Crown-containing spironaphthoxazines and spiropyrans. 2. Influence of metal cations on the photochromic properties of spironaphthoxazines linked with aza-15(18)-crown-5(6) ethers

Spironaphthoxazines linked with aza-15(18)-crown-5(6) fragments were synthesized and studied for the first time. Addition of alkaline-earth cations to solutions of crown-containing spironaphthoxazines causes a hypsochromic shift of the absorption band of the spiro form and a bathochromic shift of the absorption band of the merocyanine form, shifts the equilibrium to the merocyanine form, and changes the lifetime of the photoexcited merocyanine form. The spectral and kinetic data were used to propose a mechanism of complexation and calculate the stability constants of the resulting complexes. The complexation involves the crown fragment and the merocyanine oxygen atom. The type of the complex is determined by the cation nature and size.