Micelle effects on multistate/multifunctional systems based on photochromic flavylium compounds. The case of luteolinidin

The effect of the charged sodium dodecyl sulphate, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and neutral N-benzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (Triton X-100) on the thermal and light induced chemistry of luteolinidin, a natural deoxyanthocyanidin found essentially in mosses and ferns, is described. The system was characterized by pH jump and flash photolysis techniques. While the kinetics and thermodynamics of the cis-trans isomerization are only slightly affected, the hydration and proton transfer reactions are significantly changed by the presence of the charged surface of the micelles. On this basis the micelles can be considered as a third input, beside the pH variations and light pulses, capable of tuning some responses of this multistate/multifunctional system.