Transformation of Thia[7]helicene to Aza[7]helicenes and [7]Helicene-like Compounds via Aromatic Metamorphosis

[n]Helicenes with helically twisted structures have attracted increasing interest owing to their unique properties. Therefore, it has been an important issue to develop facile synthetic methodologies which allow access to a variety of [n]helicenes. Here we report the synthesis of [7]helicenes and [7]helicene-like compounds from the thia[7]helicene as a common starting material. Desulfurative dilithiation of the thia[7]helicene and the subsequent reaction with silicon and phosphorus electrophiles afforded the silole- and phosphole-fused [7]helicene-like compounds, respectively. The cyclopentadiene-fused [7]helicene-like compound and the pyrrole-fused aza[7]helicenes were also successfully synthesized via twofold S_NAr reactions of the thia[7]helicene S,S-dioxide with the carbon and nitrogen nucleophiles, respectively. The thia[7]helicene S,S-dioxide showed a slightly red-shifted absorption spectrum than the parent thia[7]helicene, which was well demonstrated by the theoretical calculations. The substituents on the silicon atom of silole-fused [7]helicene-like compounds have little impact on the longest absorption maximum. Such little effect of the substituents on absorption properties was also observed for cyclopentadiene-fused [7]helicene-like compounds and aza[7]helicenes and was well demonstrated by the theoretical calculations. The thia[7]helicene S,S-dioxide and the silole-fused [7]helicene-like compound exhibited bright blue emission, and the cyclopentadiene-fused [7]helicene-like compound and the aza[7]helicenes showed strong violet emission. Each single enantiomer of the aza[7]helicenes showed circularly-polarized luminescence with the dissymmetry factors of 4.2~4.4 × 10⁻³.     

7-Selenabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane

Thermolysis of a benzene solution of N-[4-(p-(methoxybenzyl)seleno)cyclohexanoyl]-N,S-dimethyldithiocarbonate affords the hitherto unknown 7-selenabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane in 48% conversion and in 20% yield after chromatography. G3(MP2)-RAD calculations predict a rate constant of 5 × 10(4) s(-1) at 80 °C (3.8 × 10(6) s(-1) at 200 °C) for the intramolecular homolytic substitution process involved in this cyclization.     

9-Hydroxy [7]metacyclophane

A new pyrolytic access to a metacyclophane has been found by the flash vacuum thermolysis of spiro[5,7]trideca-l,4-dien-3-one ($\text{4}$) which gave 9-hydroxy[7]metacyclophane (7) , and 4-(6-heptenyl)phenol (8) . The mechanism of formation of 7 and 8 from the intermediate diradical ($\text{6}$) is discussed.     

Branched phospha[7]triangulanes

A highly strained, thermally stable (up to 150 degrees C) branched phospha[7]triangulane was synthesized from the second-generation bicyclopropylidene and transient phosphinidene [Ph-P=W(CO)5], followed by demetalation in refluxing xylene. Bulkier transient CuCl-alkene-complexed phosphinidene gave 2-phosphabicyclo-[3.2.0]hept-1(5)-ene as an additional product. The "outer sphere" spirocyclopropanes provide a stabilizing factor for both of these novel compounds.     

Synthesis of 7a-Aza-benzo[fg]naphthacen-7-one

Phenanthroindolizidine and phenanthroquinolizidine are closely related groups of alkaloids. Since the first isolation of tylophorine 1 in 1935, these natural products have attracted much attention because of their interesting biological activities such as antitumor activity1-3. The obvious problems such as toxicity to nerve system, instability and uneconomical synthetical pathways restrict its application. Kozma reported that C-9, C-14 of tylophorine 1 and C-9, C-15 of cryptopleurine 2 we…     

Synthesis of pillar[7]arene

The first synthesis of pillar[7]arene is reported with two methods.Method A:the FeCl₃-catalyzed condensation reaction of 1,4- dimethoxybenzene（1） with paraformaldehyde in CHCl₃ gave dimethoxypillar[7]arene（3）.Method B:the p-toluenesulfonic acid catalyzed condensation reaction of 2,5-bis（benzyloxymethyl）-1,4-dimethoxybenzene（2） in CH₂Cl₂ gave compound 3.Demethylation of 3 with BBr₃ gave pillar[7]arene（4）.The pillar[7]arene might be a perspective macrocyclic host in host-guest chemistry.     

Synthetic and structural studies of [6]-, [7]- and [10]metacyclophanes

A new preparative sequence from 2,3-polymethylene-2-cyclopentenone 5 to 2,6-polymethylenebromobenzenes 3 (n = 6, 7, 10) and 2,6-polymethylenephenyllithiums 6 has been found. The reaction of 6 with various electrophiles produces a number of new compounds to disclose the unique reactivity of the aryl C-Li moiety surrounded by the polymethylene chain. Photolysis of 3a and 3b provides transannular products 8, 10 and 11, all arising from the proximity between the aromatic bromine and the aliphatic hydrogen intraannularly opposed to be removed as HBr. Spectrometric study gives quantitative data of the dependence of the molecular geometry upon the chain length and the aromatic substituents. The energy barriers ΔG_c^≠ of the conformational flipping are 17·4 kcal/mol (T_c 76·5°) for [6]metacyclophane (7a), 11·5 kcal/mol (T_c ?28°) for [7]metacyclophane (7b), ·8 kcal/mol for [10]metacyclophane (7c). The lower-energy process of the aliphatic chain in [6]metacyclophane derivatives is the pseudorotation with substituent-dependent barrier ΔG_c^≠ 11·1 kcal/mol (T_c ?31·5°) for 7a, 12·4 kcal/mol (T_c ?4·5°) for 3a and 12·7 kcal/mol (T_c 1·0°) for 12a. The rather large rotational barrier is attributed to the compressed structure of each system. The benzene ring distortion of the cyclophanes is deduced from the bathochromic shift of the B-band and the diamagnetic shift of the benzene proton signals in the PMR.     

Photochemical and thermal transformations of 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]Heptadiene and 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]heptene systems

2,3-Dicarbomethoxy-7,7-dimethyl-7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene (III) on photolysis gave dimethyl tetraphenylphthalate whereas the photolysis of 7,7-dimethyl-7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hep-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride (XIa) resulted in the formation of 1,1-dimethyl-2,3,4,5-tetraphenyl-1-silacyclopentadiene (XIIIa). The thermolysis of XIa also gave rise to XIIIa. Similarly, the photolysis as well as thermolysis of 1,4,5,6,7,7-hexaphenyl-7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride (XIb) led to hexaphenylsilacyclopentadiene (XIIIb). Attempts to detect radical intermediates in these thermal and photochemical transformations by carrying out the reaction in the presence of hydroquinone, hydrazobenzene, 3,6-diphenyl-1,2-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine, cumene and tolan were unsuccessful. An attempted preparation of 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta2,5-dienes by the reaction of silacyclopentadienes such as 1-methyl-1-vinyl2,3,4,5-tetraphenyl-1-silacyclopentadiene (XV) and 1-methyl-1,2,3,4,5-pentaphenyl-1-silacyclopentadiene (XVI) with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate resulted in the isolation of dimethyl tetraphenylphthalate indicating that the corresponding 7-silabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-dienes are thermally unstable.     

Synthesis and rearrangements of 7H-pyrrolo[3,2-e][1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-c]-and 7h-pyrrolo[3,2-e][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-c]pyrimidines

7H-Pyrrolo[3,2-e][1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidines were synthesized by the reactions of 2-ethoxymethyleneamino-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitriles with acid hydrazides and by the reactions of aminoiminopyrimidines (prepared based on the above-mentioned carbonitriles) with acid chlorides. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1438–1443, August, 2006.