Report on an Unusual Cascade Reaction between Azulenes and 2,3‐Dichloro‐5,6‐dicyano‐1,4‐benzoquinone (=4,5‐Dichloro‐3,6‐dioxocyclohexa‐1,4‐diene‐1,2‐dicarbonitrile; DDQ)

The oxidation of 1‐(3,8‐dimethylazulen‐1‐yl)alkan‐1‐ones 1 with 2,3‐dichloro‐5,6‐dicyano‐1,4‐benzoquinone (=4,5‐dichloro‐3,6‐dioxocyclohexa‐1,4‐diene‐1,2‐dicarbonitrile; DDQ) in acetone/H₂O mixtures at room temperature does not only lead to the corresponding azulene‐1‐carboxaldehydes 2 but also, in small amounts, to three further products (Tables 1 and 2). The structures of the additional products 3 – 5 were solved spectroscopically, and that of 3a also by an X‐ray crystal‐structure analysis (Fig. 1). It is demonstrated that the bis(azulenylmethyl)‐substituted DDQ derivatives 5 yield on methanolysis or hydrolysis precursors, which in a cascade of reactions rearrange under loss of HCl into the pentacyclic compounds 3 (Schemes 4 and 7). The found 1,1′‐[carbonylbis(8‐methylazulene‐3,1‐diyl)]bis[ethanones] 4 are the result of further oxidation of the azulene‐1‐carboxaldehydes 2 to the corresponding azulene‐1‐carboxylic acids (Schemes 9 and 10).     

Quantitation and pharmacokinetics of 1,4‐diamino‐2,3‐dicyano‐1,4‐bis (2‐aminophenylthio) butadiene (U0126) in rat plasma by liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry

A simple, robust, and rapid LC‐MS/MS method was developed for the quantitation of U0126 and validated in rat plasma. Plasma samples (20 μL) were deproteinized using 200 μL ACN containing 30 ng/mL of chlorpropamide, internal standard. Chromatographic separation performed on an Agilent Poroshell 120 EC‐C₁₈ column (4.6 × 50 mm, 2.7 μm particle size) with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of a 70:30 v/v mixture of ACN and 0.1% aqueous formic acid. Each sample was run at 0.6 mL/min for a total run time of 2 min per sample. Detection and quantification were performed using a mass spectrometer in selected reaction‐monitoring mode with positive ESI at m/z 381 → 123.9 for U0126 and m/z 277 → 175 for the internal standard. The standard curve was linear over a concentration range of 20–5000 ng/mL with correlation coefficients greater than 0.9965. Precision, both intra‐ and interday, was less than 10.1% with an accuracy of 90.7–99.4%. No matrix effects were observed. U0126 in rat plasma degraded approximately 41.3% after 3‐h storage at room temperature. To prevent degradation, sample handling should be on an ice bath and all solutions kept at 4°C. This method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of U0126 at various doses in rats.     

One‐Pot Synthesis of 1,4‐Oxathiino[2,3‐b]quinoxalines or ‐pyrazines from 2,3‐Dichloroquinoxaline or ‐pyrazine and 1‐Aryl‐2‐bromoalkan‐1‐ones

An efficient one‐pot synthesis of novel heterocyclic derivatives, 2‐aryl‐1,4‐oxathiino[2,3‐b]quinoxalines or ‐pyrazines 5 , via the reaction of 2,3‐dichloroquinoxaline or ‐pyrazine with Na₂S?9 H₂O, and subsequent treatment of the resulting 2‐chloro‐3‐sodiosulfanylquinoxaline or ‐pyrazine 2 with 1‐aryl‐2‐bromo‐1‐alkanones and then NaH under mild conditions is described.     

Facile Synthesis of Naphtho[2,3‐d]thiazoles,Naphtho[2,3‐e][1,3,4]thiadiazines and Bis(naphtho[2,3‐d]thiazolyl)copper(II) Derivatives from Heteroylthiosemicarbazides

A one step synthesis protocol for the conversion of heteroylthiosemicarbazides and 2,3‐dichloro‐1,4‐naphthoquinone to naphtho[2,3‐d]thiazoles, naphtho[2,3‐e][1,3,4]thiadiazines as well as bis(naphtho[2,3‐d]thiazolyl)copper(II) derivatives is described. The products were conclusively confirmed by single crystal X‐ray analyses. A mechanism for the formation of the products is presented.     

Structural Diversity in the Self‐assembly of Cd(II) Complexes Containing 2,6‐Dimethyl‐3,5‐dicyano‐4‐(4‐pyridyl)‐1,4‐dihydropyridine

The syntheses, structures and properties of the complexes [CdBr₂( L )₂·4H₂O]_n [ L = 2,6‐dimethyl‐3,5‐dicyano‐4‐(4‐pyridyl)‐1,4‐dihydropyridine], 1 and [Cd(SCN)₂( L )₂(H₂O)]_n, 2 , are reported. In polymeric complexes 1 — 2 , the L ligands bridge the metal centers through the pyrimidyl and cyano nitrogen atoms forming 1‐D double‐stranded chain and zigzag chain, respectively. The L ligands in complex 1 act as κ1, κ1‐bidentate bridging ligand, whereas the L ligands in complex 2 act as κ1‐monodentae and κ1, κ1‐bidentate bridging ligand. The molecules of these complexes are interlinked through various weak interactions that form the packed structure. All the complexes exhibit emissions which may be tentatively assigned as intraligand (IL) π→π* transitions.     

The bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene‐based ionic charge‐transfer complex with 2,3‐dichloro‐5,6‐dicyano‐p‐benzoquinone

In the ionic charge‐transfer (CT) complex composed of bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene (ET) and 2,3‐dichloro‐5,6‐dicyano‐p‐benzoquinone (DDQ), C₁₀H₈S₈·C₈Cl₂N₂O₂, the donor and acceptor molecules both form centrosymmetric dimers associated by strong face‐to‐face π–π interactions. The disordered DDQ molecules form a one‐dimensional π‐stacked column, while the ET molecules form a two‐leg ladder through additional short S...S contacts between adjacent π–π‐bonded dimers. The crystal structure of ET–DDQ revealed in this study will provide a valuable example of the two‐leg spin ladder system, which has rarely been reported for ET‐based CT complexes.     

An Alternative Synthesis of the Dopaminergic Drug 2‐Amino‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydronaphthalene‐5,6‐diol (5,6‐ADTN)

Racemic 2‐amino‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydronaphthalene‐5,6‐diol (5,6‐ADTN; 4 ) was synthesized from 5,6‐dimethoxynaphthalene‐2‐carboxylic acid ( 14 ) in four steps (60% overall yield; Scheme). The crucial steps of the synthesis are Birch reduction of 14 to the valuable synthon 15 , Curtius reaction and carbamate formation ( 16 ), hydrogenolysis ( 17 ), and demethylation to the biologically active hydrobromide salt 18 of 4 .     

Synthesis and properties of new orange red light‐emitting hyperbranched and linear polymers derived from 3,5‐dicyano‐2,4,6‐tristyrylpyridine

Two new orange red light‐emitting hyperbranched and linear polymers, poly(pyridine phenylene)s P1 and P2, were prepared by the Heck coupling reaction. In particular, an A₂ + B₃ approach was developed to synthesize conjugated hyperbranched polymer P2 via one‐pot polycondensation. The polymers were characterized by NMR, Fourier transform infrared, ultraviolet–visible, and elemental analysis. They showed excellent solubility in common solvents such as tetrahydrofuran, CH₂Cl₂, CHCl₃, and N,N‐dimethylformamide and had high molecular weights (up to 6.1 × 10⁵ and 5.8 × 10⁵). Cyclic voltammetry studies revealed that P2 had a low‐lying lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy level of ?3.22 eV and a highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of ?5.43 eV. The thin film of P2 emitted strong orange‐red photoluminescence at 595 nm. A double‐layer light‐emitting diode fabricated with the configuration of indium tin oxide/P2/tris(8‐hydroxy‐quinoline)aluminum/Al emitted orange‐red light at 599 nm, with a brightness of 662 cd/m² at 7 V and a turn‐on voltage of 4.0 V; its external quantum efficiency was calculated to be 0.19% at 130.61 mA/cm². This indicated that this new electroluminescent polymer (P2) based on 3,5‐dicyano‐2,4,6‐tristyrylpyridine could possibly be used as an orange‐red emitter in polymer light‐emitting displays. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 493–504, 2005     

Synthesis of diisocyanides with phenolic groups and their polymerization to helically chiral poly(quinoxaline‐2,3‐diyl)s

The development of synthetic routes which lead to five new diisocyanide monomers with one or two phenolic groups is described. Their polymerization behavior is studied with Pd‐ and Ni‐based initiators, as well as under microwave irradiation. The polymerizability is mainly dominated by steric effects as is concluded from experiments using different protecting groups. Chiroptical properties of these new polymers are studied by CD‐spectroscopy. After deprotection, helically chiral poly(quinoxalin‐2,3‐diyl)s are obtained which display a Brønsted function attached to a stereolabile biaryl axis whose configuration should be influenced by the chiral polymer backbone. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 1320–1329     

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) copolyesters derived from (2S,3S)‐2,3‐dimethoxy‐1,4‐butanediol

Novel poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) copolyesters, abbreviated PEDMBT, containing optically active (2S,3S)‐2,3‐dimethoxy‐1,4‐butanediol (DMBD) as the second comonomer were investigated. Copolymers with ethylene glycol to DMBD ratios between 95/5 and 50/50 as well as the two parent homopolymers, PET and PDMBT, were prepared by a two‐step melt polycondensation. The resulting copolymers were found to approximately have the composition of the polymerization reaction feed and a random microstructure. Polymer intrinsic viscosities varied from 0.4 to 0.6 dL g^?1 with weight‐average molecular weights ranging from 16,000 to 44,000. PEDMBT copolyesters were distinguished in being much more soluble than PET and showing an increasing affinity for water with the content in dimethoxy groups. According to the asymmetric constitution of DMBD, they displayed optical activity in solution. Both melting and glass‐transition temperatures of the copolyesters were observed to steadily decrease with the content in DMBD. PEDMBTs were found to be crystalline for contents in DMBD up to 30 mol %. Both powder and fiber X‐ray diffraction revealed that the same crystalline structure is shared by PET and the crystalline copolyesters. The homopolyester PDMBT resulted in becoming a polymer with a crystallinity comparable to PET but with a significantly different crystalline structure. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3250–3262, 2001     

Helically chiral poly(quinoxalin‐2,3‐diyl)s: Toward the synthesis of stereoregular polymeric organocatalysts

The synthesis of seven new aromatic diisocyanide monomers is described and a rationale for their stability is given, as well as their behavior in the palladium‐mediated aromatizing polymerization yielding helically chiral poly(quinoxalin‐2,3‐diyl)s (PQs). Acceleration of the otherwise slow polymerization by microwave heating was observed. The polymers are designed to display potential organocatalytically active functionalities (e.g., phenols, pyridines) nearby stereolabile biaryl axes, which are asymmetrically governed by the configurationally stable helical backbone. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 4830–4839, 2009     

Convenient synthesis and polymerization of 5,6‐disubstituted dithiophthalides toward soluble poly(isothianaphthene): An initial spectroscopic characterization of the resulting low‐band‐gap polymers

A new synthetic procedure toward substituted dithiophthalides, 5,6‐dialkyloxydithiophthalide and 5,6‐dithioalkyldithiophthalide, is presented. 5,6‐Dithiooctyldithiophthalide was obtained from 4,5‐dichlorophthalic acid in an eight‐step reaction with an overall yield of 26%. 5,6‐Dioctyloxydithiophthalide was obtained from 4,5‐dihydroxyphthalic acid dimethyl ester in a seven‐step reaction (overall yield = 15%). Both monomers were polymerized by a thermal and nonoxidative polymerization that resulted in soluble poly(isothianaphthene) derivatives with a band gap of about 1.2 eV. Photoinduced absorption measurements revealed the existence of charged excitations upon illumination. The photoinduced charge generation, combined with the extensive light‐harvesting properties and the easy processability, makes these materials quite promising for photovoltaic applications. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 1034–1045, 2003     

Synthesis and opto‐electrical properties of dendron‐containing poly(2,3‐diphenyl‐1,4‐phenylenevinylene) derivatives

A new series of poly(2,3‐diphenyl‐1,4‐phenylenevinylene) derivatives containing dendritic side groups were synthesized. Different generations of dendrons were integrated on the pendant phenyl ring to investigate their effect on optical and electrical properties of final polymers. Homopolymers can not be obtained via the Gilch polymerization because of sterically bulky dendrons. By controlling the feed ratio of different monomers during polymerization, dendron‐containing copolymers with high molecular weights were obtained. The UV–vis absorption and photoluminescent spectra of the thin films are pretty close; however, quantum efficiency is significantly enhanced with increasing the generation of dendrons. The electrochemical analysis reveals that hole‐injection is also improved by increasing dendritic generation. Double‐layer light‐emitting devices with the configuration of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/polymer/Ca/Al were fabricated. High generation dendrons bring benefit of improved device performance. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 3440–3450, 2007     

Synthesis of 5,6‐Diarylpyridin‐2(1H)‐ones from Isoflavones

A simple method for the cyclocondensation of substituted isoflavones with cyanoacetamide in the presence of sodium hydroxide to give an array of 3‐cyano‐5,6‐diarylpyridin‐2(1H)‐ones in good yields is reported.     

Poly(2,5‐dihydroxy‐1,4‐phenylene benzobisthiazole)/poly(1,4‐phenylene benzobisthiazole) copolymers: Chain packing and properties

Crystal‐packing, optical, and electrical properties of poly(2,5‐dihydroxy‐1,4‐phenylene benzobisthiazole) (DiOH‐PBZT) and copolymers of DiOH‐PBZT/poly(1,4‐phenylene‐benzobisthiazole) (PBZT) were examined. Intramolecular hydrogen bonds between the hydroxyl units and the neighboring nitrogen atoms, as evidenced by the IR spectra, led to the formation of a pseudoladder chain structure and changed the chain packing. The (200) and (010) planes were both affected by the copolymer composition, with the (200) plane spacing increasing from 5.895 to 6.482 Å and the (010) plane spacing decreasing from 3.539 to 3.404 Å with the transition from the unsubstituted PBZT homopolymer to the DiOH‐PBZT homopolymer. The cell dimensions of the copolymers were simple averages of those of the individual homopolymers, suggesting the isomorphic crystal structure formation of the two units. The c‐axis spacing, however, remained unchanged. The increase in the conjugation length of the copolymers as the dihydroxy content increased was confirmed by the bathochromic shift of the absorption band in the ultraviolet–visible spectra. The intrinsic conductivities of the copolymers were 3 orders of magnitude higher than that of the unsubstituted PBZT. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 559–565, 2001     

Cu(II) and Ni(II)‐1,10‐phenanthroline‐ 5,6‐dione‐amino acid ternary complexes exhibiting pH‐sensitive redox properties

Syntheses, and electrochemical properties of two novel complexes, [Cu(phendio)(L ‐Phe)(H₂O)](ClO₄) ·H₂O (1) and [Ni(phendio)(Gly)(H₂O)](ClO₄)·H₂O (2) (where phendio = 1,10‐phenanthroline‐5,6‐dione, L ‐Phe = L ‐phenylalanine, Gly = glycine), are reported. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction results of (1) suggest that this complex structure belongs to the orthorhombic crystal system. The electrochemical properties of free phendio and these complexes in phosphate buffer solutions in a pH range between 2 and 9 have been investigated using cyclic voltammetry. The redox potential of these compounds is strongly dependent on the proton concentration in the range of ? 0.3–0.4 V vs SCE (saturated calomel reference electrode). Phendiol reacts by the reduction of the quinone species to the semiquinone anion followed by reduction to the fully reduced dianion. At pH lower than 4 and higher than 4, reduction of phendio proceeds via 2e^?/3H⁺ and 2e^?/2H⁺ processes. For complexes (1) and (2), being modulated by the coordinated amino acid, the reduction of the phendio ligand proceeds via 2e^?/2H⁺ and 2e^?/H⁺ processes, respectively. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Oxidation polymerization of a charge‐transfer complex of 2,6‐bis(2‐thienyl)‐1,4‐dithiafulvene with 7,7,8,8‐tetracyanoquinodimethane

A π‐conjugated poly(α‐dithienylen‐dithiafulvene) ( 2 ) was obtained by the oxidation polymerization of 2,6‐bis(2‐thienyl)‐1,4‐dithiafulvene ( 1 ) as a dithiafulvene monomer derived from 4‐(2‐thienyl)‐1,2,3‐thiadiazole. When a solution of 1 in CHCl₃ was added to a stirred solution of FeCl₃ in CHCl₃, only the low‐molecular‐weight product 2 was obtained. The mixture was stirred for 15 h with an N₂ flow. The polymerization at higher temperatures resulted in polymers with large insoluble fractions. A higher molecular weight polymer was obtained by the oxidation polymerization of a charge‐transfer complex of 1 with 7,7,8,8‐tetracyanoquinodimethane (compound 3 ). In contrast to 2 , polymer 4 was readily soluble in dimethyl sulfoxide, dimethylformamide, and acetone and partially soluble in tetrahydrofuran and methanol and had a larger molecular weight (peak top molecular weight = 37,000). The conductivity of polymer 4 was 3 orders of magnitude larger than that of polymer 2 . © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 6592–6598, 2005     

Crystal Structure and Characterization of a Double‐helical‐chain Coordination Polymer Zinc Complex Constructed by Flexible Dicarboxylate Ligand 2‐Nitro‐benzene‐1,4‐di(oxyacetate) and Rigid 2,2′‐Bipyridine Ligand

A novel double‐helical‐chain coordination polymer [Zn(nbdoa)(2,2′‐bipy)(H₂O)]_n constructed by flexible 2‐nitro‐benzene‐1,4‐di(oxyacetate) ligand and rigid 2,2′‐bipyridine ligand was obtained by hydrothermal reaction. The crystal structure demonstrates that there is a double‐helical chain with an inner channel running parallel to the helix axis without any interpenetration, which is connected to network via π‐π stacking and hydrogen bond interactions. The thermal analysis shows that the infinite helical structure is stable up to 536 K. The luminescence property is investigated and the complex shows photoluminescence in the solid state at room temperature.     

Syntheses,Structures, and Luminescence of Metal(II) Coordination Polymers based on Flexible 1,1′‐(1,4‐Butanediyl)bis(imidazole) and Tetrachlorobenzene‐1,4‐dicarboxylate Ligands

The coordination polymers, {[Co(bbim)₂(H₂O)₂](tcbdc) · 2H₂O}_n ( 1 ), {[Ni(tcbdc)(bbim)(H₂O)₂] · 2DMF}_n ( 2 ), and {[Cu₂(tcbdc)₂(bbim)₄] · 4H₂O}_n ( 3 ) [bbim = 1,1′‐(1,4‐butanediyl)bis(imidazole) and tcbdc^2– = tetrachlorobenzene‐1,4‐dicarboxylate] were synthesized and characterized by IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, luminescence, and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. Complex 1 has a double‐stranded chain structure through doubly bridged [Co(bbim)₂] units. Complex 2 exhibits two‐dimensional square grid, whereas complex 3 has a three‐dimensional porous network structure with an unprecedented 4⁴ · 6¹¹ topological structure through interpenetrating square grid. The water molecules in complex 3 occupy the vacancy through three kinds of hydrogen bond interactions. Upon excitation at 370 nm, complexes 1 – 3 present solid‐state luminescence at room temperature.