Double molecular photoswitch driven by light and collisions

The shapes of many molecules can be transformed by light or heat. Here we investigate collision- and photon-induced interconversions of EE, EZ, and ZZ isomers of the isolated Congo red (CR) dianion, a double molecular switch containing two NN azo groups, each of which can have the E or Z configuration. We find that collisional activation of CR dianions drives a one-way ZZ→EZ→EE cascade towards the lowest-energy isomer, whereas the absorption of a single photon over the 270-600 nm range can switch either azo group from E to Z or Z to E, driving the CR dianion to lower- or higher-energy forms. The experimental results, which are interpreted with the aid of calculated statistical isomerization rates, indicate that photoisomerization of CR in the gas phase involves a passage through conical intersection seams linking the excited and ground state potential energy surfaces rather than through isomerization on the ground state potential energy surface following internal conversion.