A chemical composition capable of switching from a hydrophilic state to a hydrophobic state when heated, preferably by a focused IR laser, has been discovered. Same composition also changes from a water soluble to an insoluble composition when heated. The degree of solubility and the degree of hydrophilic activity can be controlled over a wide range by mixing the composition with different polymers. Such compositions are of great commercial importance in the field of lithographic offset printing, which is based on the fact that the hydrophilic areas of an image will not carry ink. The making of lithographic printing masters is well known, however most lithographic masters require processing after exposure. The current invention allows lithographic masters, such as printing plates, to be used immediately after exposure without requiring any chemical development. The invention also enables the use of the composition to coat printing cylinders directly and image them on the printing press. Prior art thermosensitive composition based on physical effects (melting) or different reactions do not produce as sharp a switch of properties as the present invention. In this disclosure the term "water solubility" refers not only to true solubility, but to the ability to be washed away by water or water-based solutions, even if the removal mechanism is based on effects other than true solubility. Effects such as softening, swelling, lifting, and others are included in the term "solubility".