A bidentate borane as colorimetric fluoride ion sensor

Unusual Fragmentation and Transformation of an N-Heterocyclic Carbene by a Stable Phosphonium-Borane peri-Functionalized Naphthalene

A 1-phosphonium-8-borane-decorated naphthalene molecule 2 has been found to react with N,N'-dimethylimidazol-2-ylidene (IMe), a popular member of the N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) family, which converts it into two vinyl-amine fragments one of which is trapped between the phosphonium and borane unit by the formation of a C-C and a B-N bond. The same reactivity was not observed for larger NHC molecules. Control experiments and mechanistic studies have established the involvement of an ylide-borane molecule and an imidazolium salt in addition to IMe carbene in this new transformation of an NHC.

Lewis acidity enhancement of triarylborane by appended phosphine oxide groups

A series of mono-, di-, and tri-phosphine oxide substituted triarylboranes, Mes2BAr (1), MesBAr2 (2), and BAr3 (3) (Ar = 4-(Ph2PO)-2,6-Me2-C6H2) were prepared to investigate the effect of a phosphine oxide group (Ph2PO) on Lewis acidity enhancement of triarylboranes. The X-ray crystal structure of 3 revealed peripheral decoration of Ph2PO groups with a C3-axis perpendicular to the trigonal boron center. UV/Vis absorption and PL spectra indicated a significant contribution of π(Mes or phenylene) → pπ(B) charge transfer in the lower-energy electronic transition. The reduction potential measured by cyclic voltammetry showed apparent LUMO stabilization by introduction of phosphine oxide groups, the extent of which gradually increased with the increasing number of phosphine oxide groups. Lewis acidity enhancement was also supported by the gradual increase in fluoride ion affinity in the order 3 > 2 > 1. Theoretical calculations suggest that introduction of a Ph2PO group into a triarylborane significantly enhances the Lewis acidity of the boron center via an inductive electron-withdrawing effect and this effect is additive for multiple phosphine oxide groups.

Application of Heterocyclic Polymers in the Ratiometric Spectrophotometric Determination of Fluoride

Herein we report the use of heterocyclic functional polymers in the ratiometric spectrophotometric determination of fluoride (F^-). Polymers incorporating benzo[d][1,2,3]triazole moieties linked to the polymer backbone via urea links are demonstrated to have utility for the ratiometric detection of the F^- ion, with a detection limit in the order of ∼2 μM. The hydrogen-bonding recognition between the benzo[d][1,2,3]triazole moiety and F^- ion was investigated using UV-vis spectrophotometry and NMR analysis. The importance of the urea linkage was elucidated by investigating a second benzo[d][1,2,3]triazole functional monomer wherein the heterocyclic group is attached to the polymerizable group via a carbamate linkage. The replacement of the urea link with a carbamate group led to significantly reduced F^- sensitivity. Moreover, by examining an analogous benzo[d]imidazole monomer it was demonstrated that having a nitrogen atom in the 2-position of the heterocycle was important for maximizing the sensitivity of the assay. Taken together, these results demonstrated that the urea-substituted benzo[d][1,2,3]triazole motif greatly enhances F^- ion detection. Importantly, the F^- ion sensing capability of the monomer is retained after incorporating into a diblock copolymer using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization.

β-Substituted triarylborane appended porphyrins: photophysical properties and anion sensing

β-Substituted triarylborane porphyrins were designed and synthesized by the Pd-catalyzed Sonogashira cross-coupling reaction.

Syntheses and reductions of C-dimesitylboryl-1,2-dicarba-closo-dodecaboranes

An investigation ofC-dimesitylboryl-ortho-carboranes, 1-(BMes₂)-2-R-1,2-C₂B₁₀H₁₀(1and2), reveals that the carborane is the electron-acceptor and the mesityl group is the electron-donor in these dyads.

Squeezing fluoride out of water with a neutral bidentate antimony(V) Lewis acid

Because of hydration, fluoride ions in water typically elude complexation by neutral Lewis acids. Here, we show how this limitation can be overcome with a bidentate Lewis acid containing two antimony(V) centers. This derivative (2) is obtained by the simple reaction of 4,5-bis(diphenylstibino)-9,9-dimethylxanthene (1) with two equivalents of 3,4,5,6-tetrachlorobenzoquinone (o-chloranil). It features two square-pyramidal stiborane units oriented in a face-to-face fashion. Titration experiments show that this new bidentate Lewis acid binds fluoride in aqueous solutions containing 95% water with a binding constant (K) of 700±30 M(-1). The structure of the fluoride adduct confirms fluoride anion chelation between the two antimony centers.

Advances in anion supramolecular chemistry: from recognition to chemical applications

Since the start of this millennium, remarkable progress in the binding and sensing of anions has been taking place, driven in part by discoveries in the use of hydrogen bonding, as well as the previously under-exploited anion-π interactions and halogen bonding. However, anion supramolecular chemistry has developed substantially beyond anion recognition, and now encompasses a diverse range of disciplines. Dramatic advance has been made in the anion-templated synthesis of macrocycles and interlocked molecular architectures, while the study of transmembrane anion transporters has flourished from almost nothing into a rapidly maturing field of research. The supramolecular chemistry of anions has also found real practical use in a variety of applications such as catalysis, ion extraction, and the use of anions as stimuli for responsive chemical systems.

Graphene oxide assisted fluorescent chemodosimeter for high-performance sensing and bioimaging of fluoride ions

Fluorescent chemodosimeters for a fluoride ion (F(-)) based on a specifically F(-)-triggered chemical reaction are characterized by high selectivity. However, they are also subjected to intrinsic limits, such as long response time, poor stability under aqueous solution, and unpredictable cell-member penetration. To address these issues, we reported here that the self-assembly of fluorescent chemodosimeter molecules on a graphene oxide (GO) surface can solve these problems by taking advantage of the excellent chemical catalysis and nanocarrier functions of GO. As a proof of concept, a new F(-)-specific fluorescent chemodosimeter molecule, FC-A, and the GO self-assembly structure of GO/FC-A were synthesized and characterized. Fluorescent sensing and imaging of F(-) with FC-A and GO/FC-A were performed. The results showed that the reaction rate constant of GO/FC-A for F(-) is about 5-fold larger than that of FC-A, so that the response time was shortened from 4 h to about 30 min, while for F(-), the response sensitivity of GO/FC-A was >2-fold higher than that of FC-A. Furthermore, GO/FC-A showed a better bioimaging performance for F(-) than FC-A because of the nanocarrier function of GO for cells. It is demonstrated that this GO-based strategy is feasible and general, which could help in the exploration of the development of more effective fluorescent nanodosimeters for other analytes of interest.

Tunable fluorophores based on 2-(N-arylimino)pyrrolyl chelates of diphenylboron: synthesis, structure, photophysical characterization, and application in OLEDs

Reactions of 2-(N-arylimino)pyrroles (HNC4H3C(H)=N-Ar) with triphenylboron (BPh3) in boiling toluene afford the respective highly emissive N,N'-boron chelate complexes, [BPh2 {κ(2)N,N'-NC4H3C(H)=N-Ar}] (Ar=C6H5 (12), 2,6-Me2-C6H3 (13), 2,6-iPr2-C6H3 (14), 4-OMe-C6H4 (15), 3,4-Me2-C6 H3 (16), 4-F-C6H4 (17), 4-NO2-C6H4 (18), 4-CN-C6H4 (19), 3,4,5-F3-C6H2 (20), and C6F5 (21)) in moderate to high yields. The photophysical properties of these new boron complexes largely depend on the substituents present on the aryl rings of their N-arylimino moieties. The complexes bearing electron-withdrawing aniline substituents 17-20 show more intense (e.g., ϕf =0.71 for Ar=4-CN-C6H4 (19) in THF), higher-energy (blue) fluorescent emission compared to those bearing electron-donating substituents, for which the emission is redshifted at the expense of lower quantum yields (ϕf=0.13 and 0.14 for Ar=4-OMe-C6H4 (15) and 3,4-Me2-C6H3 (16), respectively, in THF). The presence of substituents bulkier than a hydrogen atom at the 2,6-positions of the aryl groups strongly restricts rotation of this moiety towards coplanarity with the iminopyrrolyl ligand framework, inducing a shift in the emission to the violet region (λmax =410-465 nm) and a significant decrease in quantum yield (ϕf=0.005, 0.023, and 0.20 for Ar=2,6-Me2-C6H3 (13), 2,6-iPr2-C6H3 (14), and C6F5 (21), respectively, in THF), even when electron-withdrawing groups are also present. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations have indicated that the excited singlet state has a planar aryliminopyrrolyl ligand, except when prevented by steric hindrance (ortho substituents). Calculated absorption maxima reproduce the experimental values, but the error is higher for the emission wavelengths. Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have been fabricated with the new boron complexes, with luminances of the order of 3000 cd m(-2) being achieved for a green-emitting device.

Lewis acidic stiborafluorenes for the fluorescence turn-on sensing of fluoride in drinking water at ppm concentrations

Lewis acidic organoantimony(v) derivatives have been developed for the fluorescence turn-on sensing of fluoride in biphasic water–CH₂Cl₂mixtures at sub-ppm concentrations.

Synthesis of dithienosilole-based highly photoluminescent donor-acceptor type compounds

Highly photoluminescent acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A) and donor-acceptor (D-A) type compounds with a dithienosilole unit as the donor and perfluorotolyl or dimesitylboryl group(s) as the acceptor were prepared by the reaction of lithiated dithienosilole derivatives with perfluorotoluene or fluorodimesitylborane, respectively. The resulting A-D-A and D-A type compounds showed red-shifted UV absorption and PL bands compared to those of simple dithienosiloles having no acceptor units, reported previously, and were highly photoluminescent in the solid state as well as in solution. Solvatochromic behaviour that would arise from the intramolecular donor-acceptor interaction were observed for the D-A type compounds with respect to the UV absorption and PL spectra. In addition, it was found that bis(dimesitylboryl)dithienosilole and (dimesitylboryl)(methylthio)dithienosilole responded to coexisting fluoride anions, leading to clear UV absorption and PL spectral changes in solutions.

Lewis acidic behavior of B(C6Cl5)3

We report that B(C(6)Cl(5))(3) is a potent Lewis acid which, despite the bulk of the pentachlorophenyl group, forms complexes with small anions, including fluoride, or organic Lewis bases, such as p-dimethylaminopyridine.