Shining light on photo-responsive molecular tools: advances in visible-to-NIR activatable photolabile protecting groups

applications. Herein, we highlight the recent progress made on the development of BODIPY-, cyanine- and xanthene-derived caging groups, which utilise visible-to-near-infrared light for photoactivation. The strategies employed to red-shift absorption spectra, as well as improve photolysis efficiencies and aqueous solubility have been of particular interest, and are therefore discussed in detail in this review.