This Minority Research Planning Grant will enable Dr. Leslie Jimenez to intiate a research program studying azobenzene and anthracene cyclophanes as potential photo driven on-off switches. The work will consist of the synthesis of cyclophane host molecules containing photosensitive functional groups. It will also involve determining the association constants and free energies of compelxation of the two photoisomeric forms of each host with various positively charged guest molecules. The objective of the work is to develop a host that will form strong complexes with guests when in one state but not when it is in the other. %%% Support from this program will enable Dr. Jimenez to establish a research program studying molecules which have the ability to interact strongly with certain other species when in one photochemical state but weakly when in the other state. Such work can have major significance to the development of microelectronic circuits.
