Tuning the Photoisomerization of a N^C-Chelate Organoboron Compound with a MetalAcetylide Unit

Organoboron based photochromic gelator

A series of tetra-coordinate boron-peptide conjugates has been reported. The incorporation of a photochromic organoboron unit into the gelator endows photoactivity to the supramolecular gels. While the structural transformation of the gelator upon UV irradiation minimally impacts the formed self-assembled structures, it indeed influences their rheological properties.

Rhenium(I) Complexes with Sulfur-Bridged Dipyridyl Ligands: Structural, Photophysical, and Computational Studies

A series of six new rhenium(I) tricarbonyl complexes [Re(CO)3(N-N)Br] bearing sulfur-bridged dipyridyl (N-N) ligands with three different oxidation states (sulfide (S), sulfoxide (SO), and sulfone (SO2)) are described. Spectroscopic studies show that changing the oxidation state of the ligands influences the photophysical properties of the complexes, with complexes 3 and 6 containing the sulfone ligand exhibiting a lower energy MLCT absorption band tailing into the visible region. Solution-state emission measurements show that these complexes exhibit readily tunable emission energies from 480 to 610 nm, depending on the oxidation state of the sulfur bridge and the presence of substituents on the pyridyl rings. Solid-state emission measurements show that the emission is significantly red-shifted upon oxidation of the sulfur bridge to sulfone with enhanced photoluminescence quantum yield.

Internal B ← O Bond Facilitated Photo/Thermal Isomerization of Tetra-Coordinated Boranes

A new series of O∧C-chelate tetra-coordinated boranes with naphtha-aldehyde as the chelate backbone have been synthesized. Their photophysical and photochemical properties have been examined, which show that all of the compounds can undergo both photo and thermal transformations, generating aryl-migrated [1,2]oxaborinine derivatives as the major products. 1,3-Sigmatropic shifts and an intramolecular nucleophilic addition mechanism are proposed for the photochemical and thermal conversion pathways, respectively.

Bridging-arylene effects on spectroscopic and photophysical properties of arylborane–dipyrrinato zinc(ii) complexes

Novel bis(dipyrrinato)zinc(ii) derivatives having 4-[bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)boryl]phenyl (ZnBph) or 4-[bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)boryl]-2,3,5,6-tetramethylphenyl groups (ZnBdu) at the 5-position of the dipyrrinato ligands were designed and synthesized. In ZnBph with the smaller dipyrrinate–arylene and arylene–dimesitylboryl dihedral angles, an intramolecular charge transfer arising from the presence of the vacant p orbital on the boron atom participates in the ππ* excited state in character in contrast to the pure ππ* excited state of ZnBdu. The synergistic ππ*/ILCT excited state was weakly fluorescent, and the fluorescence was enhanced upon binding of fluoride to the boron atom.

Electronic interactions between a bis(dipyrrinato)zinc(ii) and arylborane moieties were successfully tuned by a structure of bridging arylene groups. The excited state of a phenylene bridged complex was best characterized by the synergistic ππ*/ILCT.

Recent Advances in π-Conjugated N^C-Chelate Organoboron Materials

Boron-containing π-conjugated materials are archetypical candidates for a variety of molecular scale applications. The incorporation of boron into the π-conjugated frameworks significantly modifies the nature of the parent π-conjugated systems. Several novel boron-bridged π-conjugated materials with intriguing structural, photo-physical and electrochemical properties have been reported over the last few years. In this paper, we review the properties and multi-dimensional applications of the boron-bridged fused-ring π-conjugated systems. We critically highlight the properties of π-conjugated N^C-chelate organoboron materials. This is followed by a discussion on the potential applications of the new materials in opto-electronics (O-E) and other areas. Finally, attempts will be made to predict the future direction/outlook for this class of materials.

Insights into the Photoinduced Isomerization Mechanisms of a N,C-Chelate Organoboron Compound: A Theoretical Study

As the first discovered organoboron compound with photochromic property, B(ppy)Mes₂ (ppy=2-phenylpyridine, Mes=mesityl) displays rich photochemistry that constitutes a solid foundation for wide applications in optoelectronic fields. In this work, we investigated the B(ppy)Mes₂ to borirane isomerization mechanisms in the three lowest electronic states (S₀ , S₁ , and T₁ ) based on the complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) and its second-order perturbation (CASPT2) methods combined with time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations. Our results show that the photoisomerization in the S₁ state is dominant, which is initiated by the cleavage of the B-C_ppy bond. After overcoming a barrier of 0.5 eV, the reaction pathway leads to a conical intersection between the S₁ and S₀ states (S₁ /S₀ )_x , from which the decay path may go back to the reactant B(ppy)Mes₂ via a closed-shell intermediate (Int1-S₀ ) or to the product borirane via a biradical intermediate (Int2-S₀ ). Although triplet states are probably involved in the photoinduced process, the possibility of the photoisomerization in T₁ state is very small owing to the weakly allowed S₁ →T₁ intersystem crossing and the high energy barrier (0.77 eV). In addition, we found the photoisomerization is thermally reversible, which is consistent with the experimental observations.

Altering the optoelectronic properties of boron difluoride formazanate dyes via conjugation with platinum(ii)-acetylides

The absorption, emission, and electrochemical properties of conjugates of boron difluoride formazanate dyes and Pt(ii)-acetylides are systematically studied.

Photoisomerization of PtII Complexes Containing Two Different Photochromic Chromophores: Boron Chromophore versus Dithienylethene Chromophore

In order to examine competitive photoisomerization, a series of novel photochromic Pt^II molecules that contain both dithienylethene (DTE) and B(ppy)Mes₂ units (ppy=2-phenylpyridine, Mes=mesityl) were successfully synthesized and fully structurally characterized. Their photochromic properties were examined by UV/Vis, emission and NMR spectroscopy. It was found that the DTE unit in all three compounds is the preferred photoisomerization site, exhibiting reversible photochromism with irradiation. The B(ppy)Mes₂ unit does not undergo photoisomerization in these molecules, but likely enhances the photoisomerization quantum efficiency of the DTE moiety through the antenna effect. Extended irradiation with UV light leads to the rearrangement of the ring-closed isomers of DTE. TD-DFT computational studies indicate that the DTE photocyclization proceeds via a triplet pathway through an efficient energy transfer process.

Theoretical study on the regioselective photoisomerization of asymmetric N,C-chelate organoboron compounds

Steric and electronic factors are responsible for the regioselective photoisomerization of B(ppy)MesPh based on detailed mechanisms obtained by quantum chemical calculations.

A π-conjugated inorganic polymer constructed from boron difluoride formazanates and platinum(ii) diynes

A π-conjugated inorganic polymer comprised of boron difluoride formazanate and platinum(ii) diyne repeat units with unusual redox properties and a narrow optical band gap of ca. 1.4 eV is introduced.

Organophosphines in organoplatinum complexes: structural aspects of trans-PtP2C2 derivatives

This review summarized and analyzed the structural parameters of 174 monomeric organoplatinum complexes with an inner coordination sphere of trans-PtP2C2. These complexes crystallized in four crystal systems: hexagonal (x2), orthorhombic (x13), triclinic (x76), and monoclinic (x84). These complexes, on the basis of the coordination mode of the respective donor ligands, can be divided into the seven sub-groups: Pt(PL)2(CL)2, Pt(PL)2(η2-C2L), Pt(η2-P2L)(CL)2, Pt(PL)(η2-P,CL)(CL), Pt(η2-P,CL)2, Pt(η3-P,C,PL)(CL), and Pt(η3-C,P,CL)(PL). The chelating ligands create 4-, 5-, 6-, 16-, 17-, 18-, and 19-membered rings. The total mean values of Pt-L bond distances are 2.055 Å (C) and 2.300 Å (P). There are examples that exist in two isomeric forms and are examples of distortion isomerism. The structural parameters of trans-PtP2C2 are discussed with those of cis-PtP2C2 derivatives.

Direct and Base-Catalyzed Diboration of Alkynes Using the Unsymmetrical Diborane(4), pinB-BMes2

In the absence of transition metal catalysts, the unsymmetrical diborane(4), pinB-BMes2, reacted with alkynes to afford diborylalkenes. The isomer ratio of the products could be controlled via temperature, solvent, and additive(s). A reaction mechanism was proposed on the basis of two isolated intermediates, and this reaction could furthermore be applied to synthesize a luminescent molecule.

Merging thiophene with boron: new building blocks for conjugated materials

Recent advances on the use of thienylborane chemistry for the development of new functional materials are highlighted.

Blue phosphorescent N-heterocyclic carbene chelated Pt(ii) complexes with an α-duryl-β-diketonato ancillary ligand

Blue phosphorescent Pt(ii) complexes that display bright blue emission in the solid state have been obtained employing NHC-based C^∧C*-chelate ligands and an α-duryl-β-diketonato ancillary ligand that provides steric blocking to minimize intermolecular interactions.

Chelation-assisted photoelimination of B,N-heterocycles

Metal-chelation and internal H bonds have been found to greatly enhance the photoelimination quantum efficiency of B,N-heterocycles by 2 orders of magnitude. Green phosphorescent Pt(II)-functionalized 1,2-azaborines have been achieved via photoelimination. A mechanistic pathway for the PE reaction has been established.