Solvated-Ion-Pairing-Sensitive Molecular Bistability Based on Copper(I)-Coordinated Pyrimidine Ring Rotation

Photoactive Copper Complexes: Properties and Applications

Photocatalyzed and photosensitized chemical processes have seen growing interest recently and have become among the most active areas of chemical research, notably due to their applications in fields such as medicine, chemical synthesis, material science or environmental chemistry. Among all homogeneous catalytic systems reported to date, photoactive copper(I) complexes have been shown to be especially attractive, not only as alternative to noble metal complexes, and have been extensively studied and utilized recently. They are at the core of this review article which is divided into two main sections. The first one focuses on an exhaustive and comprehensive overview of the structural, photophysical and electrochemical properties of mononuclear copper(I) complexes, typical examples highlighting the most critical structural parameters and their impact on the properties being presented to enlighten future design of photoactive copper(I) complexes. The second section is devoted to their main areas of application (photoredox catalysis of organic reactions and polymerization, hydrogen production, photoreduction of carbon dioxide and dye-sensitized solar cells), illustrating their progression from early systems to the current state-of-the-art and showcasing how some limitations of photoactive copper(I) complexes can be overcome with their high versatility.

Chemically Driven Rotatory Molecular Machines

Molecular machines are at the frontier of biology and chemistry. The ability to control molecular motion and emulating the movement of biological systems are major steps towards the development of responsive and adaptive materials. Amazing progress has been seen for the design of molecular machines including light-induced unidirectional rotation of overcrowded alkenes. However, the feasibility of inducing unidirectional rotation about a single bond as a result of chemical conversion has been a challenging task. In this Review, an overview of approaches towards the design, synthesis, and dynamic properties of different classes of atropisomers which can undergo controlled switching or rotation under the influence of a chemical stimulus is presented. They are categorized as molecular switches, rotors, motors, and autonomous motors according to their type of response. Furthermore, we provide a future perspective and challenges focusing on building sophisticated molecular machines.

Heteroleptic copper phenanthroline complexes in motion: From stand-alone devices to multi-component machinery

Two and a half decades of copper phenanthroline-based switches, devices and machines have illustrated the rich dynamic nature of these metal complexes. With an emphasis on the metal-ligand dissociation as the rate-determining step the present review summarizes not only spectacular examples of machinery, but also highlights rate data collected during a variety of investigations. Copper-ligand exchange reactions are mostly triggered by redox processes, addition of metal ions or addition of ligands. While the rate data spread over >8 orders of magnitude, individual effects of solvent, steric bulk, flexibility, σ-basicity and the trajectory (intra- vs. intermolecular dissociation) have large impact. Unfortunately, in many cases the exact mechanism in the rate-determining step (nucleophile-induced vs. monomolecular metal-ligand dissociation) has not been determined, suggesting to invest further efforts in the physical (in)organic chemistry of such coordination-driven systems.

Structural modification on copper(I)-pyridylpyrimidine complexes for modulation of rotational dynamics, redox properties, and phototriggered isomerization

The redox properties of copper pyridylpyrimidine complexes, which undergo linkage isomerism based on pyrimidine ring rotation, were compared under different coordination environments. A newly synthesized compound, [Cu(Mepypm)(L(Mes))]BF4 (1·BF4, Mepypm = 4-methyl-2-(2'-pyridyl)pyrimidine, L(Mes) = 2,9-dimesityl-1,10-phenanthroline) was compared with previously reported complexes of [Cu(MepmMepy)(L(Mes))]BF4 (2·BF4, MepmMepy = 4-methyl-2-(6'-methyl-2'-pyridyl)pyrimidine), Cu(Mepypm)(DPEphos)]BF4 (3·BF4, DPEphos = bis[2-(diphenylphosphino)phenyl]ether), [Cu(Mepypm)(L(Anth))]BF4 (4·BF4, L(Anth) = 2,9-bis(9-anthryl)-1,10-phenanthroline), and [Cu(Mepypm)(L(Macro))]BF4 (5·BF4). Isomer ratios, isomerization dynamics, redox properties, and photoelectron conversion functions varied with the coordination structure. Methyl substituents on the 6-position of the pyridine moiety increased steric repulsion and contributed to quicker rotation, enhanced photoluminescence, and increased photodriven rotational isomerization.

Coordination programming of photofunctional molecules

Our recent achievements relating to photofunctional molecules are addressed. Section 1 discloses a new concept of photoisomerization. Pyridylpyrimidine-copper complexes undergo a ring inversion that can be modulated by the redox state of the copper center. In combination with an intermolecular photoelectron transfer (PET) initiated by the metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) transition of the Cu(I) state, we realize photonic regulation of the ring inversion. Section 2 reports on the first examples of heteroleptic bis(dipyrrinato)zinc(II) complexes. Conventional homoleptic bis(dipyrrinato)zinc(II) complexes suffered from low fluorescence quantum yields, whereas the heteroleptic ones feature bright fluorescence even in polar solvents. Section 3 describes our new findings on Pechmann dye, which was first synthesized in 1882. New synthetic procedures for Pechmann dye using dimethyl bis(arylethynyl)fumarate as a starting material gives rise to its new structural isomer. We also demonstrate potentiality of a donor-acceptor-donor type of Pechmann dye in organic electronics.