An Anthracene-Appended β-Cyclodextrin-Based Dyad: Study of Self-Assembly and Photoinduced Electron-Transfer Processes

Awakening a Molecular Mummy: The Inter-and Intramolecular Photochemistry of Pyromellitic Diimides with Alkyl Carboxylates

Pyromellitic acid diimides are not as chemically unreactive as conjecturable (and presupposed) from their numerous applications as electron acceptor units or electron carriers in molecular donor-acceptor dyads or triads. Similar to the corresponding phthalimides, electronically excited pyromellitic diimides oxidize alkyl carboxylates in aqueous solution via intermolecular electron transfer (PET) processes, which eventually results in radical-radical combination products, e.g., the benzylation product 6 from N,N'-dimethyl pyromellitic diimide 5. The analogous product 7 was formed with pivalic acid as tert-butyl radical source. One additional product 8 was isolated from alkylation/dearomatization and multiple radical additions, respectively, after prolonged irradiation. In intramolecular versions, from N-carboxyalkylated pyromellitic diimides 9a-e (C1 to C5-spaced), degradation processes were detected, e.g., the cyclization products 10 from the GABA substrate 9c. In sharp contrast to phthalimide photochemistry, the green pyromellitic diimide radical anion was detected here by UV-vis absorption (λabs = 720 nm), EPR (from 9d), and NMR spectroscopy for several intramolecular electron transfer examples. Only the yellow 1,4-quinodial structure is formed from intermolecular PET, which was deduced from the absorption spectra (λabs = 440 nm) and the subsequent chemistry. The pyromellitimide radical anion lives for hours at room temperature in the dark, but is further degraded under photochemical reaction conditions.

Reversible [4 + 2] Photooxygenation in Anion-Coordination-Driven-Assembled A2L2-Type Complexes

Two bis-bis(urea) ligands (L¹ and L²) incorporating the photoactive 9,10-diphenylanthracene fragment were designed for the construction of anion-coordination-driven assemblies and subsequent oxygenation of anthracene moieties for singlet oxygen storage. The corresponding A₂L₂-type sulfate complexes [TEA]₄[(SO₄)₂(L¹)₂] (1) and [TEA]₄[(SO₄)₂(L²)₂] (2), where TEA = tetraethylammonium, were achieved by coordinating the ligands L¹ or L² with sulfate anions. Both 1 and 2 were able to undergo [4 + 2] photooxygenation to form endoperoxide photoproducts 1-EPO and 2-EPO, which can be partially converted back to the original anthracene compounds after heating. The structures of 1-EPO and 2-EPO were unambiguously confirmed by X-ray crystallography, NMR and UV-vis spectroscopy, and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Rotaxane-Based Dual Function Mechanophores Exhibiting Reversible and Irreversible Responses

Mechanochromic mechanophores permit the design of polymers that indicate mechanical events through optical signals. Here we report rotaxane-based supramolecular mechanophores that display both reversible and irreversible fluorescence changes. These responses are triggered by different forces and are achieved by exploiting the molecular shuttling function and force-induced dethreading of rotaxanes. The new rotaxane mechanophores are composed of a ring featuring a luminophore, which is threaded onto an axle with a matching quencher and two stoppers. In the stress-free state, the luminophore is preferentially located in the proximity of the quencher, and the emission is quenched. The luminophore slides away from the quencher when a force is applied and the fluorescence is switched on. This effect is reversible, unless the force is so high that the luminophore-carrying ring slips past the stopper and dethreading occurs. We show that the combination of judiciously selected ring and stopper moieties is crucial to attain interlocked structures that display such a dual response. PU elastomers that contain such doubly responsive rotaxanes exhibit reversible fluorescence changes over multiple loading-unloading cycles due to the shuttling function, whereas permanent changes are observed upon repeated deformations to high strains due to breakage of the mechanical bond upon dethreading of the ring from the axle. This response allows one, at least conceptually, to monitor the actual deformation of polymer materials and examine mechanical damage that was inflicted in the past on the basis of an optical signal.

Thermodynamic origin of selective binding of β-cyclodextrin derivatives with chiral chromophoric substituents toward steroids

Two β-cyclodextrin derivatives with chiral chromophoric substituents, that is, L- (1) and D-tyrosine-modified β-cyclodextrin (2), were synthesized and fully characterized. Their inclusion modes, binding abilities, and molecular selectivities with four steroid guests, that is, cholic acid sodium salt (CA), deoxycholic acid sodium salt (DCA), glycochoic acid sodium salt (GCA), and taurocholic acid sodium salt (TCA), were investigated by the circular dichroism, 2D NMR, and isothermal titration microcalorimetry (ITC). The results obtained from the circular dichroism and 2D NMR showed that two hosts adopted the different binding geometry, and these differences subsequently resulted in the significant differences of molecular binding abilities and selectivities. As compared with native β-cyclodextrin and tryptophan-modified β-cyclodextrin, host 2 showed the enhanced binding abilities for CA and DCA but the decreased binding abilities for GCA and TCA; however, host 1 showed the decreased binding abilities for all four bile salts. The best guest selectivity and the best host selectivity were K(S)(2-DCA)/K(S)(2-TCA) = 12.6 and K(S)(2-CA)/K(S)(1-CA) = 10, respectively, both exhibiting great enhancement as compared with the corresponding values of the previously reported L- and D-tryptophan-modified β-cyclodextrins. Thermodynamically, it was the favorable enthalpic gain that led to the high guest selectivity and host selectivity.