Structure, NMR and Electronic Spectra of [m.n]Paracyclophanes with Varying Bridges Lengths (m, n = 2–4)

Intramolecular [π4s + π4s] photocycloaddition of carbon- and nitrogen-bridged [32](1,4)naphthalenophanes

[32](1,4)Naphthalenophanes, bearing carbon-bridge chains (syn- and anti-NPs) and nitrogen-bridge chains (syn- and anti-ANPs), were synthesized, and their X-ray structures and photoreactions were investigated. The intramolecular separation distance between the naphthalene cores for ANPs was shorter than that for NPs, suggesting that intramolecular interactions between the naphthalene rings  were more efficient for ANPs compared to NPs. Upon photoirradiation at 300 nm, anti-NP, syn-ANP and anti-ANP produced the corresponding intramolecular [π4s + π4s] cycloadducts, whereas syn-NP gave an unidentified complex product mixture. Quantum yields for the photo-consumption (ΦPC) of NPs and ANPs were evaluated to quantitatively compare their photoreactivity. The ΦPC values of ANPs were approximately two-fold higher than those of ANPs.Noteworthily, the ΦPC value of syn-ANP was estimated to be unity. Based on these results we discuss the effects of the alignments of the naphthalene cores (anti vs. syn) and the bridging elements (C-bridge vs. N-bridge) on the photoreaction efficiencies of [32](1,4)naphthalenophanes.

A Photochemical Macrocyclization Route to Asymmetric Strained [3.2] Paracyclophanes

The intricate frameworks of paracyclophanes are an important target for synthesis since they are found in various chiral auxiliaries, solar cells, high-performance plastics, pharmaceuticals, and molecular machines. Whereas numerous methods exist for the preparation of symmetric paracyclophanes, protocols for the efficient synthesis of strained asymmetric scaffolds are limited. Here we report a remarkably simple photochemical route to strained [3.2]paracyclophanes starting from readily available educts. By way of NMR and X-ray analyses, we discovered that UV-irradiation of an aromatic carboxylic ester tethered to a toluene moiety leads to the intramolecular formation of a new C-C bond, with loss of an alcohol. A systematic evaluation of the reaction conditions and substituents, as well as radical starter and triplet quenching experiments, point to a reaction mechanism involving an excited triplet state and hydrogen atom transfer. The new method proved to be robust and versatile enabling the synthesis of a range of cyclophanes with different substitutions, including an unusual diastereoisomer with two planar chiral centers, and thus proved to be a valuable addition to the synthetic toolbox.

Tuning Supramolecular Polymer Assembly through Stereoelectronic Interactions

The supramolecular polymerization of 2,11-dithia[3.3]paracyclophanes through self-complementary intermolecular and transannular amide hydrogen bonding is presented. An n → π* interaction between the amide hydrogen bonding units and the central bridging atom results from the single-point exchange of a carbon atom for a sulfur atom. This orbital donor-acceptor interaction can be strengthened by oxidizing the sulfide to a sulfone which acts to shorten the donor···acceptor distance and increase orbital overlap. Experimental signatures of the increased n → π* interaction include larger isodesmic polymerization elongation constants in solution, changes in characteristic bond stretching frequencies, and geometric/structural changes evaluated by X-ray crystallography. The experimental data are supported by extensive computational investigations of both assembling and nonassembling 2,11-dithia[3.3]paracyclophanes as well as a rationally designed model system to confirm the role of stereoelectronic effects on supramolecular polymer assembly.

Energy-Based Molecular Orbital Localization in a Specific Spatial Region

We present a novel energy-based localization procedure able to localize molecular orbitals into predefined spatial regions. The method is defined in a multiscale framework based on the multilevel Hartree-Fock approach. In particular, the system is partitioned into active and inactive fragments. The localized molecular orbitals are obtained maximizing the repulsion between the two fragments. The method is applied to several cases including both conjugated and non-conjugated systems. Our multiscale approach is compared with reference values for both ground-state properties, such as dipole moments, and local excitation energies. The proposed approach is useful to extend the application range of high-level electron correlation methods. In fact, the reduced number of molecular orbitals can lead to a large reduction in the computational cost of correlated calculations.

Distortion-Controlled Redshift of Organic Dye Molecules

It is shown, quantum chemically, how structural distortion of an aromatic dye molecule can be leveraged to rationally tune its optoelectronic properties. By using a quantitative Kohn-Sham molecular orbital (KS-MO) approach, in combination with time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT), the influence of various structural and electronic tuning parameters on the HOMO-LUMO gap of a benzenoid model dye have been investigated. These parameters include 1) out-of-plane bending of the aromatic core, 2) bending of the bridge with respect to the core, 3) the nature of the bridge itself, and 4) π-π stacking. The study reveals the coupling of multiple structural distortions as a function of bridge length and number of bridges in benzene to be chiefly responsible for a decreased HOMO-LUMO gap, and consequently, red-shifting of the absorption wavelength associated with the lowest singlet excitation (λ≈560 nm) in the model cyclophane systems. These physical insights together with a rational approach for tuning the oscillator strength were leveraged for the proof-of-concept design of an intense near-infrared (NIR) absorbing cyclophane dye at λ=785 nm. This design may contribute to a new class of distortion-controlled NIR absorbing organic dye molecules.

Circular Dichroisms of Mono- and Dibromo[2.2]paracyclophanes: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study

Circular dichroisms (CDs) of planar chiral 4-bromo[2.2]paracyclophane (1) and three isomeric dibromo[2.2]paracyclophanes (p-2, m'-2, and o'-2) were investigated experimentally and theoretically. They all exhibited strong multisignate Cotton effects (CEs) at the ¹L_b, ¹L_a, and ¹B transitions of the component (bromo)benzene chromophore and were comparable to each other. For all of the cyclophanes examined, the enantiomer that eluted earlier from a chiral high-performance liquid chromatography column (Chiralcel IA or IB) exhibited negative and positive CEs at the ¹L_b and ¹L_a bands, respectively, which were followed by a more complicated pattern of CDs at the higher-energy bands. These CD features were well reproduced by quantum chemical calculations, allowing us to unambiguously assign the absolute configurations of the first-eluted enantiomers as R _p in all of the cases examined. Interestingly, the CDs of 1 and 2, although largely comparable in shape, were still sensitive to the number and pattern of bromine substitution, showing closer resemblance between m'-2 and o'-2 and between p-2 and 1. The theoretical calculations also reproduced successfully these spectral resemblance between them. The anisotropy (g) factors for the ¹L_b bands of these cyclophanes were considerably large (∼10^-2), whereas those for the ¹L_a band were conventional in the order of 10^-3. In addition, a weak CE was observed in the low-energy region at around 320 nm, which turned out to originate from the interplanar interaction and is hence assigned to the "cyclophane band". The experimental g factors of this band were fairly large in the order of 10^-2, but the computation turned out to be quite challenging and were less well reproduced theoretically, ascribable to the forbidden nature of the transition.

Cooperative effects of o- and m-methyl groups on the intramolecular charge-transfer emission properties of dibenzoylmethanatoboron difluorides

Intramolecular charge-transfer character of the p-xylyl derivative of dibenzoylmethanatoboron difluoride is induced by o- and m-methyl groups cooperatively.