Reactivities of the Prism-Shaped Diamondoids [1(2)3]Tetramantane and [12312]Hexamantane (Cyclohexamantane)

NMR spectral properties of the tetramantanes - nanometer-sized diamondoids

Tetramantanes, and all diamondoid hydrocarbons, possess carbon frameworks that are superimposable upon the cubic diamond lattice. This characteristic is invaluable in assigning their (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra because it translates into repeating structural features, such as diamond-cage isobutyl moieties with distinctively complex methine to methylene signatures in COSY and HMBC data, connected to variable, but systematic linkages of methine and quaternary carbons. In all tetramantane C22H28 isomers, diamond-lattice structures result in long-range (4)JHH, W-coupling in COSY data, except where negated by symmetry; there are two highly symmetrical and one chiral tetramantane (showing seven (4)JHH). Isobutyl-cage methines of lower diamondoids and tetramantanes are the most shielded resonances in their (13)C spectra (<29.5 ppm). The isobutyl methylenes are bonded to additional methines and at least one quaternary carbon in the tetramantanes. W-couplings between these methines and methylenes clarify spin-network interconnections and detailed surface hydrogen stereochemistry. Vicinal couplings of the isobutyl methylenes reveal positions of the quaternary carbons: HMBC data then tie the more remote spin systems together. Diamondoid (13) C NMR chemical shifts are largely determined by α and β effects, however γ-shielding effects are important in [123]tetramantane. (1)H NMR chemical shifts generally correlate with numbers of 1,3-diaxial H-H interactions. Tight van der Waals contacts within [123]tetramantane's molecular groove, however, form improper hydrogen bonds, deshielding hydrogen nuclei inside the groove, while shielding those outside, indicated by Δδ of 1.47 ppm for geminal hydrogens bonded to C-3,21. These findings should be valuable in future NMR studies of diamondoids/nanodiamonds of increasing size.

Physical properties of materials derived from diamondoid molecules

Diamondoids are small hydrocarbon molecules which have the same rigid cage structure as bulk diamond. They can be considered the smallest nanoparticles of diamond. They exhibit a mixture of properties inherited from bulk cubic diamond as well as a number of unique properties related to their size and structure. Diamondoids with different sizes and shapes can be separated and purified, enabling detailed studies of the effects of size and structure on the diamondoids' properties and also allowing the creation of chemically functionalized diamondoids which can be used to create new materials. Most notable among these new materials are self-assembled monolayers of diamondoid-thiols, which exhibit a number of unique electron emission properties.

Functionalization of homodiamantane: oxygen insertion reactions without rearrangement with dimethyldioxirane

Homodiamantane bromination and nitroxylation are accompanied by contraction of the seven-membered ring to give the corresponding substituted 1-diamantylmethyl derivatives. In contrast, CH-bond hydroxylations with dimethyldioxirane retain the cage and give both apically and medially substituted homodiamantanes. The product ratios are in accord with the barriers for the oxygen insertion computed with density functional theory methods only if solvation is included through a polarizable continuum model. B3LYP-D3 and M06-2X computations with a 6-31G(d,p) basis set on the oligomeric van der Waals complexes predict the potential of homodiamantane derivatives for surface modifications with conformationally slightly flexible diamondoid homologues.

Chemical vapor deposition of diamond on an adamantane-coated sapphire substrate

Continuous diamond thin films can be grown on sapphire substrates by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition utilizing a pretreatment of adamantane dip coating on the substrate for enhanced nucleation.

How to specify the structure of substituted blade-like zigzag diamondoids

Abstract The dualist of an [n]diamondoid consists of vertices situated in the centers of each of the n adamantane units, and of edges connecting vertices corresponding to units sharing a chair-shaped hexagon of carbon atoms. Since the polycyclic structure of diamondoids is rather complex, so is their nomenclature. For specifying chemical constitution or isomerism of all diamondoids the Balaban-Schleyer graph-theoretical approach based on dualists has been generally adopted. However, when one needs to indicate the location of C and H atoms or of a substituent in a diamondoid or the stereochemical relationships between substituents, only the IUPAC polycycle nomenclature (von Baeyer nomenclature) provides the unique solution. This is so since each IUPAC name is associated with a unique atom numbering scheme. Diamondoids are classified into catamantanes (which can be regular or irregular), perimantanes, and coronamantanes. Regular catamantanes have molecular formulas C4n+6H4n+12. Among regular catamantanes, the rigid blade-shaped zigzag catamantanes (so called because their dualists consist of a zigzag line with a code of alternating digits 1 and 2) exhibit a simple pattern in their von Baeyer nomenclature. Their carbon atoms form a main ring with 4n + 4 atoms, and the remaining atoms form two 1-carbon bridges. All zigzag [n]catamantanes with n &gt; 2 have quaternary carbon atoms, and the first bridgehead in the main ring is such an atom. Their partitioned formula is Cn−2(CH)2n+4(CH2)n+4. As a function of their parity, IUPAC names based on the von Baeyer approach have been devised for all zigzag catamantanes, allowing the unique location for every C and H atom. The dualist of such a zigzag catamantane defines a plane bisecting the molecule, and the stereochemical features of hydrogens attached to secondary carbon atoms can be specified relatively to that plane. Graphical abstract

Partitioned-formula periodic tables for diamond hydrocarbons (diamondoids)

Isomeric diamond hydrocarbons (diamondoids or polymantanes) with the same number n of adamantane units share the same molecular formula C(Q)(CH)(T)(CH(2))(S) and can be divided into valence isomers (denoted as Q-T-S) by partitioning the number C = Q + T + S of their carbon atoms according to whether they are quaternary, tertiary, or secondary. Vertices of dualists are the centers of adamantane units, and dualist edges connect vertices of adjacent adamantane units (sharing a chair-shaped hexagon). Dualists of diamondoids are hydrogen-depleted skeletons of staggered alkane or cycloalkane rotamers. Diamondoids with acyclic dualists can be classified as catamantanes, those having dualists with chair-shaped six-membered rings as perimantanes, and those having dualists with higher-membered rings that are not perimeters of hexagon-aggregates as coronamantanes. Diamondoids with n adamantane units may be classified into regular catamantanes when the molecular formula is C(4n+6)H(4n+12), and irregular polymantanes (catamantanes or perimantanes) when the number of carbon atoms is lower than 4n + 6. The derivation is presented of formula-periodic tables of regular and irregular diamondoids that allow a better understanding of the shapes and properties of these hydrocarbons for which many applications are predicted.

Stable alkanes containing very long carbon-carbon bonds

The metal-induced coupling of tertiary diamondoid bromides gave highly sterically congested hydrocarbon (hetero)dimers with exceptionally long central C-C bonds of up to 1.71 Å in 2-(1-diamantyl)[121]tetramantane. Yet, these dimers are thermally very stable even at temperatures above 200 °C, which is not in line with common C-C bond length versus bond strengths correlations. We suggest that the extraordinary stabilization arises from numerous intramolecular van der Waals attractions between the neighboring H-terminated diamond-like surfaces. The C-C bond rotational dynamics of 1-(1-adamantyl)diamantane, 1-(1-diamantyl)diamantane, 2-(1-adamantyl)triamantane, 2-(1-diamantyl)triamantane, and 2-(1-diamantyl)[121]tetramantane were studied through variable-temperature (1)H- and (13)C NMR spectroscopies. The shapes of the inward (endo) CH surfaces determine the dynamic behavior, changing the central C-C bond rotation barriers from 7 to 33 kcal mol(-1). We probe the ability of popular density functional theory (DFT) approaches (including BLYP, B3LYP, B98, B3LYP-Dn, B97D, B3PW91, BHandHLYP, B3P86, PBE1PBE, wB97XD, and M06-2X) with 6-31G(d,p) and cc-pVDZ basis sets to describe such an unusual bonding situation. Only functionals accounting for dispersion are able to reproduce the experimental geometries, while most DFT functionals are able to reproduce the experimental rotational barriers due to error cancellations. Computations on larger diamondoids reveal that the interplay between the shapes and the sizes of the CH surfaces may even allow the preparation of open-shell alkyl radical dimers (and possibly polymers) that are strongly held together exclusively by dispersion forces.