Patent ID: 8252209

Claim:
A method of optically switching a photochromic compound or material incorporating said compound, wherein said compound is a substituted [1,3]oxazine as shown in Formula I wherein said R 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyl, C1-C4 alkyls, substituted C1-C4 alkyls, C5-C6 cycloalkyls, substituted C5-C6 cycloalkyls, C5-C6 aryls, substituted C5-C6 aryls, C5-C6 heterocycles, and substituted C5-C6 heterocycles; said R 2 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyl, C1-C4 alkyls, substituted C1-C4 alkyls, C5-C6 cycloalkyls, substituted C5-C6 cycloalkyls, C5-C6 aryls, substituted C5-C6 aryls, C5-C6 heterocycles, and substituted C5-C6 heterocycles; said R 3 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyl, C1-C4 alkyls, substituted C1-C4 alkyls, C5-C6 cycloalkyls, substituted C5-C6 cycloalkyls, C5-C6 aryls, substituted C5-C6 aryls, C5-C6 heterocycles, and substituted C5-C6 heterocycles; said R 4 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyl, C1-C4 alkyls, substituted C1-C4 alkyls, C5-C6 cycloalkyls, substituted C5-C6 cycloalkyls, C5-C6 aryls, substituted C5-C6 aryls, C5-C6 heterocycles, and substituted C5-C6 heterocycles; and said R 5 is a nitrogen-containing group or any other electron withdrawing substituent; said method comprising irradiating said compound or material incorporating said compound with light to switch optically from the compound to its phenolate derivative, wherein light induces cleavage of a [C—O] bond in the compound's oxazine ring to produce the phenolate derivative by ring cleavage.