Styryl conjugated coumarin caged alcohol: efficient photorelease by either one-photon long wavelength or two-photon NIR excitation.

The synthesis and photorelease properties of a new phototrigger for alcohols are described. Compared to ester 4 caged by the reported [7-(diethylamino)coumarin-4-yl]methoxycarbonyl (DEACM) phototrigger, the caged ester 3 shows an efficient single-photon photolysis efficiency upon irradiation of long wavelength light (λ = 475 nm) and a stronger two-photon photolysis sensitivity with 800 nm laser light. Its promising properties and the efficient photorelease of adenosine make it very useful as a caging group for biological applications.