Solvent-dependent C-OH homolysis and heterolysis in electronically excited 9-fluorenol: the life and solvation time of the 9-fluorenyl cation in water

The primary pathways of the photodecomposition of 9-fluorenol (FOH) were studied in polar and nonpolar solvents by use of laser flash-photolysis with a resolution time of 10 ps. In solvents of high polarity, that is, in 1,1.1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP), 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE), formamide or water, the fluorenyl cation, F+, forms by heterolytic C-O bond cleavage. In H2O, the initial (10 ps) spectrum of F+ has lambdamax at <460 nm. This absorption red-shifts with T = 25 ps to the "classical" spectrum with lambdamax = 510-515 nm. This process is assigned to the solvation of the initial "naked" cation, or rather, the contact ion pair. The lifetime of the solvated fluorenyl cation in H2O (or D2O) and TFE was measured to be tau 20 ps and 1 ns, respectively. In solvents of lower polarity such as alkanes, ethers and alcohols, the long-lived (tau 1/2 1 micros) fluorenyl radical, F., (lambdamax = 500 nm) forms through homolytic C-O cleavage. In addition to the radical and the cation, the vibrationally relaxed excited singlet state of FOH is seen with its absorption at approximately 640 nm; its lifetime is strongly dependent on the solvent, from 10 ps for formamide to 1.7 ns for cyclohexane. The rate constant for singlet decay increases exponentially with the polarity of the solvent (as expressed by the Dimroth-Reichardt ET value) or with the Gutmann solvent acceptor number. The relaxation of S1 to S0 is accompanied by homolytic C9-O bond cleavage (except in HFIP, TFE, and water, where S1 is not seen).     

Isolation of an Antiaromatic 9-Hydroxy Fluorenyl Cation

Fluorenyl cations are textbook examples of 4π electron antiaromatic five-membered ring systems. So far, they were reported only as short-lived intermediates generated under superacidic conditions or by flash photolysis. Attempts to prepare a m-terphenyl acylium cation by fluoride abstraction from a benzoyl fluoride gave rise to an isolable 9-hydroxy fluorenyl cation that formed by an intramolecular electrophilic attack at a flanking mesityl group prior to a 1,2-methyl shift and proton transfer to oxygen.     

Dications of fluorenylidenes. The relationship between redox potentials and antiaromaticity for meta- and para-substituted diphenylmethylidenefluorenes

[reaction: see text] Electrochemical oxidation of meta-substituted diphenylmethylidenefluorenes (3a-g) results in the formation of fluorenylidene dications that are shown to be antiaromatic through calculation of the nucleus independent chemical shift (NICS) for the 5- and 6-membered rings of the fluorenyl system. There is a strong linear correlation between the redox potential for the dication and both the calculated NICS and sigma(m). Redox potentials for formation of dications of analogously substituted tetraphenylethylenes shows that, with the exception of the p-methyl derivative, the redox potentials for these dications are less positive than for formation of the dications of 3a-g and for dications of p-substituted diphenylmethylidenefluorenes, 2a-g. The greater instability of dications of 2a-g and 3a-g compared to the reference system implies their antiaromaticity, which is supported by the positive NICS values. The redox potentials for formation of the dications of meta-substituted diphenylmethylidenes (3a-g) are more positive than for the formation of dications of para-substituted diphenylmethylidenes (2a-g), indicating their greater thermodynamic instability. The NICS values for dications of 3a-g are more antiaromatic than for dications of 2a-g, which is consistent with their greater instability of the dications of 3a-g. Although the substituted diphenylmethyl systems are not able to interact with the fluorenyl system through resonance because of their geometry, they are able to moderate the antiaromaticity of the fluorenyl cationic system. Two models have been suggested for this interaction, sigma to p donation and the ability of the charge on the substituted ring system to affect delocalization. Examination of bond lengths shows very limited variation, which argues against sigma to p donation in these systems. A strong correlation between NICS and sigma constants suggests that factors that affect the magnitude of the charge on the benzylic (alpha) carbon of the diphenylmethyl cation affect the antiaromaticity of the fluorenyl cation. Calculated atomic charges on carbons 1-8 and 10-13 show an increase in positive charge, and therefore greater delocalization of charge in the fluorenyl system, with increasing electronegativity of the substituent. The change in the amount of positive charge correlated strongly with NICS, supporting the model in which the amount of delocalization of charge is related to the antiaromaticity of the species. Thus, both aromatic and antiaromatic species are characterized by extensive delocalization of electron density.     

Photochemical Generation of 9H‐Fluorenyl Radicals

A series of 9‐substituted fluorenols and 9,9′‐disubstituted‐9,9′‐bifluorenyls were irradiated to give products derived from fluorenyl radicals. Product distribution was solvent dependent. A TEMPO adduct was isolated from the photoexcitation of 9‐fluorenol. An unusual unsymmetrical 3,9′‐bifluorenyl was observed from the photolysis of 9‐trifluoromethylfluorenol and 9,9′‐di(trifluoromethyl)‐9,9′‐bifluorenyl in more polar or hydrogen‐bonding solvents. The electronic nature of 9‐substituted fluorenyl radicals was probed using theoretical calculations showing the dipolar character of species with electron‐deficient groups. These constitute the first examples of “doubly destabilized” radicals.     

Rate constants for hydrogen abstraction by resonance stabilized radicals in high temperature liquids

Benzylic H-atom abstraction rates by diphenylmethyl radicals from a series of donors were determined in nonpolar liquids at elevated temperatures. Relative rates were converted to absolute rates via available equilibrium constant data for the dimerization of diphenylmethyl radicals. Abstraction by diphenylmethyl from 1, 2, 3, 4-tetrahydronaphthalene (tetralin) was studied over the temperature range 489–573 K. Its Arrhenius expression is 10^9.9±0.3 exp{?(10183 ± 373)/T} M^?1 s^?1. Abstraction from other donors was studied at 548 K. Rate constant values ranged from a low of 3.6 M^?1 s^?1 for toluene to a high of 3000 M^?1 s^?1 for 9, 10-dihydroanthracene. Similar reactions with the fluorenyl radical were also studied. In this case, relative rates were converted to absolute rates with an equilibrium constant for fluorenyl dimerization determined from the observed homolysis rate of the dimer and an assumed recombination rate. In addition, forward and reverse rate measurements yielded the equilibrium constant for hydrogen transfer between fluorenyl and diphenylmethyl. At 548 K, fluorenyl is favored by a factor of 13 over diphenylmethyl.     

Photochemical generation of highly destabilized vinyl cations: the effects of alpha- and beta-trifluoromethyl versus alpha- and beta-methyl substituents

The photochemical reactions in methanol of the vinylic halides 1-4, halostyrenes with a methyl or a trifluoromethyl substituent at the alpha- or beta-position, have been investigated quantitatively. Next to E/Z isomerization, the reactions are formation of vinyl radicals, leading to reductive dehalogenation products, and formation of vinyl cations, leading to elimination, nucleophilic substitution, and rearrangement products. The vinyl cations are parts of tight ion pairs with halide as the counterion. The elimination products are the result of beta-proton loss from the primarily generated alpha-CH(3) and alpha-CF(3) vinyl cations, or from the alpha-CH(3) vinyl cation formed from the beta-CH(3) vinyl cation via a 1,2-phenyl shift. The beta-CF(3) vinyl cation reacts with methanol yielding nucleophilic substitution products, no migration of the phenyl ring producing the alpha-CF(3) vinyl cation occurs. The alpha-CF(3) vinyl cation, which is the most destabilized vinyl cation generated thus far, gives a 1,2-fluorine shift in competition with proton loss. The experimentally derived order of stabilization of the vinyl cations photogenerated in this study, alpha-CF(3) < beta-CF(3) < beta-CH(3) < alpha-CH(3), is corroborated by quantum chemical calculations, provided the effect of solvent is taken into account.     

Synthesis of fluoren-9-ones by the palladium-catalyzed cyclocarbonylation of o-halobiaryls

The synthesis of various substituted fluoren-9-ones has been accomplished by the palladium-catalyzed cyclocarbonylation of o-halobiaryls. The cyclocarbonylation of 4'-substituted 2-iodobiphenyls produces very high yields of 2-substituted fluoren-9-ones bearing either electron-donating or electron-withdrawing substituents. 3'-Substituted 2-iodobiphenyls afford 3-substituted fluoren-9-ones in excellent yields with good regioselectivity. This chemistry has been successfully extended to polycyclic fluorenones and fluorenones containing fused isoquinoline, indole, pyrrole, thiophene, benzothiophene, and benzofuran rings.     

Restricted rotation in unbridged sandwich complexes: rotational behavior of closo-[Co(eta 5-NC4H4)(C2B9H11)] derivatives

Rotation about the centroid/metal/centroid axis in ferrocene is facile; the activation energy is 1-5 kcal mol(-1). The structurally similar sandwich complexes derived from closo-[3-Co(eta5-NC4H4)-1,2-C2B9H11] (1) have a different rotational habit. In 1, the cis rotamer in which the pyrrolyl nitrogen atom bisects the carboranyl cluster atoms is 3.5 kcal mol(-1) more stable in energy than the rotamer that is second lowest in energy. This cis rotamer is wide, spanning 216 degrees , and may be split into three rotamers of almost equal energy by substituting the N and the carboranyl carbon atoms adequately. To support this statement, closo-[3-Co(eta5-NC4H4)-1,2-(CH3)2-1,2-C2B9H9] (2), closo-[3-Co(eta5-NC4H4)-1,2-(mu-CH2)3-1,2-C2B9H9] 3, 2-->BF3, and 3-->BF3 have been prepared. Two rotamers are found at low temperature for 2-->BF(3) and 3-->BF3. Compounds 2, 3, and 1-->BF3 behave similarly to 1. Rotational energy barriers and the relative populations of the different energy states are calculated from 1H DNMR spectroscopy (DNMR, dynamic NMR). These results agree with those of semiempirical calculations. Without exception, the cis rotamer is energetically the more stable. The fixed conformation of 1 assists in elucidating the rotational preferences of the [3,3'-Co(1,2-C2B9H11)2]- ion in the absence of steric hindrance; the [3,3'-Co(1,2-C2B9H11)2]- ion is commonly accepted to present a cisoid orientation. Complex 1 is electronically similar to the [3,3'-Co(1,2-C2B9H11)2]- ion. Both have heteroatoms in the pi ligands, and they have the same electronegativity difference between the constituent atoms. This leads to a view of the [NC4H4]- as [7,8-C2B9H11]2- ion, with no steric implications. Therefore the [3,3'-Co(1,2-C2B9H11)2]- ion should be considered to have a cisoid structure, and the different rotamers observed to be the result of steric factors and of the interaction of the counterion with either B-H groups and/or ancillary ligands. The rotamer adopted is the one with the atoms holding the negative charges furthest apart.     

Aromatic stabilization energy calculations for the antiaromatic fluorenyl cation. Issues in the choice of reference systems for positively charged species

Aromatic stabilization energy (ASE) calculations for the fluorenyl cation show substantial destabilization in comparison to suitable reference systems (16.3 +/- 1.6 kcal/mol), supporting its categorization as an antiaromatic species. The choice of appropriate reference systems is exacting for cationic systems because of the need to match strain energies, convolved with allylic-type resonance terms and other potential structural effects that stabilize charge. Several homodesmotic ASE reaction systems are examined to demonstrate the role played by these factors in the calculation of an ASE value for the fluorenyl cation. The magnitudes of the derived ASE are quite similar for four very different determinative, homodesmotic reaction systems, giving strong support to the inherent accuracy of the final derived ASE value. The results of nucleus independent chemical shift calculations for the components of each one of the ASE reactions add additional weight to this conclusion.     

Characterization and Reactivity of the [N,N-Dimethyl(thioformamidyl)]-9-fluorenyl Cation(1)

The 9-[N,N-dimethyl(thioformamidyl)]-9-fluorenyl cation was generated under stable ion conditions and characterized by UV/visible and NMR spectroscopy and methanol trapping reactions. The same cation was generated by laser excitation of the appropriate chloride precursor in 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, and rate constants for nucleophilic quenching by alcohols and several anions were measured. The quenching data for this and other 9-fluorenyl cations demonstrate that the reactivity decreases for 9-substituents in the order H > carbomethoxy > N,N-dimethyl(thioformamidyl), demonstrating that the thioamidyl group imparts substantial kinetic stabilization to an adjacent cationic center. Both steric and electronic factors are suggested to be important in determining this reactivity order.     

Synthesis of conjugated 2,7-bis(trimethylsilylethynyl)-(phenylethynyl)nfluoren-9-one and 9-(p-methoxyphenyl)-9-methyl derivatives: optical properties

2,7-Substituted 9-fluorenones and 9,9-disubstituted fluorene have been synthesized and their fluorescence properties analyzed. The synthesis of conjugated 2,7-bis(trimethylsilylethynyl)-(phenylethynyl)_nfluoren-9-one (or the 9-(p-methoxyphenyl)-9-methyl) structures was carried out by the heterocoupling reaction between the 2,7-di(halo)fluoren-9-one (or 2,7-dibromo-9-(p-methoxyphenyl)-9-methylfluorene) and p-trimethylsilylethynyl(phenylethynyl)_n (n=1,2), catalyzed by the dichloro bis(triphenylphosphine)palladium and cuprous iodide system, in a divergent synthesis.The π-extended conjugated compounds exhibit fluorescence radiation emission (blue light-emitting), with important quantum yield for the 9-(p-methoxyphenyl)-9-methyl-2,7-bis(trimethylsilylethynyl)-(phenylethynyl)_nfluorenes which increases with the conjugation.     

Dimerization of 9-phenylethynylfluorene to di-indeno-naphthacene and dispiro-[fluorene-dihydronaphthacene-fluorene]: an X-ray crystallographic and NMR study

The attempted Diels-Alder reaction between 9-phenylethynylfluorene and tetracyclone yields instead three products resulting from the dimerization of the isomeric allene. The major product is 8,16-diphenyl-diindeno[1,2,3-de:1',2',3'-mn]naphthacene, in which each terminal ring is derived from a fluorenyl unit; aerial oxidation then yields a peroxide. A dihydronaphthacene bearing fluorenyl moieties spiro-bonded at the C(5) and C(11) positions was also identified. The structures of the naphthacenes were elucidated by X-ray crystallography, and a mechanistic rationale is offered. [reaction: see text]     

Nitrogen bridgehead compounds. Part 51 Autoxidation of 9-aminotetrahydro-4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-4-ones. Synthesis and stereochemistry of 9-amino- and 9-hydroxy-6,7-dihydro-4H-pyrido[1,2-a]-pyrimidin-4-ones

In solution the 9-phenylaminotetrahydro-4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-4-ones 1-5 were oxidized into the 9-aminodihydro compounds 15-19 by atmospheric oxygen at ambient temperature. Autoxidation is most probably a free-radical chain process, which takes place with ground-state triplet oxygen via the radical cation of the enamine form. The 9-aminodihydro derivatives were also prepared from 9,9-dibromo compounds 10 and 11 and from 9-hydroxydihydro compounds 12-14 . The 9-hydroxydihydro derivatives, obtained from the 9-amino compounds 16, 19 and 21 by acidic hydrolysis, showed a solvent-dependent and R¹ substituent-dependent oxo-enol tautomerism. The enol form was stabilized by electron-withdrawing R¹ groups and a polar solvent. However, for the 9-aminodihydropyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidines 15-26 only the enamine tautomer (E) could be identified independently of the substituent and the solvent. The chemical structures of the synthesized products were studied by uv, ir, ¹H- and ¹³C-nmr spectroscopy.     

Silylium‐Ion‐Promoted (5+1) Cycloaddition of Aryl‐Substituted Vinylcyclopropanes and Hydrosilanes Involving Aryl Migration

A transition‐metal‐free (5+1) cycloaddition of aryl‐substituted vinylcyclopropanes (VCPs) and hydrosilanes to afford silacyclohexanes is reported. Catalytic amounts of the trityl cation initiate the reaction by hydride abstraction from the hydrosilane, and further progress of the reaction is maintained by self‐regeneration of the silylium ions. The new reaction involves a [1,2] migration of an aryl group, eventually furnishing 4‐ rather than 3‐aryl‐substituted silacyclohexane derivatives as major products. Various control experiments and quantum‐chemical calculations support a mechanistic picture where a silylium ion intramolecularly stabilized by a cyclopropane ring can either undergo a kinetically favored concerted [1,2] aryl migration/ring expansion or engage in a cyclopropane‐to‐cyclopropane rearrangement.     

5-amino-3,4-dihydro-2h-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiones. synthesis and chemosensor properties

The reaction of 4-arylalkyl- and 4-arylthiosemicarbazides with aroyl isothiocyanates gave substituted 1,2-bis(thiocarbamoyl)hydrazines, which readily cyclize to give previously unreported 4-aroyl 5-arylalkyl- and 4-aroyl-5-arylamino-2H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiones, respectively. A spectral study of 9-anthrylmethylthiosemicarbazides and derived dihydrotriazolethione indicated the chemosensor activity of these compounds relative to a cation series.     

EPR studies of amine radical cations. Part 2. Thermal and photo-induced rearrangements of propargylamine and allylamine radical cations in low-temperature freon matrices

Matrix EPR studies and quantum chemical calculations have been used to characterize the consecutive H-atom shifts undergone by the nitrogen-centered parent radical cations of propargylamine (1b*+) and allylamine (5*+) on thermal or photoinduced activation. The radical cation rearrangements of these unsaturated parent amines occur initially by a 1,2 H-atom shift from C1 to C2 with pi-bond formation at the positively charged nitrogen; this is followed by a consecutive reaction involving a second H-atom shift from C2 to C3. Thus, exposure to red light (lambda > 650 nm) converts 1b*+ to the vinyl-type distonic radical cation 2*+ which in turn is transformed on further photolysis with blue-green light (lambda approximately 400-600 nm) to the allene-type heteroallylic radical cation 3*+. Calculations show that the energy ordering is 1b*+ > 2*+ > 3*+, so that the consecutive H-atom shifts are driven by the formation of more stable isomers. Similarly, the parent radical cation of allylamine 5*+ undergoes a spontaneous 1,2-hydrogen atom shift from C1 to C2 at 77 K with a t1/2 of approximately 1 h to yield the distonic alkyl-type iminopropyl radical cation 6*+; this thermal reaction is attributed largely to quantum tunneling, and the rate is enhanced on concomitant photobleaching with visible light. Subsequent exposure to UV light (lambda approximately 350-400 nm) converts 6*+ by a 2,3 H-shift to the 1-aminopropene radical cation 7*+, which is confirmed to be the lowest-energy isomer derived from the ionization of either allylamine or cyclopropylamine. Although the parent radical cations of N, N-dimethylallylamine (9*+) and N-methylallylamine (11*+) are both stabilized by the electron-donating character of the methyl group(s), the photobleaching of 9*+ leads to the remarkable formation of the cyclic 1-methylpyrrolidine radical cation 10*+. The first step of this transformation now involves the migration of a hydrogen atom to C2 of the allyl group from one of the methyl groups (rather than from C1); the reaction is then completed by the cyclization of the generated MeN + (=CH2) CH2CH2CH2* distonic radical cation, possibly in a concerted overall process. In contrast to the ubiquitous H-atom transfer from carbon to nitrogen that occurs in the parent radical cations of saturated amines, the alternate rearrangements of either 1b*+ or 5*+ to an ammonium-type radical cation by a hypothetical H-atom shift from C1 to the ionized NH2 group are not observed. This is in line with calculations showing that the thermal barrier for this transformation is much higher (approximately 120 kJ mol-1) than those for the conversion of 1b*+ --> 2*+ and 5*+--> 6*+ (approximately 40-60 kJ mol-1).     

Structural effects on the OH-promoted fragmentation of methoxy-substituted 1-arylalkanol radical cations in aqueous solution: the role of oxygen acidity

A kinetic and product study of the OH- -induced decay in H2O of the radical cations generated from some di-and tri-methoxy-substituted 1-arylalkanols (ArCH(OH)R*+) and 2- and 3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)alkanols has been carried out by using pulse- and gamma-radiolysis techniques. In the 1-arylalkanol system, the radical cation 3,4-(MeO)2C6H3CH2-OH*+ decay at a rate more than two orders of magnitude higher than that of its methyl ether; this indicates the key role of the side-chain OH group in the decay process (oxygen acidity). However, quite a large deuterium kinetic isotope effect (3.7) is present for this radical cation compared with its a-dideuterated counterpart. A mechanism is suggested in which a fast OH deprotonation leads to a radical zwitterion which then undergoes a rate-determining 1,2-H shift, coupled to a side-chain-to-ring intramolecular electron transfer (ET) step. This concept also attributes an important role to the energy barrier for this ET, which should depend on the stability of the positive charge in the ring and, hence, on the number and position of methoxy groups. On a similar experimental basis, the same mechanism is suggested for 2,5-(MeO)2C6H3CH2OH*+ as for 3,4-(MeO)2C6H3CH2OH*+, in which some contribution from direct C-H deprotonation (carbon acidity) is possible. In fact, the latter process dominates the decay of the trimethoxylated system 2,4,5-(MeO)3C6H2CH2-OH*+, which, accordingly, reacts with OH- at the same rate as that of its methyl ether. Thus, a shift from oxygen to carbon acidity is observed as the positive charge is increasingly stabilized in the ring; this is attributed to a corresponding increase in the energy barrier for the intramolecular ET. When R=tBu, the OH- -promoted decay of the radical cation ArCH(OH)R*+ leads to products of C-C bond cleavage. With both Ar = 3,4- and 2,5-dimethoxyphenyl the reactivity is three orders of magnitude higher than that of the corresponding cumyl alcohol radical cations; this suggests a mechanism in which a key role is played by the oxygen acidity as well as by the strength of the scissile C-C bond: a radical zwitterion is formed which undergoes a rate-determining C-C bond cleavage, coupled with the intramolecular ET. Finally, oxygen acidity also determines the reactivity of the radical cations of 2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethanol and 3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)propanol. In the former the decay involves C-C bond cleavage, in the latter it leads to 3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)propanal. In both cases no products of C-H deprotonation were observed. Possible mechanisms, again involving the initial formation of a radical zwitterion, are discussed.     

A Simple Approach to the Synthesis of Fluoren-9-Ones

Cyclohexene-l-Carboxylic acid (I) undergoes reaction with various aromatic substrates (2a-i) in presence of Polyphosphoric acid (PPA) at 100[ddot]c to give cis-1,2,3,4,4a,9a - hexahydrofluoren-9-ones (3a-i) in good yield. Dehydrogenation of (3a-i) with selenium powder afforded corresponding fluoren-9-ones (4a-i) in high yield.     

Stereochemistry of reactions involving rotationally restricted, sterically hindered cations, radicals, and anions: 9-fluorenyl systems

A study of the stereochemical pathways of reactions involving rotationally restricted, sterically hindered cations, radicals, and anions has been undertaken utilizing chiral 9-(o-tert-butylphenyl)fluorenes. Previous reports of studies with these or related achiral compounds contained erroneous or equivocal conclusions. This study shows that (+)-sp-9-(o-tert-butylphenyl)-9-methoxy-2-methylfluorene, treated with Tf(2)O-CHCl(3) to form 100% of the 9-cation, then with NaOMe-MeOH, provided 29% of re-formed substrate (configurational retention) and 71% of the (-)-sp enantiomer (inversion). The same substrate treated with HI-CHCl(3) was converted into the 9-radical, which was rapidly reduced, affording 100% isolation of (-)-sp-9-(o-tert-butylphenyl)-2-methylfluorene (inversion). Treatment of the latter with n-BuLi-THF provided the 9-anion which, on acidification, yielded 100% of the enantiomeric (+)-sp-9-(o-tert-butylphenyl)-2-methylfluorene (inversion). The substrates in these reactions were the thermodynamically favored sp rotamers. Inversion directly produced the higher energy nonenantiomeric ap rotamers, which rapidly rotated into the sp products that were enantiomeric with the substrates. These results are explained by the rotational restriction and partial steric hindrance by the tert-butyl group to the original face of the sp(3) antiaromatic 9-cation (4n pi electrons), and the rotational restriction and extensive blockage to the original face of the sp(2) nonaromatic 9-radical (4n + 1 pi electrons) and aromatic (4n + 2 pi electrons) 9-anion. The barrier to rotation in some of the ortho-substituted 9-arylfluorenes is great enough to allow their sp and ap rotamers to be detected coexisting in solution, although their crystals were composed exclusively of one. Rotational restriction and steric hindrance at the 9-position have a large influence on the pK(a) values of these fluorenes and can offset the classic electronic effects of the substituents.     

Selective intercalation of Cs+ in the "V"-shaped cavity of a bichromophoric anion radical: Cs+ assisted pi-s-pi-delocalization of an electron

EPR studies in tetrahydrofuran, reveal that the one electron reduction of 1-(9-methyl-9H-fluoren-9-yl)-4-methylbenzene via electron transfer from cesium metal produces an anion radical that has a large affinity for the cesium cation. The affinity of this anion radical for Cs+ is so great that it will actually "suck" the Cs+ (but not Na+ or K+) right out of the grasp of 18-crown-6, leading to a cation-assisted pi-stacked complex, where the s-orbital of the metal cation is simultaneously overlapped with the pi-clouds of the phenyl and fluorenyl moieties. At ambient temperature, proton- and cesium-electron coupling constants are rapidly (on the EPR time scale) modulated as a result of the simultaneous existence of two interconverting conformers having an averaged cesium splitting (a(Cs)) of about 1.6 G. The pi-s-pi-electronic coupling can be turned on or off via the addition or removal of cesium cations. Analogous pi-s-pi-electronic coupling is observed in the 1,4-bis(9-methyl-9H-fluoren-9-yl)benzene-cesium system.