7-Hydroxy- N-Methylquinolinium Chromophore: A Photolabile Protecting Group for Blue-Light Uncaging.

The development of the N-methyl-7-hydroxymethylquinolinium ( N-Me-7-HQm) caging chromophore as a novel visible-light-sensitive photolabile protecting group is described. N-Me-7-HQm-caged compounds can be photoactivated by blue-light-emitting diode (LED) light (458 nm) with high photolytic efficiency, supporting applications to caging chemistry, and they also have sufficient water solubility and high resistance to spontaneous hydrolysis.