Photoresponsive palladium(II) complexes with azobenzene incorporated into benzyl aryl ether dendrimers

Palladium(II) complexes, [Pd(GX-azb)2Cl2] (where azb = azobenzene, GX = benzyl-aryl ether dendron of generation X = 1, 2, 3), were prepared and their photophysical properties were examined. The synthesized complexes were characterized by chemical analysis, 1H NMR and UV spectroscopy. The photochromic dendritic azobenzene ligands within the complexes [Pd(GX-azb)2Cl2] undergo a reversible trans/cis isomerization upon exposure to ultraviolet light.