Nature‐Inspired Functional Chromophores from Biomimetic o ‐Quinone Chemistry

A concise highlight of the main types of chromophoric systems obtained in the authors’ and other laboratories through biomimetic chemistry or synthetic manipulation of nature‐inspired o ‐quinones is the primary focus of this Minireview. Following oxidative conversion of a variety of natural catechol substrates like DOPA, dopamine, 5‐ S ‐cysteinyldopa and caffeic acid, in the presence of suitable additives, a remarkable variety of chromophoric systems can be produced, which display specific optical and electronic properties, e. g . acidichromism, solvatochromism or strong emission upon excitation. Such properties can be tailored for specific applications through rational synthetic manipulations and/or fine‐tuning through non‐covalent and supramolecular interactions. Practical access routes to the reported o ‐quinone‐derived chromophoric systems are illustrated along with the main prospective applications.