N‐Boc‐Indolylbenzothiadiazole Derivatives: Efficient Full‐Color Solid‐State Fluorescence and Self‐Recovering Mechanochromic Luminescence

Herein, the solid‐state emission with good fluorescence quantum yields of N‐Boc‐indolylbenzothiadiazoles as a new class of fluorophores is described. Their solid‐state emission covers the wide range of the visible spectrum and the emission color can be tuned easily by changing the substituents on the two heteroaromatic rings. Among these, 3‐methylindolyl derivatives exhibit moreover autonomously self‐recovering mechanochromic luminescence, whereby the original solid‐state emission could be recovered spontaneously at room temperature after exposure to a mechanical stimulus. The emission color, as well as the recovery time for the color change could be tuned via the introduction of different substituents on the benzothiadiazole ring. We propose that the mechanism of the autonomously self‐recovering mechanochromic luminescence of 3‐methylindolylbenzothiadiazoles is based on a partial amorphization of the crystals upon exposure to the mechanical stimulus, followed by autonomous recovering in the form of recrystallization.     

Stepwise and one-pot syntheses of Ir(III) complexes with imidazolium-based carbene ligands

We report the preparation, crystal structure, electrochemistry, and emission properties of Ir(Cinsertion markC:)3, where Cinsertion markC: is an N-heterocyclic carbene ligand. Two synthetic approaches are introduced for generating Ir(III) complexes bearing imidazolium-based carbene ligands whose precursors are [pypiH2][Cl] (1a) (pyridyl[1,2-a]{2-phenylimidazol}-3-ylidene chloride) and [pympiH2][Cl] (1b) (pyridyl[1,2-a-{2-(p-methoxy)phenylimidazol}-3-ylidene chloride). The first method is a stepwise reaction: treatment of [Ir(mu-Cl)(COD)]2, where COD is 1,5-cyclooctadiene, with 4 equiv. of the corresponding carbene (Cinsertion markC:) ligands in the presence of an excess amount of sodium methoxide affords Ir(III) dimers [Ir(mu-Cl)(Cinsertion markC:)2]2 (2a, Cinsertion markC: = pypi(-); 2b, Cinsertion markC: = pympi(-)). These chloro-bridged dimers 2a and 2b react with the corresponding carbene (Cinsertion markC:) ligands to form the desired homoleptic compounds Ir(Cinsertion markC:)3 (3a, Cinsertion markC: = pypi(-); 3b, Cinsertion markC: = pympi(-)). The second method, using a one-pot reaction of [Ir(mu-Cl)(COD)]2 with 6 equiv. of the corresponding carbene (Cinsertion markC:) ligands 1a and 1b in the presence of excess amounts of Ag2O, affords Ir(Cinsertion markC:)3. The two methods are convenient and reproducible procedures for the synthesis of Ir(Cinsertion markC:)3. Complexes 3a and 3b are obtained as mixtures of meridional and facial isomers, which can be separated by recrystallization or flash column chromatography.     

Theoretical study on the second hyperpolarizabilities of phenalenyl radical systems involving acetylene and vinylene linkers: diradical character and spin multiplicity dependences

We have investigated the static second hyperpolarizabilities (gamma) of the singlet diradical systems with intermediate diradical character involving phenalenyl radicals connected by acetylene and vinylene pi-conjugated linkers, 1 and 2, using the hybrid density functional theory. For comparison, we have also examined the gamma values of the closed-shell and pure diradical systems with almost the same molecular size as 1 and 2. In agreement with our previous prediction of the diradical character dependence of gamma, it turns out that the gamma values of 1 and 2 are significantly enhanced compared to those of the closed-shell and pure diradical systems. In the present case, distinct differences in gamma values are not observed between the two pi-conjugated linkers, though the diradical character is found to depend on the kind of linker. Furthermore, we have investigated the spin multiplicity effect on gamma. Changing from the singlet to the triplet state, the gamma values of the systems with intermediate diradical character in the singlet state are quite reduced, though those of the pure diradical systems are hardly changed. Such spin multiplicity dependence of gamma is understood by considering the difference of diradical character between their singlet states together with the Pauli principle. The present results provide a possibility of a novel control scheme of gamma for phenalenyl radical systems involving pi-conjugated linkers by adjusting the diradical character through the change of the linked position of pi-conjugated linkers and the spin multiplicity.     

Second hyperpolarizabilities of singlet polycyclic diphenalenyl radicals: effects of the nature of the central heterocyclic ring and substitution to diphenalenyl rings

Adopting density functional theory and a hybrid exchange-correlation functional, the relationship between the second hyperpolarizability (gamma) and the diradical character has been investigated for diphenalenyl-based compounds containing different heterocyclic five-membered central rings (C(4)H(4)X, where X = NH, PH, O, S, CH(2), SiH(2), BH, GaH, C=O, C=S, and C=Se) or substituted by donor (NH(2))/acceptor(NO(2)) groups. It turns out that these structural modifications can tune the diradical character from 0.0 to 0.968 and lead to variations of gamma over more than 1 order of magnitude, demonstrating the controllability of gamma in this family of compounds. In particular, when the central ring is strongly aromatic, the diradical character is larger than 0.7, which is associated with pretty large gamma values except for almost the pure diradical case (y approximately 1). On the other hand, when the aromaticity decreases--or the antiaromaticity increases--the diradical character and the second hyperpolarizability get smaller. These relationships are correlated to structural (bond length alternation) and charge distribution (charge transfer between the phenalenyl rings and the central ring) properties, which account for the relative importance of the resonance diradical, zwitterionic, and quinoid forms. Therefore, the diradical character and the second hyperpolarizability can be controlled by the aromaticity of the ring while the paradigm of the enhancement of gamma for intermediate diradical character is globally verified. Then, upon introducing donor groups, the zwitterionic character increases, leading to closed-shell species and small second hyperpolarizabilities. In the case of substitution by acceptor groups, the charge transfer is reduced but the diradical character and the second hyperpolarizability hardly changes.     

Rare direct imidation of aromatic metallacycle by reaction of CpCo(dithiolene) complex with N-halosuccinimide

The aromatic [CpCo(S₂C₂(R)(H))] (R = Ph, Me, 9-phenanthryl, H) complexes reacted with N-halosuccinimides (NXS; X = Cl, Br, I) in carbon tetrachloride at room temperature to undergo the N-succinimide substitution reaction on the dithiolene ring, but no halogenated dithiolene complex was obtained. The imidation products [CpCo(S₂C₂(R)(N-sccinimide))] were yielded up to 64% where X = I and R = 9-phenanthryl. The reaction of [CpCo(S₂C₂(Ph)(H))] with N-bromophthalimide (NBP) also gave the imidation product [CpCo(S₂C₂(Ph)(N-phthalimide))]. This is the rare direct imidation reaction to an aromatic metallacycle by NXS. The reaction of [CpCo(S₂C₂H₂)] (R = H) with NIS afforded the double imidation product. One by-product in this reaction was the dithiolene-dithiolene homo-coupling product [CpCo(S₂C₂(R))]₂ (R = Ph, Me, 9-phenanthryl). The microwave-enhanced (MW) reactions were attempted in the carbon tetrachloride solution. Although the solution temperature increased up to only 43 °C by MW irradiation, the imidation reaction worked with short reaction time.     

Micro-channel fabrication by femtosecond laser to arrange neuronal cells on multi-electrode arrays

The surface of a single-crystal germanium wafer was transformed to crystals of germanium fluorides and oxides upon exposure to a vapor of HF and HNO₃ chemical mixture. Structure analysis indicates that the transformation results in a germanate polycrystalline layer consisting of germanium oxide and ammonium fluogermanate with preferential crystal growth orientation in 〈101〉 direction. Local vibrational mode analysis confirms the presence of N–H and Ge–F vibrational modes in addition to Ge–O stretching modes. Energy dispersive studies reveal the presence of hexagonal α-phase GeO₂ crystal clusters and ammonium fluogermanates around these clusters in addition to a surface oxide layer. Electronic band structure as probed by ellipsometry has been associated with the germanium oxide crystals and disorder-induced band tailing effects at the interface of the germanate layer and the bulk Ge wafer. The acid vapor exposure causes Ge surface to emit yellow photoluminescence at room temperature.     

Mesoporous aluminosilicate-catalyzed allylation of aldehydes with allylsilanes

Mesoporous aluminosilicate (Al-MCM-41) was found to catalyze the allylation of both aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes with allylsilanes although amorphous silica-alumina or mesoporous silicates (MCM-41, SBA-15) could not catalyze the reaction under the same reaction conditions. The solid acid catalyst Al-MCM-41 could be reused three times without significant loss of activity.     

A partially crosslinked bicontinuous cubic phase exhibiting a temperature range of more than 100 °C

A new methodology of partial crosslinking is presented for stabilizing the bicontinuous cubic phase without losing its dynamic nature. It was applied to a mixture of 1,2-bis[4'-(9'-decenyloxy)benzoyl]hydrazine with a bi-functional linker, remarkably stabilizing the phase in comparison with the neat compound having no C=C bond at the end of the alkyl tail.