The disclosure encompasses caged compounds such as caged nucleoside phosphoesters (caged nucleotides). In an embodiment, the caged nucleotides include compounds corresponding to those described by formula (I) that may be activated by two-photon excitation, and methods of synthesis of such compounds. 8-Bromo-7-hydroxyquinoline-caged ATP was synthesized and examined for its photochemistry as a biologically useful, temporally and spatially controlled ATP-releasing reagent. The combination of two-photon excitation hydrolysis and activation of caged ATP enables methods for finely focusing ATP activation at the sub-cellular level or to a greater depth of activation, thereby providing improved resolution of ATP-dependent processes at the cellular level.