum (0.072–0.093) yields. The results obtained from the photolysis of the caged ester in different solvents indicated that solvent has influence on the rate of photorelease. Further, we also explored the ability of FPRPG, perylen-3-ylmethyl for the protection of alcohols and phenols.