First examples of a new class of discogen

Two examples of a new class of discotic liquid crystals are presented. Their molecular architecture consists of a trisubstituted central core (either a benzene or a cyclohexane ring) and three regional cores, with three decyloxy-chains in the 3,4,5-positions of a particular benzene ring. These regional cores are linked to the central core via ester groups. Polarizing microscopy and calorimetric measurements reveal the existence of monotropic and enantiotropic discotic mesophases respectively. The products exhibit a pronounced hindering of crystallization at room temperature.     

Preliminary communication First example of a functionalized triphenylene discotic trimer: molecular engineering of advanced materials

A new type of functionalized discotic oligomer system has been realized whose molecular architecture consists of a trisubstituted benzene as central core and three nitro-functionalized triphenylenes as regional cores. These regional cores are linked to the central core via ether linkages through an alkyl chain spacer. Polarizing microscopy and calorimetric measurements reveal the existence of a monotropic columnar mesophase in this novel functionalized oligomer. The product does not crystallize at room temperature over a long period (c. five months) or on cooling to 50 C. The corresponding unfunctionalized trimer is not liquid crystalline. The dipolar interaction of nitro groups is probably responsible for the induction of mesogenicity. The introduction of functionality into liquid crystal oligomers permits the variation of their properties on a wide scale and opens the route to new synthetic supramolecular systems for various device applications.     

Preliminary communication First example of a functionalized triphenylene discotic trimer: molecular engineering of advanced materials

A new type of functionalized discotic oligomer system has been realized whose molecular architecture consists of a trisubstituted benzene as central core and three nitro-functionalized triphenylenes as regional cores. These regional cores are linked to the central core via ether linkages through an alkyl chain spacer. Polarizing microscopy and calorimetric measurements reveal the existence of a monotropic columnar mesophase in this novel functionalized oligomer. The product does not crystallize at room temperature over a long period ( c. five months) or on cooling to 50 C. The corresponding unfunctionalized trimer is not liquid crystalline. The dipolar interaction of nitro groups is probably responsible for the induction of mesogenicity. The introduction of functionality into liquid crystal oligomers permits the variation of their properties on a wide scale and opens the route to new synthetic supramolecular systems for various device applications.     

Preliminary Communications Functionalization of discotic liquid crystals by direct substitution into the discogen ring α-Nitration of triphenylene-based discogens

Abstract

It is demonstrated for the first time that discotic liquid crystals can be functionalized by direct substitution into the central ring (core) of the discogen. It is shown that hexahexyloxy-triphenylene (HAT6) can be easily nitrated to give the mono-α-nitrated product exclusively. This material, which has a discotic mesophase range between room temperature and 136°C, can be modified to give α-amino-, α-acetylamino- and α,α'-diazo-HAT6. These new materials all show enantiotropic mesophases, have permanent dipole moments and some of them are coloured. This generally applicable approach opens up a route to an enormous range of new discotic liquid crystals.     

Discotic liquid crystals derived from polycyclic aromatic cores: from the smallest benzene to the utmost graphene cores

ABSTRACT

Past decades we have witnessed many breakthroughs in research on liquid crystals (LCs) as well as significant amplification in the application of LCs. LCs are currently attracting great attention of scientists from all over the world where various researches have been implemented on the varied facets of LCs. In this review we present some recent developments in the field of discotic liquid crystals (DLCs). A large number of DLCs from various aromatic cores have been realised. However, due to paucity of space only DLCs derived from four main aromatic cores, benzene, triphenylene, hexabenzocoronene and graphene, are covered here. An outlook on these emerging two-dimensional organic semiconductor materials with relevant scientific application background has been presented.     

NMR relaxation of rigid molecules in the nematic phase of a discotic liquid crystal

Abstract

Frequency and temperature dependent NMR relaxation measurements were performed on deuteriated benzene, pyrene and triphenylene dissolved in the nematic phase of a discotic liquid crystal. The results show a strong frequency dependence of the spectral densities. Based on the symmetries of the system and the usual model for director fluctuations this frequency dependence should be equal for J ₁ and J ₂. From fitting the commonly used model of rotational diffusion and director fluctuations to the data we see that this is not the case for benzene and triphenylene, even though the fits themselves are satisfactory. Values for the elastic constants, effective viscosity and translational diffusion in similar discotic liquid crystals do not account quantitatively for the frequency dependence of benzene. For both pyrene and triphenylene quantitative comparison was impossible due to lack of translational diffusion data. We also find that the so-called cut-off wave-length is of the order of the dimensions of the liquid crystal molecules, just as in ordinary nematics.     

Synthesis and ferroelectric properties of laterally substituted fluoro liquid crystals derived from 4-mercaptobenzoic acid

Several new ferroelectric liquid crystals with thiobenzoate mesogenic cores have been synthesized and the influence of a single fluorine atom ortho to the alkyloxy tail on the mesomorphic properties of some two and three benzene ring core compounds has been studied. The two benzene ring derivatives do not display the ferroelectric smectic C phase but the three phenyl ring compounds exhibit a wide temperature range S_c* phase. The transition temperatures and enthalpies of transition for these compounds have been determined; the spontaneous polarization, response time and tilt angle have also been measured and are discussed as a function of the structure near to the chiral centre.     

Self-assembled discotic nematic liquid crystals formed by simple hydrogen bonding between phenol and pyridine moieties

New discotic nematic liquid crystals have been prepared through intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the core of 1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene (phloroglucinol, PG) or 1,3,5-tris(4-hydroxyphenyl)benzene (THPB) and the peripheral molecules of stilbazole derivatives. The various nematic phases formed by new hydrogen bonding building blocks were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, polarising optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The first discotic complexes of PG and trans-4-alkoxy-4′-stilbazoles exhibited nematic columnar (N_C) and hexagonal columnar phases depending on the length of alkyl chains, which were considered as the basic discotic structure. Several structural variations on the building blocks were attempted to examine their effects on the liquid crystalline properties of discotic complexes. The nematic lateral phase (N_L) with enhanced intercolumnar order was observed for the complexes of PG and trans-4-cyanoalkoxy-4′ stilbazoles due probably to the strong dipole interactions between cyano groups at the end of alkoxy chains. By introducing the nonlinear structure in three arms of supramolecular discotic mesogen, a discotic nematic phase (N_D) was observed for the complex of THPB and trans-4-octyloxy-4 -stilbazole. The single hydrogen bonding between phenol and pyridine moieties in this study provides a simple and effective method for preparing the rarely found discotic nematic liquid crystals.     

On the solid polymorphs of the discotic mesogen hexa-octanoyloxytriphenylene

Abstract

In an earlier study by van Hecke et al., it was shown that the discotic mesogen hexa-octanoyloxytriphenylene (HAT8) crystallizes in four different solid forms, depending on the thermal history of the sample. The present study is an attempt to characterize three of these solids in more detail using X-ray, carbon-13 and deuterium NMR techniques. It is shown that van Hecke's modification IV is a metastable amorphic solid, while modifications III and II are highly ordered crystalline solids. Both are apparently monoclinic, but with different unit cell dimensions. In all solid phases, the triphenylene core is static on the NMR time-scale, but the side chains are disordered to different degrees in the different modifications. Further NMR studies on the discotic mesophase of HAT8 are also reported.     

A Dendrimer Chiroptical Switch Based on the Reversible Intramolecular Photoreaction of Anthracene and Benzene Rings

A series of Fréchet‐type dendrimers with 9‐benzyloxymethylanthracene cores were synthesized and characterized. The chiral source for the dendrimers was an (S)‐2‐methyl‐1‐butoxy group in the 3‐position of the benzene ring. Irradiation at 366 nm of a dilute benzene solution led to the formation of two diastereomers (1:1) through a quantitative intramolecular [4π+4π] cycloaddition between the central anthracene ring and the neighboring benzene ring. The process can be reversed with 254 nm UV light or heat. The benzene rings in the dendrons work as a light‐harvesting system. The optical rotation values measured for the reversible process showed fatigue resistance. Thus, a promising new type of chiroptical switch has been created that has optical rotation values as output signals.     

Synthesis,structure, and NMR spectra of a new ferrocenylbenzene tricarbonylchromium complex

Complex 1 (1,2,4-triferrocenylbenzene tricarbonylchromium), possessing four heterometals, has been synthesized efficiently by a new method in one pot. Through detailed study on the NMR chemical shifts of 1 and the ligand 2, the NMR chemical shifts of 1 shift upfield from those of 2. The NMR spectra of 1 have reduced magnetic anisotropy of benzene after Cr(CO)₃ coordination with 2. The ferrocenyl groups have electron donating effect on the central benzene ring of 1.     

Synthesis and rotational barriers of atropisomers of 1,2-bis[5-(11H-benzo[b]fluorenyl)]benzenes and related compounds

Several 1,2-bis[5-(11H-benzo[b]fluorenyl)]benzenes and related compounds were synthesized via a cascade reaction sequence of the corresponding benzannulated enyne-allene precursors. The X-ray structures showed that the two benzo[b]fluorenyl moieties attached via the C5 carbons to the adjacent carbon atoms of the central benzene ring are oriented essentially perpendicular to the central benzene ring. The rates of rotation around the carbon-carbon single bonds attaching the benzo[b]fluorenyl moieties to the central benzene ring are relatively slow, allowing several anti and syn atropisomers to be separated at ambient temperature.     

Synthesis, structure and two-photon absorption properties of a new multi-branched compound, 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(4-pyridylvinyl)benzene

A conjugated and symmetric multi-branched compound, 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(4-pyridylvinyl)benzene (TKPVB), has been synthesized and the crystal structures of TKPVB and its intermediate, 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(dimethoxyphosphorylmethyl)benzene, were determined by diffraction method. TKPVB with four units of 4-vinylpyridine moieties attached to the central benzene core presents an A-π-A general framework, where A is a π-deficient pyridine ring. The single-photon and two-photon absorption and fluorescence properties in different solvents of varying polarity have been investigated. It is also found that the one- and two-photon-induced fluorescence spectra are quite similar, which indicate that the one- and two-photon allowed-excited states are the same.     

Phenalenannulations: Three-Point Double Annulation Reactions that Convert Benzenes into Pyrenes

3-Point annulations, or phenalenannulations, transform a benzene ring directly into a substituted pyrene by “wrapping” two new cycles around the perimeter of the central ring at three consecutive carbon atoms. This efficient, modular, and general method for π-extension opens access to non-symmetric pyrenes and their expanded analogues. Potentially, this approach can convert any aromatic ring bearing a -CH₂Br or a -CHO group into a pyrene moiety. Depending upon the workup choices, the process can be directed towards either tin- or iodo-substituted product formation, giving complementary choices for further various cross-coupling reactions. The two-directional bis-double annulation adds two new polyaromatic extensions with a total of six new aromatic rings at a central core.     

Structure Features of 1,3,5-Tris(Diphenylphosphinoxidemethylene)Ben zene in Crystal and Solution on the Base of X-Ray,Dipole Moments and Quantum Chemical Analysis

Abstract

The molecular structure, polarity and conformations in solution of 1,3,5-tris(diphenylphosphinoxidemethy1ene)benzene 1,3,5-[Ph₂P(0)CH₂]₃C₆H₃ have been studied by X-ray, dipole moments and quantum chemistry methods. It have been shown, that in crystal molecule has the conformation in which two diphenylphosphinoxide fragments dispose on one and the same side, but the third - on the other side of central benzene ring plane with torsion angles C_SP2-C_SP2-C_SP3-P 60–80° and C_SP2-C_SP3-P=O about 50–70°. In solution conformational picture is more rich: side by side with the structures realized in crystal, conformations with all three diphenylphosphinoxide fragments disposed on one and the same side of central benzene ring plane with torsion angles C_SP2-C_SP2-C_SP3-P 70-90° and C_SP2-C_SP3-P=O about 70–75° become preferable.     

Phenalenannulations: Three‐Point Double Annulation Reactions that Convert Benzenes into Pyrenes

3‐Point annulations, or phenalenannulations, transform a benzene ring directly into a substituted pyrene by “wrapping” two new cycles around the perimeter of the central ring at three consecutive carbon atoms. This efficient, modular, and general method for π‐extension opens access to non‐symmetric pyrenes and their expanded analogues. Potentially, this approach can convert any aromatic ring bearing a ‐CH₂Br or a ‐CHO group into a pyrene moiety. Depending upon the workup choices, the process can be directed towards either tin‐ or iodo‐substituted product formation, giving complementary choices for further various cross‐coupling reactions. The two‐directional bis‐double annulation adds two new polyaromatic extensions with a total of six new aromatic rings at a central core.     

系列三核钼硫簇合物的合成、结构表征和性质研究

系统地报道了9个三核钼硫簇合物的合成和结构表征. 晶体结构分析表明, 其中化合物1和6具有[Mo₃(μ₃-S)(μ-S)₃]簇芯, 化合物2和3具有不对称的簇芯[Mo₃(μ₃-S)(μ-O)(μ-S)₂], 化合物4, 5, 7和8具有少见的[Mo₃(μ₃-O)(μ-S)₃]簇芯, 而化合物9则具有[Mo₃(μ₃-S)(μ-S₂)₃]簇芯. 这一系列不同的簇芯以及桥配体和“松散”配位的端配体造成了不同的堆积结构. 讨论了前三种簇芯的电子结构, 并根据它们的立体构型和电子结构对某些重要的谱学表征结果做了合理的诠释. 测定了化合物4的变温电导率, 表明其具有半导体导电性能.     

From S,N‐Heteroacene to Large Discotic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs): Liquid Crystal versus Plastic Crystalline Materials with Tunable Mechanochromic Fluorescence

A novel type of discotic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) based on an enlarged dibenzo[a,c]phenazine core has been developed. The large conjugated mesogenic core with increased dipole moment derived from S,N heteroatoms facilitates the formation of highly ordered columnar superstructures both in solution and bulk. Columnar mesophases, including liquid crystal (LC) and plastic crystal (PC) assemblies could form unprecedentedly based on the same PAH core. The cores are delicately modulated by the peripherical alkoxy chains. Both mesogens have mechanochromic fluorescent (MCF) character, which is also structure dependent and correlated with the different mesophase formation. For the first time, MCF properties can be realized in such a large conjugated mesogenic system.     

双(取代水杨醛)间苯二甲酰腙有机锡配合物的一锅溶剂热法合成、结构和荧光性质

以间苯二甲酰肼、取代水杨醛和有机锡前体化合物进行一锅溶剂热法反应,合成了5个双（取代水杨醛）间苯二甲酰腙有机锡配合物m-Ph （CONH-N=CH （o-O） PhR¹）（SnR²）₂：R¹=Naphth,R²=Cy （1）; R¹=3-t-Bu,R²=n-Bu （2）; R¹=5-F,R²=Ph （3）; R¹=4-Cl,R²=Ph （4）; R¹=3-t-Bu,R²=Ph （5）。经元素分析、红外光谱、（¹H、¹³C和¹¹⁹Sn）核磁共振谱表征,并用X射线衍射方法确证了配合物1~5的晶体分子结构。配合物1~4为三斜晶系P1空间群,配合物5为单斜晶系P2₁空间群。中心锡与配位原子组成五配位畸形三角双锥构型。将水杨醛酰腙链与有机锡配位形成远离中心苯环的构型称为"反式",将与中心苯环取向相同的构型称为"顺式"。通过C1-C2或C4-C8单键旋转,中心苯环上的2个配位链发生构型翻转。配合物1形成"反-反"式构型,配合物2形成"顺-顺"式构型,配合物3、4和5形成"顺-反"式构型。荧光研究表明,配合物具有发光性能,特别是配合物1和4的有机溶液具有很强的荧光性能。     

Novel electron-deficient oligo(phenyleneethynylene) derivatives for molecular electronics

This work reports synthesis and characterizations of two new electron-poor “oligo(phenyleneethynylene) (OPE) type” molecular wires for fundamental studies of electron transport in molecular junctions. These OPE derivatives display three aromatic rings functionalized (i) with NO₂ (OPN) or fluorine (OPF) groups on the central aryl core and (ii) with the requisite protected thiolate anchoring groups on the lateral rings at both ends. We show that the moderately effective Sonogashira couplings can give access to such rare electrodeficient molecules but are unfortunately associated with significant side reactions. We detail the choice of adequate reaction conditions to allow the recovery of suitable amounts of compounds bearing several strongly electron-withdrawing substituents on their central ring for further study of the physical properties.