Oligophenyls with Multiple Disulfide Bridges as Higher Homologues of Dibenzo[c,e][1,2]dithiin: Synthesis and Application in Lithium-Ion Batteries

Access to Valuable Chalcogen-Containing Biaryl Derivatives via Regioselective 2,2'-Dichalcogenation of 2-Bromobiaryls

The regioselective installation of chalcogen atoms into biaryl scaffolds is an important synthetic task due to the great value of chalcogen-containing biaryl derivatives in many fields. Here we undertake this task by developing a regioselective 2,2'-dichalcogenation of 2-bromobiaryls with common chalcogen sources using an organolanthanum-mediated one-pot, two-step protocol. This strategy features high regioselectivity, readily available substrates, transition-metal-free conditions, and performance superior to those of previous methods, thereby demonstrating the unique advantages of organolanthanum reagents in organic synthesis.

π-Extended Octupolar Cyclized Indole Tetramer and Trimer Derivatives with Second- and Third-Order Nonlinear Optical Properties

Several aromatic-fused octupolar tetraindole (TTI) and triindole (TI) derivatives have been synthesized via POCl₃-promoted cyclopolymerization of the aromatic-fused oxindoles. As a result, the terminal phenyls of TTI and TI are fused with the phenyl group, indenyl group, and benzothienyl group separately in the π-extended target compounds TTIp and TIp, TTIid and TIid, and TTIbt and TIbt (including pairs of syn- and anti-isomers). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction disclosed that the tetramer syn-TTIbt keeps an S₄-symmetric architecture and crystallizes in the P4₂/n space group. With the extension of the π-conjugation, the absorption and emission bands of the above tetramers and trimers are remarkably red-shifted. The second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) coefficients (β value) of syn-TTIbt and anti-TTIbt have been calculated to be 1.5 and 2.1 times that of their parent compound TTI, respectively. In the domain of the third-order NLO, the two-photon absorption sections (δ value) of syn-TIbt and anti-TIbt have been measured to be 37 and 102 times that of TI, respectively. These results indicate that the π-extension strategy here is successful, and the anti-isomers have better NLO properties and better π-conjugation than their corresponding syn-isomers.

Accumulation of Four Electrons on a Terphenyl (Bis)disulfide

The activation of N₂ , CO₂ or H₂ O to energy-rich products relies on multi-electron transfer reactions, and consequently it seems desirable to understand the basics of light-driven accumulation of multiple redox equivalents. Most of the previously reported molecular acceptors merely allow the storage of up to two electrons. We report on a terphenyl compound including two disulfide bridges, which undergoes four-electron reduction in two separate electrochemical steps, aided by a combination of potential compression and inversion. Under visible-light irradiation using the organic super-electron donor tetrakis(dimethylamino)ethylene, a cascade of light-induced reaction steps is observed, leading to the cleavage of both disulfide bonds. Whereas one of them undergoes extrusion of sulfur to result in a thiophene, the other disulfide is converted to a dithiolate. These insights seem relevant to enhance the current fundamental understanding of photochemical energy storage.

Self-Resetting Bistable Redox Molecular Machines for Fullerene Recognition

Addressing control over molecular machines resulting in variable output modulation by mimicking nature mechanisms is a current hot topic. The exploitation of reversibility in thiol/disulfide motifs in chemical systems flanked by nonplanar corannulene moieties capable to recognize fullerenes is presented herein. Two redox-based machines have been conceived for this purpose: an ON/OFF switch that activates its binding properties upon dimerization and a self-resetting (i.e., with an automated backward process) host that substantially modulates its affinity.

Oligophenyls with Multiple Disulfide Bridges as Higher Homologues of Dibenzo[c,e][1,2]dithiin: Synthesis and Application in Lithium-Ion Batteries

Higher homologues of dibenzo[c,e][1,2]dithiin were synthesized from oligophenyls bearing multiple methylthio groups. Single-crystal X-ray analyses revealed their nonplanar structures and helical enantiomers of higher meta-congener 6. Such dibenzo[1,2]dithiin homologues are demonstrated to be applicable to lithium-ion batteries as cathode, displaying a high capacity of 118 mAh g-1 at a current density of 50 mA g-1 .