Relative substituent position on the strength of π-π stacking interactions

It was observed that the relative position of the arene substituents has a profound influence on the strength of π-π stacking in the 9-benzyl-substituted triptycene system. A new series of model compounds (3a-i) capable of revealing quantitatively π-π stacking interactions was studied. This series of compounds (3a-i) has an ortho-substituted methyl group in one of the two interacting arenes and the syn/anti ratios were determined and compared to a series previously studied compounds (4a-i) that have a para methyl group on the corresponding arene. A greater than 50% increase in the strength of π-π stacking interactions was observed with the methyl group in the ortho position comparing to that in the para position. No difference in π-π stacking interactions was observed when the other aromatic ring was a pentafluorobenzoate group.     

Folding of a supramolecular framework based on a tetrametallic clip driven by π-π interactions

Supramolecular extended frameworks based on a rotational molecular clip and having the same "primary structure" can exhibit either an unfolded or a folded framework. This process is driven by intramolecular π-π interactions, resulting in the formation of an infinite π-stacked column within the folded supramolecular framework.     

Quantification of the π-π interactions that govern tertiary structure in donor-acceptor [2]pseudorotaxanes

Flexibility in pseudorotaxanes and interlocked molecules that rely on interactions between π-donor-acceptor subunits provides access to folded structures reminiscent of the tertiary structure of proteins. While they have been described before, only now have we been able to quantify one such tertiary structure by making use of pseudorotaxanes designed for the purpose. Here, the enhanced stability of a pseudorotaxane inside a folded structure is measured to be ΔG = ca. 0.5 kcal mol(-1). The tertiary structure is stabilized by a charge-transfer interaction between a tetrathiafulvalene-based π-donor that can situate alongside a π-accepting paraquat-based macrocycle by folding of a flexible linker. At room temperature, it was estimated that 70% of the pseudorotaxanes examined here exist in their folded state. This quantitative information is critical for the creation of interlocked molecular machines that have predictable energetics and structures and for revealing a complexity approaching biological molecules.     

Solvents incubated π-π stacking in hole transport layer for perovskite-silicon 2-terminal tandem solar cells with 27.21% efficiency

Room temperature sputtered inorganic nickel oxide(NiOx) is one of the most promising hole transport layers(HTL) for perovskite-sillion 2-terminal tandem solar cells with the aid of ultrathin and compact organic layers to passivate the surface defects. In this study, the aromatic solvent with different substituent groups was used to regulate the conformation of poly[bis(4-phenyl)(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)am ine](PTAA) layer. As a result, the single-junction perovskite solar cell(PSC) gained a power ...     

Coexistence of two conformational isomeric chains in a zinc(II) phosphonate induced by π···π stacking interactions

Hydrothermal reaction of zinc acetate with diethyl [(phenylsulfonyl)methyl]phosphonate as well as 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) afforded a novel zinc(II) phosphonate with the formula of [Zn₄(PhSO₂CH₂PO₃)₄(phen)₂(H₂O)₂]·2H₂O. Such compound features two conformational isomeric 1D chains which are regulated by two different π···π stacking interactions. In addition, it exhibits broad blue fluorescent emission band at 387 nm.     

Strong phenyl-perfluorophenyl π-π stacking and C-H?F-C hydrogen bonding interactions in the crystals of the corresponding aromatic aldimines

The X-ray diffraction analysis of two co-crystals, 1·2 (aldimines 1 and 2) and 3·4 (aldimines 3 and 4), reveals that there are strong phenyl-perfluorophenyl π-π stacking and intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions. The new perfluoroaryl-aryl face-to-face interaction of the crystalline aldimines provides a design motif for a new class of self-assembling system.     

pH-responsive assembly and disassembly of a supramolecular cryptand-based pseudorotaxane driven by π-π stacking interaction

Driven by π-π stacking interaction, a supramolecular cryptand-based [2]pseudorotaxane was formed and its formation was demonstrated to be pH-responsive.     

Complexation of monosubstituted benzenes and methanes by cyclotetrachromotropylene in aqueous solution: Substituent effects on π-π and Ch-π interactions

The stability constantsK of 11 complexes formed in aqueous solution between several monosubstituted benzenes (C₆H₅X) and methanes (CH₃X) as guests and cyclotetrachromotropylene as host were determined by proton NMR spectroscopy. Variations ofK with the substituent X are attributed to the electronic effect of X and the presence of C–H or aromatic bonds, if any, interacting with the host bonds.     

The use of a molecular balance derived from 5,5′-bipyrazole to calculate π−π stacking interactions

Theoretical calculations have been carried out on 3,3′-dimethyl-1,1′-diphenyl-5,5′-bi-1H-pyrazole to evaluate its usefulness as a molecular balance to measure π−π stacking. After removing the methyl groups (1,1′-diphenyl-5,5′-bi-1H-pyrazole), the N-phenyl groups have been replaced by a series of aromatic rings, and the energy difference between the syn and anti forms is discussed in terms of π−π stacking and dipole-dipole interactions.     

Control of intramolecular π-π stacking interaction in cationic iridium complexes via fluorination of pendant phenyl rings

Intramolecular π-π stacking interaction in one kind of phosphorescent cationic iridium complexes has been controlled through fluorination of the pendant phenyl rings on the ancillary ligands. Two blue-green-emitting cationic iridium complexes, [Ir(ppy)(2)(F2phpzpy)]PF(6) (2) and [Ir(ppy)(2)(F5phpzpy)]PF(6) (3), with the pendant phenyl rings on the ancillary ligands substituted with two and five fluorine atoms, respectively, have been synthesized and compared to the parent complex, [Ir(ppy)(2)(phpzpy)]PF(6) (1). Here Hppy is 2-phenylpyridine, F2phpzpy is 2-(1-(3,5-difluorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine, F5phpzpy is 2-(1-pentafluorophenyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)-pyridine, and phpzpy is 2-(1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine. Single crystal structures reveal that the pendant phenyl rings on the ancillary ligands stack to the phenyl rings of the ppy ligands, with dihedral angles of 21°, 18°, and 5.0° between least-squares planes for complexes 1, 2, and 3, respectively, and centroid-centroid distances of 3.75, 3.65, and 3.52 ? for complexes 1, 2, and 3, respectively, indicating progressively reinforced intramolecular π-π stacking interactions from complexes 1 to 2 and 3. Compared to complex 1, complex 3 with a significantly reinforced intramolecular face-to-face π-π stacking interaction exhibits a significantly enhanced (by 1 order of magnitude) photoluminescent efficiency in solution. Theoretical calculations reveal that in complex 3 it is unfavorable in energy for the pentafluorophenyl ring to swing by a large degree and the intramolecular π-π stacking interaction remains on the lowest triplet state.     

New triorganotin(IV) complexes of polyfunctional S,N,O-ligands: Supramolecular structures based on π?π and/or C-H?π interactions

A series of new triorganotin(IV) complexes with 4-hydroxy-2-mercapto-6-methylpyrimidine (L¹H₂), 4-hydroxy-2-mercapto-pyrimidine (L²H₂), 2,4(1H,3H)-pyrimidinedithione (L³H₂) (Scheme 1) of the type R₃SnLSnR₃ (R = Me 1, 4, 7; R = Ph 2, 5, 8; R = PhCH₂3, 6, 9) have been synthesized by reactions of triorganotin(IV) chloride and corresponding ligands. All complexes are characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectra and NMR spectra analyses. Among them, complexes 2, 5 and 8 are also characterized by X-ray crystallography diffraction analyses. Significant π?π stacking, C-H?π interactions and intramolecular hydrogen bonds stabilize these structures.     

New mercury(II) and silver(I) complexes containing NHC metallacrown ethers with the π-π stacking interactions

The oligoether-linked bis-benzimidazolium salt 1,1′-[1,2-ethanediylbis(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl)]bis[(3-^secbutyl)benzimidazolium-1-yl]iodide (H₂L¹ · I₂), 1,1′-[1,2-ethanediylbis(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl)]bis[(3-ethyl)benzimidazolium-1-yl]iodide (H₂L² · I₂) and 1,1′-[1,2-ethanediylbis(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl)]bis[(3-^secbutyl)benzimidazolium-1-yl]hexafluorophosphate (H₂L¹ · (PF₆)₂) and their three new mercury(II) and silver(I) complexes containing NHC metallacrown ethers, HgL¹ · (Hg₂ · I₆) (1), HgL² · I₂ (2) and AgL¹ · PF₆ (3) were prepared and characterized. In the packing diagrams of H₂L² · I₂, 1, 2 and 3 benzimidazole ring head-to-tail π-π stacking interactions are observed.     

Synthesis of 1,3-diphenyl-6-alkyl/aryl-substituted fulvene chromophores: observation of π-π interactions in a 6-pyrene-substituted 1,3-diphenylfulvene

The synthesis, structural, and electronic properties of nine 1,3-diphenyl-6-alkyl/aryl substituted pentafulvenes were studied. Pyrene ring π-π interactions were revealed from analysis of the experimental crystal packing of 1,3-diphenyl-6-(1-pyrene)fulvene and supporting DFT calculations. Photophysical properties derived from UV-vis and fluorescence emission measurements demonstrated tunable and low HOMO-LUMO band gaps for the series. The presented results point to a model synthetic approach for incorporation of extended π systems and donor-π-acceptor groups for fulvene-based electronic materials.     

Effects of the biological backbone on stacking interactions at DNA-protein interfaces: the interplay between the backbone···π and π···π components

The (gas-phase) MP2/6-31G*(0.25) π···π stacking interactions between the five natural bases and the aromatic amino acids calculated using (truncated) monomers composed of conjugated rings and/or (extended) monomers containing the biological backbone (either the protein backbone or deoxyribose sugar) were previously compared. Although preliminary energetic results indicated that the protein backbone strengthens, while the deoxyribose sugar either strengthens or weakens, the interaction calculated using truncated models, the reasons for these effects were unknown. The present work explains these observations by dissecting the interaction energy of the extended complexes into individual backbone···π and π···π components. Our calculations reveal that the total interaction energy of the extended complex can be predicted as a sum of the backbone···π and π···π components, which indicates that the biological backbone does not significantly affect the ring system through π-polarization. Instead, we find that the backbone can indirectly affect the magnitude of the π···π contribution by changing the relative ring orientations in extended dimers compared with truncated dimers. Furthermore, the strengths of the individual backbone···π contributions are determined to be significant (up to 18 kJ mol(-1)). Therefore, the origin of the energetic change upon model extension is found to result from a balance between an additional (attractive) backbone···π component and differences in the strength of the π···π interaction. In addition, to understand the effects of the biological backbone on the stacking interactions at DNA-protein interfaces in nature, we analyzed the stacking interactions found in select DNA-protein crystal structures, and verified that an additive approach can be used to examine the strength of these interactions in biological complexes. Interestingly, although the presence of attractive backbone···π contacts is qualitatively confirmed using the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM), QTAIM electron density analysis is unable to quantitatively predict the additive relationship of these interactions. Most importantly, this work reveals that both the backbone···π and π···π components must be carefully considered to accurately determine the overall stability of DNA-protein assemblies.     

Associative combination of lone pair-π, π-π and anion-π interactions observed in a ternary system comprising Mg(II)-malonate-2-aminopyridine-hexafluoridophosphate

One Mg(II) malonate complex with protonated 2-aminopyridine and hexafluoridophosphate as counterions, (C₅H₇N₂)₄[Mg(C₃H₂O₄)₂(H₂O)₂](PF₆)₂ (1) [C₅H₇N₂ = protonated 2-aminopyridine, C₃H₄O₄ = malonic acid] has been synthesized from purely aqueous media just by mixing the reactants in their stoichiometric proportion and its crystal structure has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The role of weak forces like lone pair?π and anion?π interactions in influencing the self-assembly process appears to be of importance. A rare combination of lone pair?π and anion?π interactions in 1, of the type lone pair?π/π?π/π?anion, is observed, and this unusual supramolecular network is fully described here.     

Constructing single-chain magnets by supramolecular π-π stacking and spin canting: a case study on manganese(III) corroles

A single‐chain magnet (SCM) was constructed from manganese(III) 5,10,15‐tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole complex [Mn^III(tpfc)] through supramolecular π–π stacking without bridging ligands. In the crystal structures, [Mn(tpfc)] molecules crystallized from different solvents, such as methanol, ethyl acetate, and ethanol, exhibit different molecular orientations and intermolecular π–π interaction or weak Mn ??? O interaction to form a supramolecular one‐dimensional motif or dimer. These three complexes show very different magnetic behaviors at low temperature. Methanol solvate 1 shows obvious frequency dependence of out‐of‐phase alternating‐current magnetic susceptibility below 2 K and a magnetization hysteresis loop with a coercive field of 400 Oe at 0.5 K. It is the first example of spin‐canted supramolecular single‐chain magnet due to weak π–π stacking interaction. By fitting the susceptibility data χ_MT (20–300 K) of 1 with the spin Hamiltonian expression ${\overrightarrow{H}}A single-chain magnet (SCM) was constructed from manganese(III) 5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole complex [Mn(III) (tpfc)] through supramolecular π-π stacking without bridging ligands. In the crystal structures, [Mn(tpfc)] molecules crystallized from different solvents, such as methanol, ethyl acetate, and ethanol, exhibit different molecular orientations and intermolecular π-π interaction or weak Mn???O interaction to form a supramolecular one-dimensional motif or dimer. These three complexes show very different magnetic behaviors at low temperature. Methanol solvate 1 shows obvious frequency dependence of out-of-phase alternating-current magnetic susceptibility below 2?K and a magnetization hysteresis loop with a coercive field of 400?Oe at 0.5?K. It is the first example of spin-canted supramolecular single-chain magnet due to weak π-π stacking interaction. By fitting the susceptibility data χ(M) T (20-300?K) of 1 with the spin Hamiltonian expression H = -2J Σ(i=1)(n-1) S(Ai) S(Ai+1) + D Σ(i) S((iZ)(2)), the intrachain magnetic coupling parameter transmitted by π-π interaction of -0.31?cm(-1) and zero field splitting parameter D of -2.59?cm(-1) are obtained. Ethyl acetate solvate 2 behaves as an antiferromagnetic chain without ordering or slow magnetic relaxation down to 0.5?K. The magnetic susceptibility data χ(M) T (20-300?K) of 2 was fitted by assuming the spin Hamiltonian H = -2JΣ(i=1)(n-1) S(Ai) S(Ai+1), and the intrachain antiferromagnetic coupling constant of -0.07?cm(-1) is much weaker than that of 1. Ethanol solvate 3 with a dimer motif shows field-induced single-molecule magnet like behavior below 2.5?K. The exchange coupling constant J within the dimer propagated by π-π interaction is -0.14?cm(-1) by fitting the susceptibility data χ(M) T (20-300?K) with the spin Hamiltonian H = -2J S(A) S(B) + β(S((A)g(A)) + S((B)g(B)))H. The present studies open a new way to construct SCMs from anisotropic magnetic single-ion units through weak intermolecular interactions in the absence of bridging ligands.     

Electronic coupling through intramolecular π-π interactions in biscobaltocenes: a structural, spectroscopic, and magnetic study

The paramagnetic dinuclear complexes 1,8-bis(cobaltocenyl)naphthalene (2) and 1,8-bis[(pentamethyl-η(5)-cyclopentadienyl)(η(5)-cyclopentadiendiyl)cobalt(II)]naphthalene (4) were synthesized. The molecular structures were characterized by X-ray structure analysis and consisted of two cobaltocenes linked through a distorted naphthalene clamp. Electronic interactions between the two cobalt atoms were observed by cyclic voltammetric studies. Superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) measurements of the pure compounds and diluted in their diamagnetic iron derivatives, as well as variable-temperature NMR spectroscopy experiments in solution are presented. Magnetic measurements revealed an antiferromagnetic coupling of the electrons in complexes 2 and 4. From NMR spectroscopy experiments, Curie behavior in the temperature range from -60 to +60 °C can be deduced. The electronic structure and magnetic behavior is supported by results of broken-symmetry DFT and multireference calculations along with UV/Vis spectroscopic data, which revealed an intramolecular through space π-π interaction between the cobaltocene units.     

Exchange interactions through π-π stacking in the lamellar compound [{Cu(bipy)(en)}{Cu(bipy)(H2O)}{VO3}4]n

Structural, magnetic, and powder and single-crystal electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies were performed on [{Cu(bipy)(en)}{Cu(bipy)(H(2)O)}{VO(3)}(4)](n) (bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine, en = ethylenediamine), which is a new copper-vanadium hybrid organic-inorganic compound containing Cu(II) and V(V) centers. The oxovanadium units provide an anionic scaffolding to the structure, where two types of Cu(II) coordination modes, octahedral (Cu1) and square pyramidal (Cu2), contribute to the magnetic properties. The crystal structure contains layers including Cu1 and Cu2 ions, separated by stacked arrangements of 2,2'-bipyridine molecules. Each type of Cu(II) ion in these layers forms parallel spin chains described by exchange coupling parameters J(1) and J(2) for Cu1 and Cu2, respectively (exchange couplings defined as H(ex)(i,j) = -J(ij)S(i)S(j)), which, for necessity, are assumed to be equal to J. These chains are coupled by much weaker Cu1-Cu2 exchange interactions J(3) connecting neighbor Cu1 and Cu2 ions within a layer, through paths acting as rungs of a ladder chain structure. The average coupling J, which is antiferromagnetic (J < 0), according to the susceptibility data, is estimated with similar results with a mean field approximation (J = -1.4 cm(-1)), and with a uniform chain model (J = -1.7 cm(-1)). The EPR spectra of powdered samples and oriented single crystals are shown to be independent of J(1) and J(2), but are dependent on the weak coupling J(3), and the data allow a lower limit to be established: |J(3)| > 0.04 cm(-1). The spectra are also strongly sensitive to extremely weak coupling interactions with average magnitude J(4) between copper atoms in neighboring layers, separated by ～10 ?, using the stacked 2,2'-bipyridine molecules, which produce a 2D-to-3D quantum phase transition. This is observed in single-crystal samples when the energy levels are changed with the orientation of the magnetic field. From the characteristics of these transitions, we estimate a value of |J(4)| = 0.0034 ± 0.0004 cm(-1) between Cu(II) ions in neighboring layers. This work emphasizes the important possibilities of EPR to evaluate extremely small exchange couplings between metal ions in a solid material, even in the presence of other much larger couplings.     

Time-resolved fluorescence of α-(9-anthryl)-ω-(1-naphthyl)-oligosilanes: intramolecular electronic energy and charge transfer through π-π and σ-π interactions

The photophysical properties of a series of α,ω-diaryloligosilanes: (9-anthryl)-(SiMe₂)_n-(1-naphthyl) (1-4, and 6), n=1, 2, 3, 4, and 6, were investigated. For n?2, the intramolecular exciplex emission was observed in cyclohexane. For the stationary and the time-resolved fluorescence (TR-FL) measurements, the excitation of the naphthyl moiety showed a very efficient intramolecular energy transfer to the anthryl moiety, thus only fluorescence from the anthryl moiety was observed. In the case of 4 and 6, a charge-transfer (CT) emission was observed in acetonitrile. Then TR-FL of 6 revealed that the intramolecular-energy transfer from the naphthyl to anthryl moieties is faster than the CT.