Heats of Formation of [2.2]Paracyclophane-1-ene and [2.2]Paracyclophane-1,9-diene − An Experimental Study

Bent and Twisted: Synthesis of an Alkoxy-Substituted (1,5)Naphthalene-paracyclophanediene

This contribution describes the synthesis of [2.2](1,5)naphthalenoparacyclophane-1,13-diene in four steps from 1,5-bis(bromomethyl)naphthalene and 1,4-benzenedimethanethiol. Consisting of 2,6-dioctyloxynaphthalene and benzene moieties, the effects of differing arene size on the structure, strain energy, and chemical reactivity of the cyclophanediene are examined. Despite a strain energy of 24.3 kcal/mol, the naphthalenoparacyclophanediene was unreactive toward a library of olefin metathesis catalysts. This diminished reactivity can be explained by the steric hindrance of the twisted olefin. Incorporation of an electron donor (naphthalene) into the rigid paracyclophanediene structure can allow for applications in optoelectronics, chiral ligands, and planar chiral materials.

Controlling Charge Transport in Molecular Wires through Transannular π-π Interaction

This paper describes the influence of the transannular π-π interaction in controlling the carrier transport in molecular wires by employing the STM break junction technique. Five pentaphenylene-based molecular wires that contained [2.2]paracyclophane-1,9-dienes (PCD) as the building block were prepared as model compounds. Functional substituents with different electronic properties, ranging from strong acceptors to strong donors, were attached to the top parallel aromatic ring and used as a gate. It was found that the carrier transport features of these molecular wires, such as single-molecule conductance and a charge-tunneling barrier, can be systematically controlled through the transannular π-π interaction.

Synthesis and Polymerization of an ortho-para-Substituted Tetraalkoxy [2.2]Paracylophane-1,9-diene

This contribution describes the synthesis of an unsymmetrical substituted tetraalkoxy[2.2]paracylophane-1,9-diene comprised of an ortho-substituted and a para-substituted dioctyloxybenzene. (S_p)-4,5,12,15-tetraoctyloxy-[2.2]paracyclophane-1,9-diene ((S_p)-pCpd) and (R_p)-4,5,13,16-tetraoctyloxy-[2.2]paracyclophane-1,9-diene ((R_p)-pCpd) are formed as planar chiral enantiomers. Unlike other tetraalkoxy-substituted pCpds that form as diastereomers, both the (S_p)-pCpd and the (R_p)-pCpd can be polymerized via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) using Grubbs' third generation initiator (G3) as it is achiral. Living ROMP afford copolymers featuring alternating cis,trans-poly(p-phenylenevinylene)s (PPV)s. The polymers' unique, blue-shifted optical properties are due to the alkoxy-substitution in the polymer's backbone and the resulting materials could be photoisomerized to the all-trans polymer. This strategy affords tetraalkoxy-pCpd monomers in high yields for the polymerization of soluble PPVs with low or narrow dispersities.

Secondary Structure in Nonpeptidic Supramolecular Block Copolymers

Proteins contain a level of complexity-secondary and tertiary structures-that polymer chemists aim to imitate. The bottom-up synthesis of protein-mimicking polymers mastering sequence variability and dispersity remains challenging. Incorporating polymers with predefined secondary structures, such as helices and π-π stacking sheets, into block copolymers circumvents the issue of designing and predicting one facet of their 3D architecture. Block copolymers with well-defined secondary-structure elements formed by covalent chain extension or supramolecular self-assembly may be considered for localized tertiary structures.In this Account, we describe a strategy toward block copolymers composed of units bearing well-defined secondary structures mixed in a "plug-and-play" manner that approaches a modicum of the versatility seen in nature. Our early efforts focused on the concept of single-chain collapse to achieve folded secondary structures through either hydrogen bonding or quadrupole attractive forces. These cases, however, required high dilution. Therefore, we turned to the ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of [2.2]paracyclophane-1,9-dienes (pCpd), which forms conjugated, fluorescent poly(p-phenylenevinylene)s (PPVs) evocative of β-sheets. Helical building blocks arise from polymers such as poly(isocyanide)s (PICs) or poly(methacrylamide)s (PMAcs) containing bulky, chiral side groups while the coil motif can be represented by any flexible chain; we frequently chose poly(styrene) (PS) or poly(norbornene) (PNB). We installed moieties for supramolecular assembly at the chain ends of our "sheets" to combine them with complementary helical or coil-shaped polymeric building blocks.Assembling hierarchical materials tantamount to the complexity of proteins requires directional interactions with high specificity, covalent chain extension, or a combination of both chemistries. Our design is based on functionalized reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) agents that allowed for the introduction of recognition motifs at the terminus of building blocks and chain-terminating agents (CTAs) that enabled the macroinitiation of helical polymers from the chain end of ROMP-generated sheets and/or coils. To achieve triblock copolymers with a heterotelechelic helix, we relied on supramolecular assembly with helix and coil-shaped building blocks. Our most diverse structures to date comprised a middle block of PPV sheets, parallel or antiparallel, and supramolecularly or covalently linked, respectively, end-functionalized with molecular recognition units (MRUs) for orthogonal supramolecular assembly. We explored PPV sheets with multiple folds achieved by chain extension using alternating pCpd and phenyl-pentafluorophenyl β-hairpin turns. Using single-molecule polarization spectroscopy, we showed that folding occurs preferentially in multistranded over double-stranded PPV sheets. Our strategy toward protein-mimicking and foldable polymers demonstrates an efficient route toward higher ordered, well-characterized materials by taking advantage of polymers that naturally manifest secondary structures. Our studies demonstrate the retention of distinct architectures after complex assembly, a paradigm that we believe may extend to other polymeric folding systems.

Strain visualization for strained macrocycles

Strain has a unique and sometimes unpredictable impact on the properties and reactivity of molecules. To thoroughly describe strain in molecules, a computational tool that relates strain energy to reactivity by localizing and quantifying strain was developed. Strain energy is calculated local to every coordinate in the molecule and areas of higher strain are shown experimentally to be more reactive. Not only does this tool directly compare strain energy in parts of the same molecule, but it also computes total strain to give a full picture of molecular strain energy. It is freely available to the public on GitHub under the name StrainViz and much of the workflow is automated to simplify use for non-experts. Unique insight into the reactivity of curved aromatic molecules and strained alkyne bioorthogonal reagents is described within.

Substituent effect on inter-ring interaction in paracyclophanes

The theoretical calculations, namely multipole-derived charge analysis, quantum theory of atom in molecules, and non-bonding interaction (NCI), were performed for [2.2]paracyclophanes, [2.2]paracyclophane-7,9-dienes, and [3.3]paracyclophanes optimized at B3LYP/6-311++G** level, including dispersion correction. The substituent effect of the electron donor N(Me)2 and electron acceptor NO2 group and the influence of the length of bridges joining the aromatic ring on aromatic ring interaction energy (AIE) and strain energy were discussed. The local and electrostatic character of the substituent effect in paracyclophanes was shown. The presence of the weak orbital through-space C···C interaction between the [3.3]paracyclophane ring and weak CH···O hydrogen bonds between the substituents in the different rings was shown.

Melting of nucleobases. Getting the cutting edge of "Walden's Rule"

Walden's Rule is an empirical observation of an invariant fusion entropy during fusion of non-associated organic compounds. For the five nucleobases, adenine, thymine, cytosine, guanine, and uracil, surprisingly high fusion temperatures and enthalpies have been measured using a specially developed fast scanning calorimetry method that prevents decomposition. Even when nucleobases admittedly possess very high fusion temperatures, e.g. the value of 862 K measured for guanine really exceeds all expectations of the feasible dimension of the fusion temperature for such a relatively small and simple organic molecule. Hirshfeld surface analysis has been applied in order to find out an explanation for such extremely unusual thermal behavior of nucleobases. We rationalized the observed trends in terms of fusion entropy (Walden's constant = 56.5 J K^-1 mol^-1) as the entropic penalty of fusion not only for "non-associated", as proposed by Walden in 1908, but also for "ideal associated" systems like nucleobases.

Indeno[1,2-b]fluorene-Based [2,2]Cyclophanes with 4n/4n and 4n/[4n+2] π Electrons: Syntheses, Structural Analyses, and Excitonic Coupling Properties

Indeno[1,2-b]fluorene-based [2,2]cyclophanes with 4n/4n and 4n/[4n+2] π-electron systems were prepared, and their structures were identified by X-ray crystallography. With short π-π distances around 3.0 Å, [2.2](5,11)indeno[1,2-b]fluorenophane and its precursor [2.2](5,11)indeno[1,2-b]fluorene-6,12-dionophane exhibit remarkable transannular interactions, leading to their unusual electrochemical and photophysical properties. With the aid of femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, the transition from the monomeric excited state to the redshifted H-type dimeric state was first observed, correlating to the calculated excitonic energy splitting and the steady-state absorption spectra induced by charge-transfer-mediated superexchange interaction.

Selective Aliphatic Carbon-Carbon Bond Activation by Rhodium Porphyrin Complexes

The carbon-carbon bond activation of organic molecules with transition metal complexes is an attractive transformation. These reactions form transition metal-carbon bonded intermediates, which contribute to fundamental understanding in organometallic chemistry. Alternatively, the metal-carbon bond in these intermediates can be further functionalized to construct new carbon-(hetero)atom bonds. This methodology promotes the concept that the carbon-carbon bond acts as a functional group, although carbon-carbon bonds are kinetically inert. In the past few decades, numerous efforts have been made to overcome the chemo-, regio- and, more recently, stereoselectivity obstacles. The synthetic usefulness of the selective carbon-carbon bond activation has been significantly expanded and is becoming increasingly practical: this technique covers a wide range of substrate scopes and transition metals. In the past 16 years, our laboratory has shown that rhodium porphyrin complexes effectively mediate the intermolecular stoichiometric and catalytic activation of both strained and nonstrained aliphatic carbon-carbon bonds. Rhodium(II) porphyrin metalloradicals readily activate the aliphatic carbon(sp³)-carbon(sp³) bond in TEMPO ((2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl) and its derivatives, nitriles, nonenolizable ketones, esters, and amides to produce rhodium(III) porphyrin alkyls. Recently, the cleavage of carbon-carbon σ-bonds in unfunctionalized and noncoordinating hydrocarbons with rhodium(II) porphyrin metalloradicals has been developed. The absence of carbon-hydrogen bond activation in these systems makes the reaction unique. Furthermore, rhodium(III) porphyrin hydroxide complexes can be generated in situ to selectively activate the carbon(α)-carbon(β) bond in ethers and the carbon(CO)-carbon(α) bond in ketones under mild conditions. The addition of PPh₃ promotes the reaction rate and yield of the carbon-carbon bond activation product. Thus, both rhodium(II) porphyrin metalloradical and rhodium(III) porphyrin hydroxide are very reactive to activate the aliphatic carbon-carbon bonds. Recently, we successfully demonstrated the rhodium porphyrin catalyzed reduction or oxidation of aliphatic carbon-carbon bonds using water as the reductant or oxidant, respectively, in the absence of sacrificial reagents and neutral conditions. This Account presents our contribution in this domain. First, we describe the chemistry of equilibria among the reactive rhodium porphyrin complexes in oxidation states from Rh(I) to Rh(III). Then, we present the serendipitous discovery of the carbon-carbon bond activation reaction and subsequent developments in our laboratory. These aliphatic carbon-carbon bond activation reactions can generally be divided into two categories according to the reaction type: (i) homolytic radical substitution of a carbon(sp³)-carbon(sp³) bond with a rhodium(II) porphyrin metalloradical and (ii) σ-bond metathesis of a carbon-carbon bond with a rhodium(III) porphyrin hydroxide. Finally, representative examples of catalytic carbon-carbon bond hydrogenation and oxidation through strategic design are covered. The progress in this area broadens the chemistry of rhodium porphyrin complexes, and these transformations are expected to find applications in organic synthesis.

Dimensionally controlled water-dispersible amplifying fluorescent polymer nanoparticles for selective detection of charge-neutral analytes

Fluorescent nanoparticles composed of poly(p-phenylenevinylene) block copolymers were prepared by the facile one-step process and exhibited discriminative detection of neutral explosives against charged molecules.

Mechanistic investigation of the ring opening metathesis polymerisation of alkoxy and alkyl substituted paracyclophanedienes

This paper discusses the living nature of the ring opening metathesis polymerisation (ROMP) of alkoxy and alkyl substituted [2.2] paracyclophane-1,9-dienes (M1 and M2), initiated with Grubbs’ second and third generation catalysts (G2 and G3).

Aromaticity and Through-Space Interaction between Aromatic Rings in [2.2]Paracyclophanes

The HOMA index calculated for [2.2]paracyclophanes in the solid state reveals a slight decrease of aromaticity. Interactions between aromatic rings of [2.2]paracyclophane have been investigated using AIM and NCI analysis in both crystal and optimized [2.2]paracyclophane structures. AIM analysis showed that the C···C bond path between the two aromatic rings is present only in few [2.2]paracyclophanes. The NCI approach visualized the dispersion and repulsive interactions between the aromatic rings of every [2.2]paracyclophane. Combination of AIM and the NCI approach is necessary for determining and identifying nonbonded interactions in [2.2]paracyclophanes.

Alkyl substituted [2.2]paracyclophane-1,9-dienes

Highly strained alkyl-substituted [2.2]paracyclophane-1,9-dienes, suitable for ring opening metathesis polymerization to poly(phenylene vinylenes), have been prepared in excellent yields.

Structure and NMR spectra of cyclophanes with unsaturated bridges (cyclophenes)

The calculated structures of several known and hypothetical cyclophanes with ethylene bridges (cyclophenes) are reported together with experimental and calculated values of their NMR parameters. Of the exchange-correlation functionals and basis sets used in this work, only the ωB97X-D/6-311++G(2d,2p) and ωB97X-D/cc-pVQZ yielded values of the C(sp3)-C(sp3) bond length close to the experimental data, although significant differences still remain. As far as the NMR parameters are concerned, except for close-lying signals, chemical shifts and coupling constants calculated at the ωB97X-D/cc-pVQZ level reproduce in most cases the experimental trends. Contrary to the calculations of geometries, an agreement between the values of the NMR parameters obtained at ωB97X-D/cc-pVQZ level and the experimental ones is the poorest compared with that of the ωB97X-D/6-311++G(2d,2p) one. Taking into account that the results of the different calculations show the same qualitative trends in most cases, we believe that they correctly describe the structure and properties of the hypothetical molecules studied here.

A hierarchy of homodesmotic reactions for thermochemistry

Chemical equations that balance bond types and atom hybridization to different degrees are often used in computational thermochemistry, for example, to increase accuracy when lower levels of theory are employed. We expose the widespread confusion over such classes of equations and demonstrate that the two most widely used definitions of "homodesmotic" reactions are not equivalent. New definitions are introduced, and a consistent hierarchy of reaction classes (RC1-RC5) for hydrocarbons is constructed: isogyric (RC1) superset of isodesmic (RC2) superset of hypohomodesmotic (RC3) superset of homodesmotic (RC4) superset of hyperhomodesmotic (RC5). Each of these successively conserves larger molecular fragments. The concept of isodesmic bond separation reactions is generalized to all classes in this hierarchy, providing a unique sectioning of a given molecule for each reaction type. Several ab initio and density functional methods are applied to the bond separation reactions of 38 hydrocarbons containing five or six carbon atoms. RC4 and RC5 reactions provide bond separation enthalpies with errors consistently less than 0.4 kcal mol(-1) across a wide range of theoretical levels, performing significantly better than the other reaction types and far superior to atomization routes. Our recommended bond separation reactions are demonstrated by determining the enthalpies of formation (at 298 K) of 1,3,5-hexatriyne (163.7 +/- 0.4 kcal mol(-1)), 1,3,5,7-octatetrayne (217.5 +/- 0.6 kcal mol(-1)), the larger polyynes C(10)H(2) through C(26)H(2), and an infinite acetylenic carbon chain.