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Azobenzene Photoswitch: cis–trans Photoisomerization

Interactive 3D simulator of azobenzene, the classic molecular photoswitch: watch UV light drive trans-to-cis photoisomerization and visible light or heat drive it back, with live population kinetics and a real Arrhenius thermal-relaxation model.

Chemistry & Materials3DModerate60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted

Azobenzene is the textbook example of a photochromic molecular switch: a UV photon flips its rigid, rod-shaped trans form into a bent cis form, and visible light or plain thermal relaxation flips it back. This simulator renders the real molecular topology — two phenyl rings joined by an N=N azo bridge — morphing between its trans and cis geometries, alongside a 288-molecule ensemble whose population kinetics are driven by an actual rate model: photoisomerization scaled by quantum yield and photon flux, and thermal cis→trans decay following the Arrhenius equation. Sliders for UV intensity, visible-light intensity and temperature let you push the system toward a photostationary state or watch the thermal half-life collapse as temperature rises, with live population percentages and a rolling history chart.

⚙ Under the hood

Watch azobenzene, the classic molecular photoswitch, flip between its rigid trans form and bent cis form as you tune UV light, visible light and temperature, with a live 288-molecule population model driven by real photoisomerization and Arrhenius kinetics.

photochemistryphotoisomerizationazobenzenemolecular switchreaction kineticsorganic chemistry

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install