Dendritic encapsulation-roles of cores and branches

An electrochemical and photophysical study of a covalently linked inorganic-organic dyad

A molecular donor-acceptor dyad comprising a hexarhenium cluster core, [Re(6)(mu(3)-Se)(8)](2+), and a fullerene moiety which are covalently linked through a pyridine ligand was synthesized and fully characterized. The electrochemical and photophysical properties are reported. The detailed study includes cyclic voltammetry, steady-state absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy, radiation chemistry and transient absorption spectroscopy. A light-induced electron transfer between the inorganic cluster moiety and the fullerene can be excluded. However, a light-induced energy transfer from the rhenium cluster to the fullerene is proposed.

Design, Syntheses, and Characterization of a Sterically Encumbered Dioxo Molybdenum (VI) Core

Dioxo-Mo(VI) complexes of general formula Tp*MoO(2)(p-SC(6)H(4)Dn) (6a-6c) (where Tp* = hydrotris(3,5-dimethyl-pyrazol-1-yl)borate and Dn= dendritic unit) have been synthesized and characterized by spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. (1)H NMR spectra of the metal complexes indicate that the C(s) local symmetry about the metal core does not change by the incorporation of dendritic functionality at the thiophenolato ring. Electrochemical data show ∼20 mV change in the redox potential in the complexes with dendritic ligands suggesting a very small perturbation in the redox orbital, which is also supported by small changes in the electronic spectra. The peak-to peak separation (ΔE(p)) increases from 125 mV in 6(a) to 240 mV in 6(c), suggesting sluggish electron transfer in molecules with larger dendritic ligands.

A New Class of Intramolecularly Hydrogen-Bonded Dendrons Based on a 2-Methoxyisophthalamide Repeat Unit

The synthesis and conformational properties of folded dendrons based on a 2-methoxyisophthalamide (2-OMe-IPA) repeat unit are described. The hydrodynamic properties of dendrons preorganized via the syn-syn conformational preference of 2-methoxyisophthalamide are compared with 2,6-pyridinedicarboxamide (2,6-pydic) analogues. The effect of subtle differences in the nature of the conformational equilibria that exist within the 2-OMe-IPA and 2,6-pydic repeat units on the global structural properties of the corresponding dendrons was explored computationally, by (1)H-DOSY NMR spectroscopy and time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy (TRFA) measurements. Whereas the syn-syn preference of the 2-OMe-IPA branched repeat unit is stabilized entirely by intramolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions, this preference in the 2,6-pydic system is a consequence of both intramolecular hydrogen-bonding and dipole minimization effects. However, nonspecific solvophobic compression is more important in determining hydrodynamic properties than solvent-dependent shifts in the conformational equilibria of the repeat unit for both dendron series.

Dendritic Arrays of [Re6(μ3-Se)8]2+ Core-Containing Clusters: Exploratory Synthesis and Electrochemical Studies

The reaction between the previously reported site-differentiated cluster solvate [Re(6)(mu(3)-Se)(8)(PEt(3))(5)(MeCN)](SbF(6))(2) (1) with pyridyl-based ditopic ligands 4,4'-trimethylenedipyridine (2), 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane (3), and (E)-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethene (4) afforded cluster complexes of the general formula [Re(6)(mu(3)-Se)(8)(PEt(3))(5)(L)](SbF(6))(2) (5-7), where L represents one of the pyridyl-based ligands. Reacting these cluster complex-based ligands with the fully solvated cluster complex [Re(6)(mu(3)-Se)(8)(MeCN)(6)](SbF(6))(2) (8) produced dendritic arrays of the general formula {Re(6)(mu(3)-Se)(8)[Re(6)(mu(3)-Se)(8)(PEt(3))(5)(L)](6)}(SbF(6))(14) (9-11), each featuring six circumjacent [Re(6)(mu(3)-Se)(8)(PEt(3))(5)](2+) units bridged to a [Re(6)(mu(3)-Se)(8)](2+) core cluster by the pyridyl-based ligands. Electrochemical studies using a thin-layer electrochemical cell revealed cluster-based redox events in these cluster arrays. For 9 (L = 2), one reversible oxidation event corresponding to the removal of 7 electrons was observed, indicating noninteraction or extremely weak interactions between the clusters. For 10 (L = 3), two poorly resolved oxidation waves were found. For 11 (L = 4), two reversible oxidation events, corresponding respectively to the removal of 1 and 6 electrons, were observed with the 1-electron oxidation event occurring at a potential 150 mV more positive than the 6-electron oxidation. These electrochemical studies suggest intercluster coupling in 11 via through-bond electronic delocalization, which is consistent with electronic spectroscopic studies of this same molecule.

Phosphorescent oxygen sensor with dendritic protection and two-photon absorbing antenna

Imaging oxygen in 3D with submicron spatial resolution can be made possible by combining phosphorescence quenching technique with multiphoton laser scanning microscopy. Because Pt and Pd porphyrin-based phosphorescent dyes, traditionally used as phosphors in biological oxygen measurements, exhibit extremely low two-photon absorption (2PA) cross-sections, we designed a nanosensor for oxygen, in which a 2P absorbing antenna is coupled to a metalloporphyrin core via intramolecular energy transfer (ET) with the purpose of amplifying the 2PA induced phosphorescence of the metalloporphyrin. The central component of the device is a polyfunctionalized Pt porphyrin, whose triplet state emission at ambient temperatures is strong, occurs in the near infrared and is sensitive to O2. The 2PA chromophores are chosen in such a way that their absorption is maximal in the near infrared (NIR) window of tissue (e.g., 700-900 nm), while their fluorescence is overlapped with the absorption band(s) of the core metalloporphyrin, ensuring an efficient antenna-core resonance ET. The metalloporphyrin-antenna construct is embedded inside the protecting dendritic jacket, which isolates the core from interactions with biological macromolecules, controls diffusion of oxygen and makes the entire sensor water-soluble. Several Pt porphyrin-coumarin based sensors were synthesized and their photophyics studied to evaluate the proposed design.

Electrochemical and Guest Binding Properties of Fréchet- and Newkome-Type Dendrimers with a Single Viologen Unit Located at Their Apical Positions

Several new series of dendrimers containing a single redox-active 4,4'-bipyridinium (viologen) residue were synthesized and characterized. In these dendrimers, the viologen group is covalently attached to the apical position of a Newkome- or Frechet-type dendron, ranging in size from first to third generation of growth. The half-wave potentials corresponding to the two consecutive one-electron reductions of the viologen residue are affected by the size of the dendritic component. The size effects are more pronounced in the Newkome-type dendrimers and seem to result from the polarity contrast between the microenvironments provided by the solution and the internal phase of the dendrimer. Unlike in many other dendrimers having a redox-active core, the voltammetric behavior remains fast (reversible) even in third generation dendrimers. Pulse gradient stimulated echo NMR diffusion coefficient measurements on the Newkome-type dendrimers reveal that their hydrodynamic radii are relatively invariant in solvents of widely different polarities (dichloromethane to dimethyl sulfoxide). The host-guest binding interactions between the viologen residue in these dendrimers and the crown ether host bis-p-phenylene-34-crown-8 were also investigated. While in Newkome-type dendrimers the growth of the dendron caused a substantial attenuation of the binding constant values, this size effect was not observed in the Frechet-type dendrimers. These electrochemical and binding measurements underscore some of the structural differences between these two common types of dendritic architectures.