Synthesis of Naphthalimide Azocarboxylates Showing Turn‐On Fluorescence by Substitution Reaction with Sulfinates**

Abstract

AbstractThe synthesis and characterization of sulfinate addition‐responsive fluorescent molecules are described. We found that addition reaction of sulfinates to naphthalimide‐substituted azocarboxylates afforded the corresponding sulfonyl hydrazides with high fluorescence quantum yields (up to 0.91 in THF and 0.54 in methanol), which exhibited a large Stokes shift (105 nm) in protic methanol solvent, while the unsubstituted hydrazide and the sulfonyl‐position isomer showed no fluorescence in polar solvents.