Synthesis and characterization of polybinaphthalene incorporating chiral (R) or (S)-1,1′-binaphthalene and oxadiazole units by Heck reaction

Chiral conjugated polymers P-1 and P-2 were synthesized by the polymerization of (R)-3,3′-diiodo-2,2′-bisbutoxy-1,1′-binaphthalene ((R)-M-1) and (S)-3,3′-diiodo-2,2′-bisbutoxy-1,1′-binaphthalene ((S)-M-1) with 2,5-bis(4-vinylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (M-2) under Pd-catalyzed Heck coupling reaction, respectively. Both monomers and polymers were analysed by NMR, MS, FT-IR, UV, DSC-TG, fluorescent spectroscopy, GPC and CD spectra. The chiral conjugated polymers exhibit strong Cotton effect in their circular dichroism (CD) spectra indicating a high rigidity of polymer backbone. CD spectra of polymers P-1 and P-2 are almost identical and have opposite signs for their position. These polymers have strong blue fluorescence.     

Novel optically active poly(amide-imide)s from N,N-(4,4-carbonyldiphthaloyl)-bis-l-phenylalanine diacid chloride and aromatic diamines by microwave irradiation

3,3^′,4,4^′-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (4,4^′-carbonyldiphthalic anhydride) (1) was reacted with l-phenylalanine (2) in a mixture of acetic acid and pyridine (3:2) and the resulting imide-acid [N,N^′-(4,4^′-carbonyldiphthaloyl)-bis-l-phenylalanine diacid] (4) was obtained in high yield. The compound (4) was converted to the N,N^′-(4,4^′-carbonyldiphthaloyl)-bis-l-phenylalanine diacid chloride (5) by reaction with thionyl chloride. A new facile and rapid polycondensation reaction of this diacid chloride (5) with several aromatic diamines such as 4,4^′-diaminodiphenyl methane (6a), 2,4-diaminotoluene (6b), 4,4^′-sulfonyldianiline (6c), p-phenylenediamine (6d), 4,4^′-diaminodiphenylether (6e), m-phenylenediamine (6f), benzidine (6g) and 2,6-diaminopyridine (6h) was developed by using a domestic microwave oven in the presence of a small amount of a polar organic medium such as o-cresol. The polymerization reactions proceeded rapidly, compared with the conventional solution polycondensation, and was completed within 7 min, producing a series of optically active poly(amide-imide)s with high yield and inherent viscosity of 0.22-0.52 dl/g. All of the above polymers were fully characterized by IR, elemental analyses and specific rotation. Some structural characterization and physical properties of this optically active poly(amide-imide)s are reported.     

Efficient bimetallic titanium catalyst for carbonyl-ene reaction

A new family of achiral 3,3′,5,5′-tetrasubstituted-2,2′,6,6′-tetrahydroxy biphenyl ligand 4 was developed. The axial chirality of the ligand could be induced by the chelation of 2,2′,6,6′-tetrahydroxy groups with (R)-BINOL-Ti(OⁱPr)₂ to form an axially chiral bimetallic titanium catalyst 9. Compared with (R)-BINOL-Ti(OⁱPr)₂ catalyst, this novel catalyst 9 exhibited excellent activity and enantioselectivity for the carbonyl-ene reaction of methylstyrene and ethyl glyoxylate. 3,3′,5,5′-Tetrasubstituted groups showed a remarkable effect on both enantioselectivity and yield. With 9d prepared from 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyl-2,2′,6,6′-tetrahydroxy biphenyl 4d as the catalyst, the best result, up to 97.6% ee and 99% yield, was obtained. Additionally, the bimetallic catalyst 9 also showed better catalytic capability than the corresponding monometallic catalyst.     

Chiral cyclopentadienyl ruthenium(II) complexes with P,P-ligands derived from (1R,2R)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane: Synthesis,crystal structures and catalytic activity in Diels–Alder reactions

Chiral cyclopentadienyl ruthenium(II) complexes [CpRu(L1–L3)Cl] (5–7) have been prepared by reaction of [CpRu(PPh₃)₂Cl] with chiral P,P-ligands (1R,2R)-1,2-bis(diphenylphosphinamino)cyclohexane (L1), N,N′-[bis-(3,3′-bis-tert-butyl-5,5′-bis-methoxy-1,1′-biphenyl-2,2′-diyl)phosphite]-(1R,2R)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane (L2) and N,N′-[bis-(R)-1,1′-binaphtyl-2,2′-diyl)phosphite]-(1R,2R)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane (L3). The molecular structures of 5 and 6 have been determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis. Studies on catalytic activity of the cations derived from (5–7) by treatment with AgSbF₆, are also reported.     

Synthesis and chiroptical property of C2-symmetric cyclohexapyrrole

Condensation reaction of gem-dimethyldipyrrylmethane-5,5′-dicarbinol and 4,4′-dimethyl-3,3′-di-iso-butyl-2,2′-bipyrrole under the catalysis by trifluoroacetic acid gave a hexapyrrolic macrocycle 6 in 15% yield after DDQ oxidation. X-ray crystallography of 6 shows that three parts of highly planar dipyrrylmethene unit are assembled by two sp³ hybridized gem-dimethyl carbon bridges and one direct linking at the pyrrole α-positions, leading to C₂ molecular symmetry. The complexation of 6 with (S)-(+)- and (R)-(−)-mandelic acid induced a CD Cotton effect at 461 and 650 nm.     

Diversity of coordination modes in the polymers based on 3,3′,4,4′-biphenylcarboxylate ligand

Four new compounds [Ni₂(4,4′-bpy)(3,4-bptc)(H₂O)₄]_n (1), [Ni(4,4′-bpy)(3,4-H₂bptc)(H₂O)₃]_n (2), [Mn₂(2,2′-bpy)₄(3,4-H₂bptc)₂] (3) and {[Mn(1,10-phen)₂(3,4-H₂bptc)]·4H₂O}_n (4) (3,4-H₄bptc=3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic acid, 4,4′-bpy=4,4′-bipyridine, 2,2′-bpy=2,2′-bipyridine, 1, 10-phen=1, 10-phenanthroline), have been prepared and structurally characterized. In all compounds, the derivative ligands of 3,4-H₄bptc (3,4-bptc⁴⁻ and 3,4-H₂bptc²⁻) exhibit different coordination modes and lead to the formation of various architectures. Compounds 1 and 2 display the three-dimensional (3D) framework: 1 shows a 3,4-connected topological network with (8³)(8⁵·10) topology symbol based on the coordination bonds while in 2, the hydrogen-bonding interactions are observed to connect the 1D linear chain generating a final 3D framework. 3 exhibits the 2D layer constructed from the hydrogen-bonding interactions between the dinuclear manganese units. Complex 4 shows the double layers motif through connecting the 1D zigzag chains with hydrogen-bonded rings. The thermal stability of 1-4 and magnetic property of 1 were also reported.     

An approach to the synthesis of chemically modified bisazocalix[4]arenes and their extraction properties

Bisazocalix[4]arenes [N,N′-bis(5-azo-25,26,27-tribenzoyloxy-28-hydroxycalix[4]arene)benzene (1), N,N′-bis(5-azo-25,26,27-tribenzoyloxy-28-hydroxycalix[4]arene)biphenyl (2) and N,N′-bis(5-azo-25,26,27-tribenzoyloxy-28-hydroxycalix[4]arene)-2,2′-dinitro biphenyl (3)] have been synthesized from 25,26,27-tribenzoyloxy-28-hydroxycalix[4]arene by diazocoupling with the corresponding aromatic diamines (p-phenylenediamine, 4,4′-diamino biphenyl and 4,4′-diamino-2,2′-dinitrobiphenyl). Extraction studies of bisazocalix[4]arenes 1, 2, and 3 show no difference in their extraction behavior and selectivity, whereas azocalix[4]arenes are a poor extractant for heavy metal cations. The absorption spectra of the prepared bisazocalix[4]arenes are discussed, both the effect of varying pH and solvent upon the absorption ability of bisazocalix[4]arenes.     

Facile acid-catalyzed condensation of 2-hydroxy-2,2′-biindan-1,1′,3,3′-tetrone with phenols, methoxyaromatic systems and enols

Various phenols, methoxy aromatic compounds, 3- and 4-hydroxycoumarins and enols smoothly condense with 2-hydroxy-2,2′-biindan-1,1′,3,3′-tetrone 1 in an acid medium producing 2-aryl/alkyl-2,2′-biindan-1,1′,3,3′-tetrones in high yields. The adducts of resorcinol, 1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene and α- and β-naphthols of 1 preferably remain in the intramolecular hemi-ketal form, confirmed by X-ray diffraction studies. On the other hand para and meta substituted phenols condense with 1 in an acid medium to produce 6 or 7 substituted 2′,4-spiro(1′,3′-indanedion)-indeno[3,2-b]chromenes in good yields.     

The degradation of 4,5-dichloro-1,2,3-dithiazolium chloride in wet solvents

4,5-Dichloro-1,2,3-dithiazolium chloride 1 (Appel salt) reacts in wet DCM, THF or MeCN to give elemental sulfur, dithiazole-5-thione 4, dithiazol-5-one 5 and thiazol-5-one 6. Furthermore the reaction of 2-phenylthiazol-5(4H)-one 12 with Appel salt 1 at ca. 20 °C gives 4-(4-chloro-5H-1,2,3-dithiazol-5-ylidene)-2-phenylthiazol-5(4H)-one 13 (26%) while at ca. 82 °C a new product 2,2′-diphenyl-4,4′-bithiazol-ylidene-5,5′-dione 14 (36%) is additionally isolated. Finally, 4,4′-bithiazolylidene-5,5′-dione 14 is prepared directly by treating 2-phenylthiazol-5(4H)-one 12 with N-chlorosuccinimide. All new compounds are fully characterised and rational mechanisms are proposed for the formation of all key compounds.     

Controlled vinyl-addition-type polymerization of norbornene initiated by several cobalt complexes having substituted terpyridine ligands

A series of cobalt(II) complexes having terpyridine derivatives such as 2,2^′:6^′,2″-terpyridine (1), 4,4^′,4″-^tBu₃-2,2^′:6^′,2″-terpyridine (2), 5,5″-Me₂-2,2^′:6^′,2″-terpyridine (3), 6,6″-Me₂-2,2^′:6^′,2″-terpyridine (4) and 6,6″-(3,5-Me₂C₆H₃)₂-2,2^′:6^′,2″-terpyridine (5) was synthesized. The structures of 1, 3, and 4 were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The coordination sphere around the cobalt center in 1 can be described as pseudo square pyramidal. On the other hand, complex 4 has pseudo trigonal bipyramidal structure. Upon activation with d-MAO (dried-methylaluminoxane), these complexes showed high activities for the polymerization of norbornene (NBE). In particular, polymerization of NBE with 4/d-MAO system at room temperature resulted in quantitative yield within several hours to give the polymers with relatively narrow molecular weight distributions and controlled molecular weight. The polymerizations of NBE with these cobalt catalyst systems proceeded in vinyl addition polymerization, which was confirmed by ¹H NMR spectra of the resulting polymers.     

Dendritic BINOL ligands for asymmetric catalysis: effect of the linking positions and generations of the dendritic wedges on catalyst properties

Three types of new chiral BINOL ligands (2, 3 and 4) bearing dendritic wedges have been synthesized through coupling reaction between 3-hydroxymethyl-2,2′-bis(methoxymethyl)-1,1′-binaphthol (7), 6,6′-dihydroxymethyl-2,2′-bis(methoxymethyl)-1,1′-binaphthol (12), 6-hydroxymethyl-2,2′-bis(methoxymethyl)-1,1′-binaphthol (15) and Fréchet-type polyether dendritic benzyl bromide, followed by deprotection of methoxymethyl groups by ⁱPrOH/HCl, respectively. These new ligands obtained were assessed in enantioselective Lewis acid-catalyzed addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde. Compared to the enantioselectivity observed with dendrimer 1 bearing the dendritic wedges at 3,3′-positions of the binaphthyl backbone, higher enantioselectivity for all these ligands was observed. Difference in the effect of linking positions and generations on enantioselectivity and/or activity for all three kinds of dendritic ligand-derived catalysts was observed. Among these dendritic ligands, (R)-3/Ti(IV) catalyst with the dendritic wedges at 6,6′-positions of BINOL gave the highest enantioselectivity (up to 87% ee).     

Asymmetric Friedel-Crafts alkylation of activated benzenes with methyl (E)-2-oxo-4-aryl-3-butenoates catalyzed by [Pybox/Sc(OTf)3]

The asymmetric Friedel-Crafts reaction between methyl (E)-2-oxo-4-aryl-3-butenoates (1a-c) and activated benzenes (2a-d) has been efficiently catalyzed by the Sc^III triflate complex of (4′S,5′S)-2,6-bis[4′-(triisopropylsilyl) oxymethyl-5′-phenyl-1′,3′-oxazolin-2′-yl]pyridine (pybox 3). The 4,4-diaryl-2-oxo-butyric acid methyl esters (4) are usually formed in good yields and the enantioselectivity is up to 99% ee. The sense of the stereoinduction can be rationalized with the same octahedral complex (10) between 1, pybox 3 and Sc triflate already proposed for other reactions involving pyruvates, and catalyzed by the same complex.     

SnCl4-mediated oxidative biaryl coupling reaction of 1-naphthol and subsequent ring closure of 2,2′-binaphthol to the dinaphthofuran framework

A simple method for the direct synthesis of 2,2′-binaphthols 2 and dinaphtho[1,2-b;2′,1′-d]furans 3 under mild conditions was developed, utilizing a biaryl coupling reaction via electron donor-acceptor complexes of 1-naphthols with SnCl₄. Heating of the complex in a sealed tube for (18-24 h) afforded the corresponding o-o coupled product 2 in excellent yield. Prolonged reaction (56-65 h) under the same conditions afforded 3 in high yield in one step. We also found that in the case of α-naphthol without substituents other than a hydroxyl group at the C-1 position, regioselective o-o coupling reaction proceeded. The products 2a, 2b and 2g should be useful as synthetic intermediates for naturally occurring 3,3′-bijuglone, 3,3′-biplumbagin and elliptinone.     

Synthesis of new imines and amines containing organosilicon groups

The Peterson olefination reaction of terephthalaldehyde with tris(trimethylsilyl)methyl lithium, (Me₃Si)₃CLi, in THF at 0 °C gives 4-[2,2-bis(trimethylsilyl)ethenyl]benzaldehyde (1) and 4,4-bis[2,2-bis(trimethylsilyl)ethenyl]benzene (2). The new aldehyde (1) reacts with variety of amines in ethanol to afford the corresponding imines (3) containing vinylbis(trimethylsilyl) group. The newly synthesized imines (3) can be completely converted into amines containing vinylbis(trimethylsilyl) group with an excess amount of NaBH₄. In the case of N-[4-(2,2-bis(trimethylsilyl)ethenyl)benzyl]-2,6-dimethylaniline LiAlH₄ was used as a reducing agent in THF.     

Microwave-assisted synthesis of novel bis(2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one) derivatives as potential GSK-3 inhibitors

(5Z,5′Z)-3,3′-(1,4-Phenylenebis(methylene)-bis-(5-arylidene-2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one) derivatives (5a-r) have been synthesized by the condensation reaction of 3,3′-(1,4- or 1,3-phenylenebis(methylene))bis(2-thioxothiazolidin-4-ones) (3a,b) with suitably substituted aldehydes (4a-f) or 2-(1H-indol-3-yl)2-oxoacetaldehydes (8a-c) under microwave conditions. The bis(2-thioxothiazolidin-4-ones) were prepared from the corresponding primary alkyl amines (1a,b) and di-(carboxymethyl)-trithiocarbonyl (2). The 2-(1H-indol-3-yl)-2-oxoacetaldehydes (8a-c) were synthesized from the corresponding acid chlorides (7a-c) using HSnBu₃.     

Synthesis,characterization and catalytic activity of halo-methyl-bis(salicylaldehyde)ethylenediamine cobalt(II) complexes

The synthesis, characterization and catalytic activity of a series of tetra-halo-dimethyl salen and di-halo-tetramethyl-salen ligands are reported in this paper: α,α′-dimethyl-Salen (dMeSalen) (L¹); 3,3′,5,5′-tetrachloro-α,α′-dimethyl-Salen, (tCldMeSalen) (L²); 3,3′-dibromo-5,5′-dichloro-α,α′-dimethyl-Salen, (dCldBrdMeSalen) (L³); 3,3′,5,5′-tetrabromo-α,α′-dimethyl-Salen, (tBrdMeSalen) (L⁴); 3,3′,5,5′-tetraiodo-α,α′-dimethyl-salen, (tIdMeSalen) (L⁵); 3,3′-dichloro-5,5′,α,α′-tetramethyl-Salen (dCltMeSalen) (L⁶); 3,3′-dibromo-5,5′,α,α′-tetramethyl-Salen (dBrtMeSalen) (L⁷); and 3,3′-diiodo-5,5′,α,α′-tetramethyl-Salen (dItMeSalen) (L⁸) (Salen = bis(salicylaldehyde)ethylenediamine). Upon reaction with Co(II) ions, these ligands form complexes with square planar geometry that have been characterized by elemental analysis, cyclic voltammetry, UV–Vis, IR and EPR spectroscopies. In the presence of pyridine the obtained Co(II) complexes were found able to bind reversibly O₂, which was shown by EPR spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. They were also found able to catalyze the oxidation of 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol (DtBuP) (9) with formation of 2,6-di-tert-butyl-1,4-benzoquinone (DtBuQ) (10) and 2,6,2′,6′-tetra-tert-butyl-1,1′-diphenobenzoquinone (TtBuDQ) (11). These properties are first influenced by the coordination of pyridine in axial position of the Co(II) ion that causes an increase of the electronic density on the cobalt ion and as a consequence a decrease in the E_1/2 value and an increase of the reducing power of the Co(II) complex. It is noteworthy that, under those conditions the complexes also show a remarkable quasi-reversible behaviour. Second, complex properties are also influenced by the substituents (methyl and halogen) grafted on the aromatic ring and on the azomethynic groups. The donating methyl substituent on the azomethynic groups causes a decrease in the E_1/2 value, whereas the halogen substituents on the aromatic rings have two effects: a mesomeric donating effect that tends to lower the redox potential of the complex, and a steric effect that tends to decrease the conjugation of the ligand and then to increase the redox potential of the Co(II) complex. In pyridine, the steric effect predominates, which causes both an increase of the redox potential and a decrease of the selectivity of the oxidation of phenol 9. As a result of all these effects, it then appears that the best catalysts to realize the selective oxidation of 2,6-di-tert-butyl-phenol (9) by O₂ are the Co complexes of ligands bearing CH₃ donating substituents, Co(dMeSalen) 1 (2CH₃ substituents), and Co-di-halo-tetra-methyl-salen complexes 6, 7 and 8 (4CH₃ substituents), in the presence of pyridine.     

One-pot synthesis of macrocyclic compounds possessing two cyclobutane rings by sequential inter- and intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition reactions

Sensitized photocycloaddition reactions of 6,6′-dimethyl-4,4′-[1,3-bis(methylenoxy)phenylene]-di-2-pyrone (1) with electron-poor α,ω-diolefins such as ethylene diacrylate (2a) and polyoxyethylene dimethacrylates (2b-d) afforded site- and stereoselective macrocyclic dioxatetralactones (3a-d) and (4b) having 18- to 25-membered rings across the C5-C6 and C5′-C6′ double bonds, or C5-C6 and C3′-C4′ double bonds in 1, respectively. Similar photoreactions of 1 with electron-rich α,ω-diolefins such as poly(ethylene glycol)divinyl ether (2e and 2f) afforded crown ether-type macrocyclic compounds (5e and 5f) having 18- and 21-membered rings across the C3-C4 and C3′-C4′ double bonds in 1, respectively. The stereochemical features of 3b, 5e-xx, and 5e-nn were determined by the X-ray crystal analysis. The reaction mechanism was inferred by MO methods.     

Enantioselective synthesis of planar chiral azaferrocenes via chiral ligand-mediated ring- and lateral-lithiations

Lithiation of 1′,2′,3′,4′,5′-pentamethylazaferrocene (1) with sec-BuLi/(−)-sparteine (3) in Et₂O at −78°C followed by quenching with electrophiles gave the ring-substituted products 2 in 74-81% ee. On the other hand, lithiation of 1′,2,2′,3′,4′,5,5′-heptamethylazaferrocene (6) with sec-BuLi in the presence of S-valine-derived bis(oxazoline) 5 in Et₂O at −55°C and subsequent reaction with electrophiles afforded the laterally functionalized products 7 in excellent enantioselectivity (96-99% ee).     

Synthesis,spectral, thermal and BVS investigations on ZnS4N^N/N coordination environment: Single crystal X-ray structures of bis(dibenzyldithiocarbamato)(N^N)Zinc(II) complexes (N^N = 1,10-phenanthroline,tetramethylethylenediamine and 4,4′-bipyridine)

The current paper describes the synthesis and spectral investigations on the adducts of [Zn(dbzdtc)₂] (1) with 1,10-phen (2), tmed (3), 2,2′-bipy (4) and 4,4′-bipy (5) (where, dbzdtc = dibenzyldithiocarbamate anion, 1,10-phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, tmed = tetramethylethylenediamine, 2,2′-bipy = 2,2′-bipyridine, 4,4′-bipy = 4,4′-bipyridne) and single crystal X-ray structures of [Zn(dbzdtc)₂(1,10-phen)] (2) and [Zn(dbzdtc)₂(tmed)] (3) and [Zn(dbzdtc)₂(4,4′-bipy)] (5). ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra of 1,10-phen, tmed, 2,2′-bipy and 4,4′-bipy adducts were recorded. ¹H NMR spectra of the complexes show the drift of electrons from the nitrogen of the substituents forcing a high electron density towards sulfur via the thioureide π-system. In the ¹³C NMR spectra, the most important thioureide (N¹³CS₂) carbon signals are observed in the region: 206–210 ppm. Fluorescence spectra of complexes (2) and (4) show intense fluorescence due to the presence of rigid conjugate systems such as 1,10-phenanthroline and 2,2′-bipyridine. The observed fluorescence maxima for complexes with an MS₄N₂ chromophore in the visible region are assigned to the metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) processes. Single crystal X-ray structural analysis of (2) and (3) showed that the zinc atom is in a distorted octahedral environment. Bond Valence Sum was found to be equivalent to 1.865 for (2), 1.681 for (3) supporting the correctness of the determined structure. BVS of (3) deviates from the formal oxidation number of zinc due to the non-aromatic, sterically hindering tetramethyl bonding end of tmed. Thermal studies on the compounds show the formation of Zn(NCS)₂ as an intermediate during the decay.     

Oligothiophene-2-yl-vinyl bridged mono- and binuclear ruthenium(II) tris-bipyridine complexes: Synthesis, photophysics, electrochemistry and electrogenerated chemiluminescence

A series of mono- and binuclear ruthenium(II) tris-bipyridine complexes tethered to oligothienylenevinylenes have been synthesized and characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and TOF-MS spectrometry. Photophysics, electrochemistry and electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) properties of these complexes are investigated. The electronic absorption spectra of the mononuclear ruthenium complexes show a significant red shift both at MLCT (metal-to-ligand charge transfer) and π-π^∗ transitions of oligothienylenevinylenes with increase in the number of thiophenyl-2-yl-vinyl unit. For the binuclear complexes these two absorption bands are overlapped. All the metal complexes have very weak emission compared to that of the reference complex Ru(bpy)²⁺₃. The first reduction potentials of all mononuclear ruthenium complexes are less negative than that of Ru(bpy)²⁺₃, due to the moderate electron-withdrawing effect of oligothienylenevinylenes. For binuclear ruthenium complexes, only one Ru(II/III) oxidation peak (E_1/2 = 0.96 V vs. Ag/Ag⁺) was observed, suggesting a weak interaction between two metal centers. Three successive reduction processes of bipyridine ligands are similar among all ruthenium complexes except for RuTRu, which has a very sharp peak owing to the accumulation of neutral product on the electrode surface. All these ruthenium complexes exhibited different ECL property in CH₃CN solution without any additional reductant or oxidant. For three mononuclear ruthenium complexes, the ECL intensity strengthens with increase in the number of thiophene-2-yl-vinyl unit. However, the ECL efficiency dramatically decreased in the binuclear ruthenium complexes. The ECL efficiencies of all the reported complexes do not exceed that of Ru(bpy)²⁺₃, where the ECL efficiency decreases in the order of RuTRu > Ru3T > Ru2T > RuT > Ru2TRu (RuT,bis-2,2′-bipyridyl-(4-methyl-4′-(2-thienylethenyl)-2,2′-bipyridine) ruthenium dihexafluorophosphate; Ru2T, bis-2,2′-bipyridyl-(4-methyl-4′-{(E)-2-[5-((E)-2-thienylethenyl)-thienylethenyl]}-2,2′-bipyridine) ruthenium dihexafluorophosphate; Ru3T, bis-2,2′-bipyridyl-(4-methyl-4′-{(E)-2-{(E)-2-[5-((E)-2-thienylethenyl)-thienylethenyl]}}-2,2′-bipyridine) ruthenium dihexafluorophosphate; RuTRu, bis-2,2′-bipyridyl-ruthenium-bis-[2-((E)-4′-methyl-2, 2′-bipyridinyl-4)-ethenyl]-thienyl-bis-2,2′-bipyridyl-ruthenium tetrahexafluorophosphate; Ru2TRu, bis-2,2′-bipyridyl-ruthenium-(E)-1,2-bis-{2-[2-((E)-4′-methyl-2,2′-bipyridinyl-4)-ethenyl]-thienyl}-ethenyl-bis-2,2′-bipyridyl-ruthenium tetrahexafluorophosphate).