Eight new photochromic dihydro 5-azaindolizine-linker-conjugates with a terminal ethylene anchoring
group have been synthesized via palladium-catalyzed Negishi coupling. Polychromatic light irradiation
of the photochromic dihydro 5-azaindolizines (DHAIs) led to ring-opened colored betaines which underwent
reversible thermal 1,5-electrocyclization into their corresponding DHAIs in the second domain. The
noteworthy multiaddressable photochromic properties are useful for a plethora of new applications for
these materials such as anchoring the ethylene group to metal-oxide nanoparticles.