Effect of non-planarity on the spin distribution in the radical anions containing the stilbene or the azobenzene π-system: An ESR and ENDOR Study

The radical anions of 5H-dibenzo[a,d]cycloheptene ( 9 ), 5 H-dibenzo[c,f][1,2]diazepine ( 10 ), 5,6-dihydrodibenzo[a,e]cyclooctene ( 11 ), 5,6-dihydrodibenzo[c,g][1,2]diazocine ( 12 ), and (E)-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-3,4-diphenylhex-3-ene ( 13 ) were characterized by ESR and ENDOR spectroscopy. Their hyperfine data were compared with those previously reported for radical anions also containing the stilbene or the azobenzene π-system. Whereas the π-spin distribution in the radical anions of the stilbene series is only moderately sensitive to deviations of the π-system from planarity, the radical anions of the azobenzene series respond to steric strain by shifting the π-spin population from the benzene rings to the azo group. This finding is impressively demonstrated by the similar hyperfine data for 9 ^{· ?} and 11 ^{· ?} which contrast with the strongly highly hindered 13 ^{· ?}. A. plausible interpretation is readily provided by the electron affinities of the constituent π-moieties in stilbene and azobenzene. While those of benzene and ethene are both comparatively low, the azo group has a considerably higher electron affinity.     

Fluoride-responsive gelator and colorimetric sensor based on simple and easy-to-prepare cyano-substituted amide

A new and easy-to-prepare gelator based on cyano-substituted amide (BPNIA) was designed and synthesized. BPNIA could form thermoreversible gel in DMSO-H(2)O (v/v, 9?:?1) and ultrasound-stimulated gel in DMSO. FT-IR, UV-vis and XRD spectra indicated that the gelator molecules self-assemble into a fibrous network resulting from the cooperation of intermolecular hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking and cyano interactions. BPNIA can act as a highly selective colorimetric sensor for fluoride in DMSO, overcoming the interference of H(2)PO(4)(-), AcO(-) and other halide anions. The deprotonation of the NH groups is responsible for the dramatic color change from colorless to yellow. Interestingly, the organogel of BPNIA could allow a two channel fluoride response by proton controlled reversible sol-gel transition and color changes.     

Molecular Conformation of Benzylideneanilines

The non-planar conformations of benzylideneanilines and the almost planar conformations of stilbene and azobenzene are consistently reproduced by a simple model, which takes into account the dependence of π-electron energy and non-bonded interactions on molecular conformation. Other aspects of the molecular geometry of benzylideneanilines.(bond angles influence of p-substituents) are also discussed.     

Synthesis, dual fluorescence, and fluoroionophoric behavior of dipyridylaminomethylstilbenes

The synthesis, dual fluorescence, and fluoroionophoric behavior of two donor-sigma spacer-acceptor (D-s-A) compounds, trans-4-(N,N-bis(2-pyridyl)amino)methylstilbene (1H) and trans-4-(N,N-bis(2-pyridyl)amino)methyl-4'-cyanostilbene (1CN), are reported and compared to that of trans-4-(N,N-bis(2-pyridyl)amino)methyl-4'-(N,N-dimethylamino)stilbene (1DPA). To gain insights into the dual fluorescence properties for 1H and 1CN in polar but not in nonpolar solvents, model compounds resulting from a replacement of the stilbene group by alkyl (2R) or xylyl (2X) groups or from a replacement of the dipyridylamino (dpa) group by dianisoleamino (3AA), diethylamino (3EE), methylanilino (3MP), or diphenylamino (3PP) groups also have been investigated. In addition to 1H and 1CN, all four compounds of 3 display dual fluorescence. The locally excited (LE) fluorescence mainly results from the stilbene group and the ICT fluorescence from the through-bond interactions between the amino donor and the stilbene acceptors. In the presence of transition metal ions such as Zn(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Cd(II), the ICT processes are switched from dpa (D) --> stilbene (A) in 1H and 1CN to stilbene (D) --> dpa/metal ion (A) in their complexes. Whereas the ICT states for the complexes are generally nonfluorescent, an exception was found for the case of 1H/Zn(II). As a result, substituent-dependent fluoroionophoric behavior has been demonstrated by 1H, 1CN, and 1DPA in response to Zn(II).     

Synthesis, characterization and fluorescence study of new polyacrylates containing stilbene

A new urethane acrylic monomer with stilbene in its structure, trans-4-(2-methacryloyloxyethylcarbamoyloxymethyl)stilbene (SUM), was synthesized to be further free radically copolymerized with methyl methacrylate (MMA). The structures of SUM and the resulting copolymer, trans-4-(2-methacryloyloxyethylcarbamoyloxymethyl)stilbene-co-methyl methacrylate (SUMMA) were characterized by ¹H NMR, UV-vis and FTIR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), TGA and fluorescence spectroscopy. From the ¹H NMR spectrum of the formed copolymer, a composition of about 1:2.6 (SUM/MMA) was determined. The photochemical behavior of the stilbene moieties in polymer was investigated in solution (DMF) and in film state comparatively to that of SUM, following the decreasing under UV irradiation of the π-π∗ absorption band characteristic to the trans-isomer in the UV spectra. Morphologic changes in the surface of the polymeric film during the photoisomerization were visualized by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and it is proposed that the new formed cone-shaped structures from the irradiated surface to be attributed to J-aggregates. Analysis of fluorescence shows that the stilbene derivatives showed both monomer emission at 358 (SUM) and 357 nm (SUMMA), and excimer (aggregate) emission at 391 and 412 nm (SUM), and at 374 and 398 nm (SUMMA) in solution. Quenching of the active species (SUMMA) by aliphatic amines shows that this process involves an electron transfer from the ground-state amine to excited stilbene, more efficiently being triethylamine.     

Theoretical calculations of the structure of a donor—acceptor stilbene, azobenzene and related molecules

The structures of a substituted stilbene, azobenzene, and two isomeric benzylidene anilines containing the 4-dimethyl-amino group at one end of the molecule and the 4′-nitro group at the other, have been calculated using the semiempirical MNDO, AM1, and PM3 methods and the ab initio HF/3-21G method. The results are compared with experimental data where available. The MNDO method gives a very poor account of the geometry of the stilbene, but both the AM1 and PM3 methods correctly predict the planarity of the substituted stilbene and nitrobenzylidene aniline but erroneously predict a non-planar structure for the azobenzene. In contrast, the ab initio method predicts planar structures for the substituted stilbene, azobenzene, and nitrobenzylidene aniline, and a twisted structure for the isomeric benzylidene nitroaniline, in line with crystallographic data. This loss of planarity for the benzylidene nitroaniline is almost certainly responsible for its smaller non-linear activity and for the hypsochromic shift observed in its low energy absorption band relative to the other molecules.     

Sterically directed functionalization of aromatic C-H bonds: selective borylation ortho to cyano groups in arenes and heterocycles

Ir-catalyzed borylations of 4-substituted benzonitriles are described. In contrast to electrophilic aromatic substitutions and directed ortho metalations, C-H activation/borylation enables functionalization at the 2-position, adjacent to the cyano group, when the 4-subsitutent is larger than cyano. When an excess of borane reagent is used, diborylation can be achieved with a single regioisomer being formed in certain cases. Extension of sterically directed borylation to cyano-substituted, five- and six-membered ring heterocycles is also reported.     

Electrochemistry of nitronyl and imino nitroxides

Redox potentials of a wide group of azolyl-substituted nitronyl and imino nitroxides were determined by classic cyclic voltammetry (CV). Conclusions have been made for this group of compounds, and their peculiarities were emphasized in comparison with methyl-, phenyl-, iodo-, and cyano-substituted nitroxides.     

Concerning the Conformation of Isolated Benzylideneaniline

From PE.-spectroscopical studies the torsional angle φ of the N-phenyl ring in isolated benzylideneaniline 1 has been found to be definitely smaller than φ= 90°. An approximate valueφ= 36°has been estimated which is even smaller than the one observed in the crystal (φ= 55°) and suggested to prevail also in solutions of 1 . A reevaluation of the gas phase optical spectrum of isolated 1 supports a torsional angle similar to that found in the other phases. Calculations of the most stable conformation of 1 as well as of stilbene and azobenzene by the MINDO/3-technique lead to torsional angles φ= 90° for both phenyl rings in all cases. These results are at variance with the experimental results and suggest that MINDO/3-like its less advanced precursor MINDO/2 or like CNDO/2–is unreliable for low energy processes involving rotation of π-systems connected by essential single bonds. It is concluded that the π-energy of benzylideneaniline, like that of stilbene or azobenzene, would favor a planar conformation. The increased torsional angle in 1 as compared to the other two iso-conjugate systems arises from a larger steric interaction between phenyl- and bridgeprotons.     

Intramolecular nucleophilic addition of an organorhodium(I) to a nitrile

Nucleophilic addition of an organorhodium(I) to a cyano group has been observed for the first time in the rhodium-catalysed reaction of cyano-substituted alkynes with arylboronic acids. The higher reactivity of a cyano group relative to an alkoxycarbonyl group toward an organorhodium(I) species is demonstrated by an intramolecular example.     

Chiral and extended π-conjugated bis(2-pyridyl)phospholes as assembling N,P,N pincers for coordination-driven synthesis of supramolecular [2,2]paracyclophane analogues

Chiral, π-conjugated 3,4-butano-1-phenyl-2,5-bis(2-pyridyl)phosphole derivatives 1a(2,2') and 1a(3) with chiral trans-1,2-diol moieties and fused pinene derivatives, respectively, were prepared from the corresponding chiral diynes by using the Fagan-Nugent method. Their UV/Vis absorption and chiroptical properties (optical rotation and circular dichroism) were studied. Their behavior as N,P,N chelates towards coordination of Cu(I) and formation of chiral supramolecular assemblies with π-conjugated ditopic dicyano ligands was investigated. Chiral C(2)-symmetric rectangles that are [2,2]paracyclophane analogues were obtained, as demonstrated by X-ray crystallography. During the course of this study, the first stable water-soluble phosphole derivative (1a(2)·2 HCl) was prepared. Furthermore, achiral 3,4-butano-1-phenyl-2,5-bis(aza[4]helicene)phosphole 1a(4) was synthesized and displays extended π conjugation. A supramolecular rectangle was obtained by coordination to Cu(I) and assembly with a dicyano stilbene. This coordination-driven supramolecular assembly contains a total of four aza[4]helicene moieties and displays two types of π-π stacking interactions in the solid state, that is, between two helicene moieties and between one helicene and a bridging dicyano ligand. All the supramolecular arrangements are discussed by comparing them with previous work on the parent 3,4-butano-1-phenyl-2,5-bis(2-pyridyl)phosphole.     

A new cyano-substituted fluorescamine superior to its original form as a fluorescent probe for amino acid detection

Synthesis and spectral study of two new cyano-substituted fluorescamine as the fluorescent probes for amino acid detection have been carried out comparing with the original fluorescamine. Of the three compounds, the derivative with a cyano group at the meta-position on the 4-phenyl group was found to be superior to the original one in the reactivity toward some amino acids as well as the fluorescence intensity of the adducts. The fluorescent amino acid adducts were also applied to the peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence system as the fluorophores, in which the derivative described above was found to be more effective also in chemiluminescence than the original one.     

The geometry of hindered stilbenes in their ground and excited states

The torsional angles about the 1-α single bond and about the α-α double bond in hindered stilbene derivatives were calculated for the ground and for the excited states. The calculated ground state geometries form a basis for a π-electron-SCF-LCAO-CI-MO calculation of the singlet excitation energies which agree accurately with the experimental values. The calculated potential curves for torsion about the 1-α bonds provide a qualitative explanation for the significant red shift and increase in intensity of the first singlet absorption band observed in these compounds at low temperatures.     

Photo- and electroluminescent properties of cyano-substituted styryl derivatives and synthesis of CN-PPV model compounds containing an alkoxy spacer for OLEDs

The series of cyano-substituted model compounds 18-20 for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) was prepared through Knoevenagel condensation reactions between the dialdehydes 3,6,9 and the differently substituted acetonitrile derivatives 11,16,17. The influence of the different substituents on the optical properties of the resulting α-cyanostyryl compounds 18-20 was investigated. Another series of dimeric cyano-substituted styryl compounds 26-28 were prepared, in which a flexible, nonconjugated spacer is present between the two cyanostyryl moieties. The spacer isolates the π-conjugated portions of dimeric compounds 26-28, improves their solubility in common organic solvents, and decreases their tendency to crystallize. These features are favorable for producing efficient luminescent films in OLEDs devices.     

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of E-4,4’-Bis(N,N-di-n-butylamino)stilbene

1 INTRODUCTION Two-photon absorption is a subject which attracts fast-growing interest in chemistry, photonics, and biological imaging fields in the past decades[1]. The two-photon techniques have wide applications, for example, optical power limiting[2], two-photon opti- cal memory[3], two-photon confocal imaging[4] and up-conversion laser[5]. Especially recently, the inte- rest has gradually been focused on studying two- photon initiated photopolymerization (TPIP) and exploring some pe…     

Effects of nonmesomorphic substituted benzonitriles on the dielectric properties of cyanobiphenyl liquid crystals

The effects of the cyano-substituted aromatic nonmesomorphic additives N-(3,4-dicyanophenyl)-4′-nonyloxybenzamide (I), 3,4-dicyanophenyl-4′-nonyloxybenzoate (II), 3,4-dicyanophenyl-3′,4′,5′-tris-(4″-undecyloxyphenylbenzoate)benzoate (III), and 4-(6-hydroxyhexyloxy)benzonitrile (IV) on the dielectric properties of 4-hexyloxy-4′-cyanobiphenyl and a liquid-crystal mixture E3 were studied. Dielectric anisotropy, birefringence, and orientational ordering were studied to show that monocyano derivative IV most strongly increased the dielectric anisotropy of mesomorphic compositions because of its effective incorporation into the liquid crystal matrix.     

Synthesis, Structure of a Symmetrically Substituted Stilbene with Strong Two-photon Absorption and Up-converted Blue Fluorescence

Symmetric substituted stilbenes have significantly potential application such as fluorescence microscopy, two-photon photodynamic therapy, optical power limiting, and three-dimensional storage1-2. These dyes have strong tendency of symmetric intra-molecular change transfer under the excited state. As a result, they usually exhibit large two-photon absorptivity (TPA), in the meanwhile emit strong up-converted fluorescence. On the other hand, their solutions generally display linear transmis…     

Experimental and theoretical studies on organic D-π-A systems containing three-coordinate boron moieties as both π-donor and π-acceptor

Four linear π-conjugated systems with 1,3-diethyl-1,3,2-benzodiazaborolyl [C(6)H(4)(NEt)(2)B] as a π-donor at one end and dimesitylboryl (BMes(2)) as a π-acceptor at the other end were synthesized. These unusual push-pull systems contain phenylene (-1,4-C(6)H(4)-; 1), biphenylene (-4,4'-(1,1'-C(6)H(4))(2)-; 2), thiophene (-2,5-C(4)H(2)S-; 3), and dithiophene (-5,5'-(2,2'-C(4)H(2)S)(2)-; 4) as π-conjugated bridges and different types of three-coordinate boron moieties serving as both π-donor and π-acceptor. Molecular structures of 2, 3, and 4 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Photophysical studies on these systems reveal blue-green fluorescence in all compounds. The Stokes shifts for 1, 2, and 3 are notably large at 7820-9760 cm(-1) in THF and 5430-6210 cm(-1) in cyclohexane, whereas the Stokes shift for 4 is significantly smaller at 5510 cm(-1) in THF and 2450 cm(-1) in cyclohexane. Calculations on model systems 1'-4' show the HOMO to be mainly diazaborolyl in character and the LUMO to be dominated by the empty p orbital at the boron atom of the BMes(2) group. However, there are considerable dithiophene bridge contributions to both orbitals in 4'. From the experimental data and MO calculations, the π-electron-donating strength of the 1,3-diethyl-1,3,2-benzodiazaborolyl group was found to lie between that of methoxy and dimethylamino groups. TD-DFT calculations on 1'-4', using B3LYP and CAM-B3LYP functionals, provide insight into the absorption and emission processes. B3LYP predicts that both the absorption and emission processes have strong charge-transfer character. CAM-B3LYP which, unlike B3LYP, contains the physics necessary to describe charge-transfer excitations, predicts only a limited amount of charge transfer upon absorption, but somewhat more upon emission. The excited-state (S(1)) geometries show the borolyl group to be significantly altered compared to the ground-state (S(0)) geometries. This borolyl group reorganization in the excited state is believed to be responsible for the large Stokes shifts in organic systems containing benzodiazaborolyl groups in these and related compounds.     

A [2++4] polar cycloaddition of α-chlorosulfides with conjugated dienes: one-pot synthesis of 1-acyl- and 1-cyano-1-methylthio-2-vinylcyclopropanes

In the presence of SnCl₄, methoxycarbonyl-, acetyl-, benzoyl-, or cyano-substituted chloromethyl methyl sulfide (1–4) undergoes [2⁺+4] polar cycloaddition with conjugated dienes to afford the cycloadducts of type 7, which, on treatment with base, are converted into the 1-acyl- or 1-cyano-1-methylthio-2-vinylcyclopropanes 9–10 via the ylide intermediates of type 8.