Methods for the remotely triggered release of biologically active molecules has been an area of intense research in recent years, as it would allow hard-to-obtain biomolecules to be tested in cell-like environments.1 The removal of polar functional groups from hydrophilic structures upon the application of an external stimulus would generate unfunctionalised molecules, which could then participate in amphiphilic self-assembly. This could be used in the release of bioactive molecules and therefore in the in vitro investigation of drug activity. In this PhD project, diazene chemistry was identified as the optimal method for the generation of unfunctionalised compounds through the removal of polar groups since fragmentation takes place rapidly and without the formation of potentially toxic intermediates or by-products. The synthesis of a range of protected hydrazines is described in this thesis (Scheme 1), in addition to the investigation of the rates of decomposition of various simple sulfonyl hydrazides, which led to the isolation of the product of the decomposition of a sulfonyl hydrazide. The photolysis of NVOC- and NPPOC-protected hydrazine derivatives is discussed.

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