Fast Photochromism of the Imidazole Dimers Bridged by Group 14 Atoms

We developed fast photochromic imidazole dimers bridged by group 14 atoms. These compounds reversibly break the C–N bond to generate the colored open-ring biradical form. The colored form thermally reproduces the initial colorless form in the microsecond time scales. Furthermore, the color of the biradical can be easily controlled by the introduction of two different types of the imidazolyl radicals. These results give attractive insights for the further development of fast photochromic imidazole dimers.