Cyano Analogues of 7-Azaindole: Probing Excited-State Charge-Coupled Proton Transfer Reactions in Protic Solvents

Long-range hydrogen-bond relay catalyses the excited-state proton transfer reaction

Solvent (e.g., water)-catalyzed proton transfer (SCPT) via the relay of hydrogen (H)-bonds plays a key role in proton migration. In this study, a new class of 1H-pyrrolo[3,2-g]quinolines (PyrQs) and their derivatives were synthesized, with sufficient separation of the pyrrolic proton donating and pyridinic proton accepting sites to probe excited-state SCPT. There was dual fluorescence for all PyrQs in methanol, i.e., normal (PyrQ) and tautomer 8H-pyrrolo[3,2-g]quinoline (8H-PyrQ) emissions. The fluorescence dynamics unveiled a precursor (PyrQ) and successor (8H-PyrQ) relationship and the correlation of an increasing overall excited-state SCPT rate (kSCPT) upon increasing the N(8)-site basicity. kSCPT can be expressed by the coupling reaction kSCPT = Keq × kPT, where kPT denotes the intrinsic proton tunneling rate in the relay and Keq denotes the pre-equilibrium between randomly and cyclically H-bonded solvated PyrQs. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation defined the cyclic PyrQs and analyzed the H-bond and molecular arrangement over time, which showed the cyclic PyrQs incorporating ≧3 methanol molecules. These cyclic H-bonded PyrQs are endowed with a relay-like proton transfer rate, kPT. MD simulation estimated an upper-limited Keq value of 0.02-0.03 for all studied PyrQs. When there was little change in Keq, the distinct kSCPT values for PyrQs were at different kPT values, which increased as the N(8) basicity increased, which was induced by the C(3)-substituent. kSCPT was subject to a deuterium isotope effect, where the kSCPT of 1.35 × 1010 s-1 for PyrQ-D in CH3OD was 1.68 times slower than that (2.27 × 1010 s-1) of PyrQ in CH3OH. MD simulation provided a similar Keq for PyrQ and PyrQ-D, leading to different proton tunneling rates (kPT) between PyrQ and PyrQ-D.

Photoenhancement of the C≡N Stretching Vibration Intensity of Aromatic Nitriles

The C≡N stretching vibration is a versatile infrared (IR) reporter that is useful for a wide range of applications. Aiming to further expand its spectroscopic utility, herein, we show that, using 4-cyanoindole and 4-cyano-7-azaindole as examples, photoexcitation can significantly shift the frequency (ν_CN) and enhance the molar extinction coefficient (ε_CN) of this vibrational mode of aromatic nitriles and that, for these indole derivatives, the enhancement factor can reach 13. Moreover, we find that while solvent relaxation at the excited electronic state(s) always leads to an increase in ε_CN, its effect on ν_CN depends on the solute and the solvent. Taken together, these results demonstrate that solvent relaxation can differently affect the local environment of the nitrile group and its conjugation with the indole ring and, more importantly, that the C≡N stretching vibration can serve as a sensitive IR probe of charge and electron transfer processes in which an aromatic nitrile is involved.

Recent experimental advances on excited-state intramolecular proton coupled electron transfer reaction

Proton-coupled electron transfer reactions form the basis of many important chemical processes including much of the energy conversion that occurs within living cells. However, much of the physical chemistry that underlies these reaction mechanisms remains poorly understood. In this Account, we report on recent progress in the understanding of excited-state intramolecular proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions. The strategic design and synthesis of various types of PCET molecules, along with steady-state and femtosecond time-resolved spectroscopy, have uncovered the mechanisms of several excited-state PCET reactions in solution. These experimental advancements correlate well with current theoretical models, in which the proton has quantum motion with a high probability of tunneling. In addition, the rate of proton transfer is commonly incorporated within the rate of rearrangement of solvent molecules. As a result, the reaction activation free energy is essentially governed by the solvent reorganization because the charge redistribution is considered based on a solvent polarity-induced barrier instead of the height of the proton migration barrier. In accord with this theoretical basis, we can rationalize the observation that the proton transfer for many excited-state PCET systems occurs during the solvent relaxation time scale of 1-10 ps: the highly exergonic reaction takes place before the system reaches its equilibrium polarization. Also, we have used various derivatives of proton transfer molecules, especially those of 3-hydroxyflavone to clearly demonstrate how researchers can tune the dynamics of excited-state PCET through changes in the magnitude or direction of the dipole vector within the reaction. Subsequently, using 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole as the parent model, we then report on methods for the development of an ideal system for probing PCET reaction. Because future biomedical applications of such systems will likely occur in aqueous environments, we discuss various 7-azaindole analogues, for which proton transfer requires the assistance of protic solvent molecules. These results provide a unique contrast to the ubiquitous studies on the dynamic solvent effects of PCET molecules that undergo intrinsic intramolecular proton motion.

Photoisomerization of a maleonitrile-type salen Schiff base and its application in fine-tuning infinite coordination polymers

Strategically designed salen ligand 2,3-bis[4-(di-p-tolylamino)-2-hydroxybenzylideneamino]maleonitrile (1), which has pronounced excited-state charge-transfer properties, shows a previously unrecognized form of photoisomerization. On electronic excitation (denoted by an asterisk), 1Z*-->1E isomerization takes place by rotation about the C2--C3 bond, which takes on single-bond character due to the charge-transfer reaction. The isomerization takes place nonadiabatically from the excited-state (1Z) to the ground-state (1E) potential-energy surface in the singlet manifold; 1Z and 1E are neither thermally inconvertible at ambient temperature (25-30 degrees C), nor does photoinduced reverse 1E*-->1Z (or 1Z*) isomerization occur. Isomers 1Z and 1E show very different coordination chemistry towards a Zn(II) precursor. More prominent coordination chemistry is evidenced by a derivative of 1 bearing a carboxyl group, namely, N,N'-dicyanoethenebis(salicylideneimine)dicarboxylic acid (2). Applying 2Z and its photoinduced isomer 2E as building blocks, we then demonstrate remarkable differences in morphology (sphere- and needlelike nanostructure, respectively) of their infinite coordination polymers with Zn(II).