Hydrogallation of Trimethylsilylethynylbenzenes: Generation of Potential Di- and Tripodal Chelating Lewis Acids

Synthesis of bi- and tetradentate poly-Lewis acids by hydroalumination of poly-alkynyl-anthracene derivatives

Photo-dimers of 1,5-diethynylanthracene and 1,5-bis[(trimethylsilyl)ethynyl]anthracene, obtained by UV radiation of the monomers, were treated with the bulky aluminium hydride [(SiMe₃)₂HC]₂AlH in hydroalumination reactions. Hydroalumination of the tetraethynyl-substituted anthracene photo-dimers (syn and anti) led to fourfold aluminium-functionalized Janus-like products with two aluminium functions on each side oriented towards the same direction. The reactions of the monomeric anthracene derivatives with [(SiMe₃)₂HC]₂AlH afforded semi-flexible bidentate Lewis acids, which are interesting building blocks for molecular chains bearing multiple Lewis-acidic functions. The aluminium-functionalized anti-photo-dimer was treated with various donor molecules to gain insight into its host-guest chemistry. All poly-Lewis acids and their adducts were characterized by X-ray diffraction experiments, multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and by elemental analyses.

Hydrogen-bond-induced selectivity of a head-to-head photo-dimerisation of dialkynylanthracene - access to tetradentate Lewis acids

Using 2-hydroxypropyl-protecting groups, 1,8-dialkynylanthracene photo-dimers were prepared in head-to-head-configuration by UV irradiation on a multi-gram scale. In non-polar solvents, the combination of non-covalent hydrogen bonds and π-π-interactions induces the formation of the syn-isomer in up to 85% yield. Instead, more polar solvents or irradiation of unprotected 1,8-diethynylanthracene led to formation of the corresponding anti-isomer in large excess. Cleavage of the protecting groups under basic conditions affords a rigid hydrocarbon skeleton with four directional functions. This was used as a building block for a tetradentate boron Lewis acid. Its applicability as a host for Lewis-base substrates was demonstrated by the formation of adducts with various nitrogen bases. Adduct formation with hydrazine leads to impressive networks between the tetraboron host and the substrate molecules.

Bidentate Boron Lewis Acids: Selectivity in Host-Guest Complex Formation

Bidentate boron Lewis acids based on 1,8-diethynylanthracene were synthesised in two steps by initial stannylation of the terminal alkynes and subsequent tin-boron exchange with different chloroboranes. The reactions were very selective, and the target compounds were obtained in high purity and good to excellent yields. Complexation experiments of 1,8-bis[(diphenylboranyl)ethynyl]anthracene with nitrogen bases (pyridine, pyrimidine, TMEDA) afforded three stable adducts, which were structurally characterised by X-ray diffraction. Competition experiments demonstrated the selective exchange of guests, and quantum-chemical calculations provided information on their energetics. NMR experiments at low temperature gave insight into the dynamic behaviour of the TMEDA adduct.

Gallium Hydrides and O/N-Donors as Tunable Systems in C-F Bond Activation

The gallium hydrides (iBu)₂ GaH (1 a), LiGaH₄ (1 b) and Me₃ N⋅GaH₃ (1 c) hydrodefluorinate vinylic and aromatic C-F bonds when O and N donor molecules are present. 1 b exhibits the highest reactivity. Quantitative conversion to the hydrodefluorination (HDF) products could be observed for hexafluoropropene and 1,1,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene, 94 % conversion of pentafluoropyridine and 49 % of octafluorotoluene. Whereas for the HDF with 1 b high conversions are observed when catalytic amounts of O donor molecules are added, for 1 a, the addition of N donor molecules lead to higher conversions. The E/Z selectivity of the HDF of 1,1,3,3,3-pentafluoropropene is donor-dependent. DFT studies show that HDF proceeds in this case via the gallium hydride dimer-donor species and a hydrometallation/elimination sequence. Selectivities are sensitive to the choice of donor, as the right donor can lead to an on/off switching during catalysis, that is, the hydrometallation step is accelerated by the presence of a donor, but the donor dissociates prior to elimination, allowing the inherently more selective donorless gallium systems to determine the selectivity.

From Bidentate Gallium Lewis Acids to Supramolecular Complexes

Bidentate gallium Lewis acids were prepared by the reaction of diethynyldiphenylsilane with neat trimethyl- or triethylgallium. Bis[(dimethylgallyl)ethynyl]diphenylsilane (1) and diethylgallyl derivative 2 were characterized as Et₂ O or pyridine adducts by NMR spectroscopy; 2⋅2Py was isolated. Lewis acids 1 and 2 form host-guest adducts with bidentate nitrogen bases, but defined cyclic 1:1 adducts are only formed between 1 and bases with matching N⋅⋅⋅N distances: 4,4'-dimethyl-3,3'-bipyridinylacetylene (3), bis[(pyridin-3-yl)ethynyl]diphenylsilane (4), and bis[(2-methylpyridin-5-yl)ethynyl]diphenylsilane (5). The structures of adducts 1⋅3, 1⋅4, and 1⋅5 were established by X-ray diffraction experiments. 2⋅2Py reacts with DABCO to afford polymeric (DABCO-2-)_n .

Bi- and tridentate silicon-based acceptor molecules

Triethynylphenylsilane (1), trivinylphenylsilane (2), diethynyldiphenylsilane (3) and diphenyldivinylsilane (4) were reacted with chlorodimethylsilane yielding the corresponding hydrosilylation products. To increase their Lewis acidity, the Si–Cl functions were directly transferred into Si–C6F5 units by salt elimination reactions leading to the (semi-) flexible molecules 5–8 bearing two or three Lewis-acidic sidearms. With the aim of providing host-guest complexes, the air-stable and readily soluble compounds 5–8 were converted with N- and O-Lewis bases of different size and geometry. In all cases, NMR spectroscopic investigations reveal no formation of Lewis acid-base complexes. X-ray diffraction experiments of host compounds 5–7 show intermolecular aryl…perfluoroaryl interactions of dispersion nature in the solid state. By hydrosilylation of 1 with trichlorosilane the more Lewis-acidic all-trans-tris[(trichlorosilyl)vinyl]phenylsilane (9) was obtained. Its Lewis acidity was further increased by fluorination to yield all-trans-tris[(trifluorosilyl)vinyl]phenylsilane (10); the conversion with nitrogen containing Lewis bases ends up in the formation of insoluble precipitates.

Maleimides Designed for Self-Assembly and Reactivity on Graphene

Two new maleimide derivatives have been synthesized, prone to self-assemble and react with graphene as dienophiles. Both compounds bear a long alkyl chain on the carbon-carbon double bond position 3. The maleimide 1 bears a second alkyl chain at the nitrogen, while in compound 2, three maleimide functionalities are linked to a triethynylbenzene core.

Supramolecular polymerization of C3-symmetric organogelators: cooperativity, solvent, and gelation relationship

A systematic study of the influence of solvent and the size of C(3)-symmetric discotics on their supramolecular polymerization mechanism is presented. The cooperativity of the self-assembly of the reported compounds is directly related to their gelation ability. The two series of C(3)-symmetric discotics investigated herein are based on benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamides (BTAs) and oligo(phenylene ethynylene)-based tricarboxamides (OPETAs) that are peripherally decorated with achiral (1a and 2a) or chiral N-(2-aminoethyl)-3,4,5-trialkoxybenzamide units (1b and 2b). The supramolecular polymerization of compounds 1a,b and 2a,b has been exhaustively investigated in a number of solvents and by using various techniques: variable-temperature circular dichroism (VT-CD) spectroscopy, concentration-dependent (1)H NMR spectroscopy, and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). The supramolecular polymerization mechanism of compounds 2 is highly cooperative in solvents such as methylcyclohexane and toluene and is isodesmic in CHCl(3). Unexpectedly, chiral compound 1b is practically CD-silent, in contrast with previously reported BTAs. ITC measurements in CHCl(3) demonstrated that the supramolecular polymerization of BTA 1a is isodesmic. These results confirm the strong influence of the π-surface of the central aromatic core of the studied discotic and the branched nature of the peripheral side chains on the supramolecular polymerization. The gelation ability of these organogelators is negated in CHCl(3), in which the supramolecular polymerization mechanism is isodesmic.

Vinylgallium and alkyllithium compounds: transmetalation and generation of oligolithium cages

Vinylgallium compounds [C(6)H(6-n){(H)C=C(SiR(2) R')-GaR''(2)}(n ] (3, R=Ph, Me; R'=Ph, Me; R''=tBu, Et; n=1, 2) are easily accessible by hydrogallation of the corresponding alkynylbenzene derivatives with H-GaCl(2) and subsequent reaction with alkyllithium derivatives. Treatment of 3 with an excess amount of tert-butyl- or ethyllithium yielded by transmetalation and ortho-deprotonation of the aromatic rings the unprecedented solvent-free oligolithium cluster compounds [{(C(6)H(4)Li)HC=C(SiPh(3))Li}(2)(tBuLi)(2)] (4), [{(C(6)H(4)Li)HC=C(SiPh(2)Me)Li}(4)] (5) and [{(C(6)H(3)Li){HC=C(SiMe(3))Li}(2)}(3)] (6) in moderate yields. Their solid-state structures revealed the presence of unique molecular lithium clusters with 6, 8, or 9 lithium atoms that may be derived from two edge-sharing Li(4) tetrahedra (4), three Li(4) tetrahedra in a chain joined by two common edges (5) or a tricapped trigonal prism of lithium atoms (6).

Mirror helices and helicity switch at surfaces based on chiral triangular-shape oligo(phenylene ethynylenes)

The self-assembly of triangular-shaped oligo(phenylene ethynylenes) (OPEs), peripherally decorated with chiral and linear paraffinic chains, is investigated in bulk, onto surfaces and in solution. Whilst the X-ray diffraction data for the chiral studied systems display a broad reflection centered at 2θ ∼20° (λ=Cu(Kα)), the higher crystallinity of OPE 3, endowed with three linear decyl chains, results in a diffractrogram with a number of well-resolved reflections that can be accurately indexed as a columnar packing arranged in 2D oblique cells. Compounds (S)-1 a and (R)-1 b-endowed with (S)- and (R)-3,7-dimethyloctyloxy chains-transfer their chirality to the supramolecular structures formed upon their self-assembly, and give rise to helical nanostructures of opposite handedness. A helicity switch is noticeable for the case of chiral (S)-2 decorated with (S)-2-methylnonyloxy chains which forms right-handed helices despite it possesses the same stereoconfiguration for their stereogenic carbons as (S)-1 a that self-assembles into left-handed helices. The stability and the mechanism of the supramolecular polymerization in solution have been investigated by UV/Vis experiments in methylcyclohexane. These studies demonstrate that the larger the distance between the stereogenic carbon and the aromatic framework is, the more stable the aggregate is. Additionally, the self-assembly mechanism is conditioned by the peripheral substituents: whereas compounds (S)-1 a and (R)-1 b self-assemble in a cooperative manner with a low degree of cooperativity, the aggregation of (S)-2 and 3 is well described by an isodesmic model. Therefore, the interaction between the chiral coil chains conditions the handedness of the helical pitch, the stability of the supramolecular structure and the supramolecular polymerization mechanism of the studied OPEs.

Dendronized triangular oligo(phenylene ethynylene) amphiphiles: nanofibrillar self-assembly and dye encapsulation

Triangular-shaped oligo(phenylene ethynylene) amphiphiles 1a and 1b decorated in their periphery with two- and four-branched hydrophilic triethyleneglycol dendron wedges, have been synthesized and their self-assembling properties in solution and onto surfaces investigated. The steric demand produced by the dendritic substituents induces a face-to-face rotated pi stacking of the aromatic moieties. Studies on the concentration and temperature dependence confirm this mechanism and provide binding constants of 1.2 x 10(5) and 1.7 x 10(5) M(-1) in acetonitrile for 1a and 1b, respectively. Dynamic and static light scattering measurements complement the study of the self-assembly in solution and demonstrate the formation of rod-like supramolecular structures in aqueous solution. The nanofibers formed in solution can be efficiently transferred onto surfaces. Thus, TEM images reveal the presence of strands of various thickness, with the most common being several micrometers long and with diameters of around 70 nm. Some of these nanofibers present folded edges that are indicative of their ribbon-like nature. Interestingly, compound 1b can also form thick filaments with a rope-like appearance, which points to a chiral arrangement of the fibers. AFM images under highly diluted conditions also reveal long fibers with height profiles that fit well with the molecular dimensions calculated for both amphiphiles. Finally, we have demonstrated the intercalation of the hydrophobic dye Disperse Orange 3 within the filaments and its subsequent release upon increasing the temperature.

Solvophobic effects in the self-assembly of triangular-shape amphiphilic oligo(phenylene ethynylenes)

Triangular-shape OPEs, decorated in their periphery with a variable number of hydrophilic and hydrophobic substituents, have been synthesized to evaluate the influence of the solvent-solute and solute-solute interactions involved in their self-association. The similar size and electronic properties for these radial OPEs allow a direct evaluation of the solvophobic component of the pi-pi stacking since any preferential Coulombic or dispersion effect can be discarded. In addition, the formation of aggregates in solution is efficiently transferred to surfaces and the formation of hollow vesicles can be observed.

C−H Bond Activation by Hyperconjugation with Al−C Bonds and by Chelating Coordination of the Hydride Ion

On treating di(tert-butyl)butadiyne with dimethylaluminum hydride under different reaction conditions two unprecedented organoelement compounds, containing cationic carbon atoms stable in solution at room temperature, were obtained. A vinyl cation (2) in which the cationic carbon atom is part of a C=C double bond was produced from 3 equiv of the hydride, whereas a large excess of the hydride yielded an aliphatic carbocation (3) by complete hydroalumination of all C-C multiple bonds. Each compound is zwitterionic with the hydride counterion effectively coordinated in a chelating manner by two strongly Lewis acidic aluminum atoms. In agreement with quantum-chemical calculations the C-H bond activation and the stabilization of the cationic species are further supported by a strong hyperconjugation with Al-C single bonds. This considerably diminishes the effective positive charge at the respective cationic carbon atoms.