Photodimerization of anthracenes in fluid solution: structural aspects

Owing to their versatile photophysical and photochemical properties, anthracene and its derivatives are being employed in many systems, for instance as energy migration probes in polymers, triplet sensitizers, molecular fluorosensors, electron acceptor or donor chromophores in artificial photosynthesis, photochromic substrates in 3D memory materials, etc. One remarkable feature is their ability to photodimerize under UV irradiation which induces considerable changes in their physical properties. This account reports the preparative and structural aspects of this very useful and protean photocycloaddition.