The photoacid 8-hydroxypyren-1, 3, 6-trisulfonic acid (HPTS, pyranine) is a widely used model compound for the examination of excited state proton transfer (ESPT). We synthesized five “super”-photoacids with varying hydrophilicity and acidity on the basis of HPTS. By chemical modification of the three sulfonic acid substituents, the photoacidity is enhanced by up to more than five logarithmic units from p K* a≈ 1.4 to∼− 3.9 for the most ...