Photo-cleavable analog of BAPTA for the fast and efficient release of Ca2+

A new photocleavable analog of BAPTA chelating ligand has a high affinity towards Ca2+ ions (K = 2.5 × 106 M−1). The use of photolabile 3-(hydroxymethyl)-2-naphthol core in the design of photo-BAPTA allows for the efficient (Φ = 0. 63) and very fast (τ < 12 μs) release of Ca2+ ions upon 300 or 350 nm irradiation.