Main Group Molecular Switches with Swivel Bifurcated to Trifurcated Hydrogen Bond Mode of Action

Artificial molecular machines have captured the full attention of the scientific community since Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Fraser Stoddart, and Ben Feringa were awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The past and current developments in molecular machinery (rotaxanes, rotors, and switches) primarily rely on organic-based compounds as molecular building blocks for their assembly and future development. In contrast, the main group chemical space has not been traditionally part of the molecular machine domain. The oxidation states and valency ranges within the p-block provide a tremendous wealth of structures with various chemical properties. Such chemical diversity─when implemented in molecular machines─could become a transformative force in the field. Within this context, we have rationally designed a series of NH-bridged acyclic dimeric cyclodiphosphazane species, [(μ-NH){PE(μ-N^tBu)₂PE(NH^tBu)}₂] (E = O and S), bis-P^V₂N₂, displaying bimodal bifurcated R²₁(8) and trifurcated R³₁(8,8) hydrogen bonding motifs. The reported species reversibly switch their topological arrangement in the presence and absence of anions. Our results underscore these species as versatile building blocks for molecular machines and switches, as well as supramolecular chemistry and crystal engineering based on cyclophosphazane frameworks.

Cutting edge of diphenyl phosphorazidate (DPPA) as a synthetic reagent – A fifty-year odyssey

Recent developments of diphenyl phosphorazidate (DPPA, (C6H5O)2P(O)N3) has been reviewed.

Conformational flexibility in amidophosphoesters: a CSD analysis completed with two new crystal structures of (C6H5O)2P(O)X [X = NHC7H13 and N(CH2C6H5)2]

The crystal structures of diphenyl (cycloheptylamido)phosphate, C19H24NO3P or (C6H5O)2P(O)(NHC7H13), (I), and diphenyl (dibenzylamido)phosphate, C26H24NO3P or (C6H5O)2P(O)[N(CH2C6H5)2], (II), are reported. The NHC7H13 group in (I) provides two significant hydrogen-donor sites in N—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen bonds, needed for a one-dimensional hydrogen-bond pattern along [100] in the crystal, while (II), with a (C6H5CH2)2N moiety, lacks these hydrogen bonds, but its three-dimensional supramolecular structure is mediated by C—H...π interactions. The conformational behaviour of the phenyl rings in (I), (II) and analogous structures from the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) were studied in terms of flexibility, volume of the other group attached to phosphorus and packing forces. From this study, synclinal (±sc), anticlinal (±ac) and antiperiplanar (±ap) conformations were found to occur. In the structure of (II), there is an intramolecular C ortho —H...O interaction that imposes a +sc conformation for the phenyl ring involved. For the structures from the CSD, the +sc and ±ap conformations appear to be mainly imposed by similar C ortho —H...O intramolecular interactions. The large contribution of the C...H/H...C contacts (32.3%) in the two-dimensional fingerprint plots of (II) is a result of the C—H...π interactions. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses exhibit peak temperatures (T m) at 109 and 81 °C for (I) and (II), respectively, which agree with the strengths of the intermolecular contacts and the melting points.

Synthesis of Unique Phosphazane Macrocycles via Steric Activation of C-N Bonds

Herein we describe that oxidation reactions of the dimeric cyclophosphazanes, [{P(μ-NR)}₂(μ-NR)]₂, R = ^tBu (1), to produce a series of diagonally dioxidized products P₄(μ-N ^tBu)₆E₂ [E = O (2), S (3), and Se (4)] and tetraoxidized frameworks. The latter display an unexpected C-N bond activation and cleavage to produce a series of novel phosphazane macrocyclic arrangements containing newly formed N-H bonds. Macromolecules P₄(μ-N ^tBu)₄(μ-NH)₂O₄ (5) and P₄(μ-N ^tBu)₃(μ-NH)₃E₄, E = S (6) and Se (7), dicleaved and tricleaved products, respectively, are rare examples of dimeric macrocycles containing NH bridging groups. Our theoretical and experimental studies illustrate that the extent to which these C-N bonds are cleaved can be controlled by modification of steric parameters in their synthesis, by adjusting either the steric bulk of the substituents in the parent framework or the size of the chalcogen element introduced during the oxidation process. Our findings represent new synthetic pathways for the synthesis of otherwise-elusive macrocycle arrangements within the phosphazane family.

cis-Cyclodiphosph(v/v)azanes as highly stable and robust main group supramolecular building blocks

Bench-top stable cis-cyclodiphosph(v/v)azanes are demonstrated to form robust R21(8) bifurcated hydrogen-bonds and PSe⋯Br halogen bonds. This work highlights the potential of cyclodiphosph(v/v)azane building blocks in creating new supramolecular assemblies.

Orthogonality in main group compounds: a direct one-step synthesis of air- and moisture-stable cyclophosphazanes by mechanochemistry

Mechanochemistry has been established to be an environmentally-friendly way of conducting reactions in a solvent-free manner.

The chameleonic reactivity of dilithio bis(alkylamido)cyclodiphosph(iii)azanes with chlorophosphines

Analogous reactions do not necessarily give analogous products.

Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of the new cyclo-diphosphazane [EtNP(S)NMe2]2

The cyclic compound 2,4-bis(dimethylamino)-1,3-diethylcyclodiphosphazane-2,4-dithione [systematic name: 2,4-bis(dimethylamino)-1,3-diethyl-1,3,2λ5,4λ5-diazadiphosphetidine-2,4-dithione], C8H22N4P2S2 or [EtNP(S)NMe2]2, is member of a class of mol-ecules that may be used, by virtue of their complexation properties, for the extraction of metals. This compound was characterized in solution by (1H and 31P) NMR, and in the solid state by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and by X-ray crystallography. In the crystal, the mol-ecule sits on an inversion centre such that the P and N atoms form a centrosymmetric cyclic P2N2 arrangement. The crystal packing is dominated by van der Waals inter-actions. The prevalence of these inter-actions is illustrated by an analysis of the three-dimensional Hirshfeld surface (HS) and by two-dimensional fingerprint plots (FP). The relative contribution of different inter-actions to the HS indicates that the H⋯H contacts account for 74.3% of the total HS area.

Acid-Base Formalism Extended to Excited State for O-H···S Hydrogen Bonding Interaction

Hydrogen bond can be regarded as an interaction between a base and a proton covalently bound to another base. In this context the strength of hydrogen bond scales with the proton affinity of the acceptor base and the pKa of the donor, i.e., it follows the acid-base formalism. This has been amply demonstrated in conventional hydrogen bonds. Is this also true for the unconventional hydrogen bonds involving lesser electronegative elements such as sulfur atom? In our previous work, we had established that the strength of O-H···S hydrogen bonding (HB) interaction scales with the proton affinity (PA) of the acceptor. In this work, we have investigated the other counterpart, i.e., the H-bonding interaction between the photoacids with different pKa values with a common base such as the H2O and H2S. The 1:1 complexes of five para substituted phenols p-aminophenol, p-cresol, p-fluorophenol, p-chlorophenol, and p-cyanophenol with H2O and H2S were investigated experimentally and computationally. The investigations were also extended to the excited states. The experimental observations of the spectral shifts in the O-H stretching frequency and the S1-S0 band origins were correlated with the pKa of the donors. Ab initio calculations at the MP2 and various dispersion corrected density functional levels of theory were performed to compute the dissociation energy (D0) of the complexes. The quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM), noncovalent interaction (NCI) method, natural bonding orbital (NBO) analysis, and natural decomposition analysis (NEDA) were carried out for further characterization of HB interaction. The O-H stretching frequency red shifts and the dissociation energies were found to be lower for the O-H···S hydrogen bonded systems compared to those for the O-H···O H-bound systems. Despite being dominated by the dispersion interaction the O-H···S interaction in the H2S complexes also conformed to the acid-base formalism, i.e., the D0 and the O-H red shift scaled with the pKa of the donor, similar to that observed in the O-H···O interaction. However, the two classes of H-bonds follow different correlations. In addition we also discuss the nuances associated with the similarity and differences in the hydrogen bonding properties of the two classes in the ground electronic state as well as in the excited state.

Cyclodiphosphazanes: options are endless

This short review describes the transition metal chemistry of cyclodiphosphazanes.

A new phosphorothioic triamide structure: P(S)[NHCH₂C₆H₅]₃

The structure of N,N',N''-tribenzylphosphorothioic triamide, C21H24N3PS, (I), and analysis of the bond-angle sums at the N atoms for this compound, and for 74 structures with a P(S)[N]3 skeleton and the N atom in a three-coordinate geometry found in the Cambridge Structural Database [CSD; Groom & Allen (2014). Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 53, 662-671], are reported. For (I), the bond-angle sum at one of the N atoms [359 (1)°] shows a nearly planar configuration, while the other two show a nonplanar geometry with bond-angle sums of 342 (1) and 347 (1)°. The location of the atoms attached to the nonplanar N atoms suggests an anti orientation of the corresponding lone electron pairs (LEPs) on these N atoms with respect to the P=S group. For 74 structures with a P(S)[N]3 skeleton and with the N atom in a three-coordinate geometry, the bond-angle sums at the N atoms were found to be in the range 293-360°. Among 307 such three-coordinate N atoms, 39% (120 N atoms) have bond-angle sums in the range 359-360°, in accordance with sp(2) hybridization, and 45% (138 N atoms) have bond-angle sums in the range 352-359°, with hybridization close to sp(2). For the orientation of the LEP with respect to the P=S group, the anti orientation was found to be a general rule for N atoms, with the corresponding bond-angle sums deviating by more than 8° from the planar value of 360°. In the title structure, the S atom takes part in intermolecular (N-H···)(N-H···)S hydrogen bonds, connecting the molecules into extended chains parallel to the b axis. The co-operation of one N atom in an N-H···S hydrogen bond as an H-atom donor, and in an N-H···N hydrogen bond as an acceptor, is a novel feature of the crystal structure.

Steric C–N bond activation on the dimeric macrocycle [{P(μ-NR)}2(μ-NR)]2

The dimeric macrocyclophosphazane [{P(μ-N^tBu)}₂(μ-N^tBu)]₂ ( 1) was reacted with elemental selenium. An unexpected C–N cleavage reaction occurred producing P₄(μ-N^tBu)₃(μ-NH)₃Se₄ ( 2). The C–N bond cleavage is driven by the high steric ring strain present within the ring.