A High‐Barrier Molecular Balance for Studying Face‐to‐Face Arene–Arene Interactions in the Solid State and in Solution

An atropisomeric molecular balance was developed to study face‐to‐face arene–arene interactions. The balance has a large central 1,4,5,8‐naphthalene diimide surface that forms intramolecular arene–arene interactions with two pendent arms. The balance adopts distinct syn and anti isomers with varying numbers of intramolecular interactions. Thus, the strength of the arene–arene interaction could be quantitatively measured by NMR spectroscopy from the anti/syn ratios. The size of the arene arms was easily varied, which allowed examination of the relationship between arene size and strength of the interaction. A nonlinear size dependence was observed in solution with larger arene arms having a disproportionately stronger arene–arene interaction. The intramolecular arene–arene interactions were also characterized in the solid state by X‐ray crystallography. These studies were facilitated by the kinetic stability of the syn and anti isomers at room temperature due to the high isomerization barrier (ΔG=27.0 kcal mol^?1). Thus, the anti isomer could be selectively isolated and crystallized in its folded conformation. The X‐ray structures confirmed that the anti isomers formed two strong intramolecular arene–arene interactions with face‐to‐face geometries. The solid‐state structure analysis also reveals that the rigid framework may contribute to the observed nonlinear size trend. The acetate linker is slightly too long, which selectively destabilizes the balances with smaller arene arms. The larger arene arms are able to compensate for the longer linker and form effective intramolecular arene–arene interactions.     

An Experimental Study on the Effect of Substituents on Aromatic–Aromatic Interactions in Dithia[3,3]‐metaparacyclophanes

Simple model systems based on the 2,11‐dithia[3,3]‐metaparacyclophane skeleton were synthesized to study the effects of substituents on the intramolecular aromatic–aromatic interactions between benzene rings. X‐ray crystallography established that, in their more stable conformations, these metaparacyclophanes featured partially overlapping aromatic rings (interplanar distances of about 3.5 Å), with the planes of the aromatic systems arranged in a slightly tilted disposition (interplanar angles in the range 5–19°). Calculations showed that these derivatives underwent topomerization by flipping of the meta‐substituted ring over the para‐substituted one, a process in which the two rings adopted a continuum of edge‐to‐face dispositions, including an orthogonal one, which were less stable than the starting face‐to‐face arrangement. The energy barriers to the isomerization process were experimentally determined by variable‐temperature NMR spectroscopy, by using an internal temperature standard to assess even minor differences in energy (relative experimental error: (±0.1 kJ mol^?1). The variation in the barriers as a function of the different substituents on the interacting ring was small and apparently unrelated to the effect of the substituents on the polarity of the π‐systems. An explanation based on the charge‐penetration effect seemed more‐suitable to rationalize the observed trends in the barriers.     

Functionalization of Hexa‐peri‐hexabenzocoronenes: Investigation of the Substituent Effects on a Superbenzene

We have demonstrated that the iridium‐catalyzed direct borylation of hexa‐peri‐hexabenzocoronene (HBC) enables regioselective introduction of boryl groups to the para‐, ortho‐, and meta‐substituted HBCs in high yields. The boryl groups have been transformed into various functionalities such as hydroxy, cyano, ethynyl, and amino groups. We have elucidated that the substituents significantly influence the photophysical properties of HBCs to enhance fluorescence quantum yields. DFT calculations revealed that the origin of the substituent effect is the lift in degeneracy in the frontier orbitals by an interaction with electron‐donating and electron‐withdrawing substituents at the para‐ and ortho‐positions. The change in molecular orbitals results in an increase of the transition probability from the S₀→S₁ states. In addition, the two‐photon absorption cross‐section values of para‐substituted HBCs are significantly larger than those of ortho‐ and meta‐substituted HBCs.     

The Effects of Substituents on the Geometry of π–π Interactions

We have designed and utilized a simple molecular recognition system to study the substituent effects in aromatic interactions. Recently, we showed that 3‐ and 3,5‐disubstituted benzoyl leucine diethyl amides with aromatic rings of varying electronic character organized into homochiral dimers in the solid state through a parallel displaced π–π interaction and two hydrogen bonds, but no such homochiral dimerization was observed for the unsubstituted case. This phenomenon supports the hypothesis that substituents stabilize π–π interactions regardless of their electronic character. To further investigate the origin of substituent effects for π–π interactions, we synthesized and crystallized a series of 4‐substituted benzoyl leucine diethyl amides. Surprisingly, only two of the 4‐substituted compounds formed homochiral dimers. A comparison among the 4‐substituted compounds that crystallized as homochiral dimers and their 3‐substituted counterparts revealed that there are differences in regard to the geometry of the aromatic rings with respect to each other, which depend on the electronic nature and location of the substituent. The crystal structures of the homochiral dimers that showed evidence of direct, local interactions between the substituents on the aromatic rings also displayed nonequivalent dihedral angles in the individual monomers. The crystallographic data suggests that such “flexing” may be the result of the individual molecules orienting themselves to maximize the local dipole interactions on the respective aromatic rings. The results presented here can potentially have broad applicability towards the development of molecular recognition systems that involve aromatic interactions.     

Protonation of Pyridyl‐Substituted TTF Derivatives: Substituent Effects in Solution and in the Proton–Electron Correlated Charge‐Transfer Complexes

Protonated pyridyl‐substituted tetrathiafulvalene electron‐donor molecules (PyH⁺‐TTF) showed significant changes in the electron‐donating ability and HOMO–LUMO energy gap compared to the neutral analogues and gave a unique N⁺?H???N hydrogen‐bonded (H‐bonded) dimer unit in the proton–electron correlated charge‐transfer (CT) complex crystals. We have evaluated these features from the viewpoint of the molecular structure of the PyH⁺‐TTF derivatives, that is, the substitution position of the Py group and/or the presence or absence of the ethylenedithio (EDT) group. Among 2‐PyH⁺‐TTF ( 1 o H⁺ ), 3‐PyH⁺‐TTF ( 1 m H⁺ ), 4‐PyH⁺‐TTF ( 1 p H⁺ ), and 4‐PyH⁺‐EDT‐TTF ( 2 p H⁺ ) systems, the para‐pyridyl‐substituted donors 1 p H⁺ and 2 p H⁺ exhibit more marked changes upon protonation in solution; a larger redshift in the intramolecular CT absorption band and a larger decrease in the electron‐donating ability. Furthermore, the EDT system 2 p H⁺ has the smallest intramolecular Coulombic repulsion energy. These differences are reasonably interpreted by considering the energy levels and distributions of the HOMO and LUMO obtained by quantum chemical calculations. Such substituent effects related to protonation were also examined by comparing the structure and properties of a new H‐bonded CT complex crystal based on 2 p H⁺ with those of its 1 p H⁺ analogue recently prepared by us: Both of them form a similar type of H‐bonded dimer unit, however, its charge distribution as well as the overall molecular arrangement, electronic structure, and conductivity were significantly modulated by the introduction of the EDT group. These results provide a new insight into the structural and electronic features of the PyH⁺‐TTF‐based proton–electron correlated molecular conductors.     

Configurational Lability of Imino‐Substituted Ethano Tröger Bases. Insight on the Racemization Mechanism

Polycyclic indoline‐benzodiazepines are afforded in one step by the reaction of Tröger bases with N‐sulfonyl‐1,2,3‐triazoles under Rh(II) catalysis. After α‐imino carbene formation, the process involves a cascade of [1,2]‐Stevens rearrangement, Friedel‐Crafts, Grob fragmentation, and aminal formation reactions. It is highly diastereoselective (d.r. >49:1, four stereocenters incl. two bridgehead N‐atoms). However and in contrast with other reported carbene additions to these moieties, full racemization occurs when enantiopure Tröger bases are used as substrates. To pinpoint the origin of this unexpected behavior, a key elemental step of the mechanism was evaluated and tested. Interestingly, it is not only the initial ring‐opening but also the latter reversible Mannich reaction of the imino‐substituted ethano Tröger base intermediate that is responsible for the loss of enantiospecificity.     

Remote Impacts of Methyl Substituents on the Guest‐Binding Ability of Self‐Assembled Cages

We synthesized self‐assembled coordination cages in which 1,10‐phenanthroline derivatives serve as capping ligands. Substituents at the 2,9‐positions of the phenanthroline ligand covered the outside of the cage but had an impact on the guest binding inside the cage. Introduction of methyl groups at the 2,9‐positions allowed the cage to accommodate tetraphenylsilane. Bulky mesityl groups overhanging the cage framework significantly shrunk the cage cavity through π–π interactions with the aromatic panels of the cage. The p‐methyl group of the mesityl substituent was a determinant of the restricted motion of 4,4′‐dimethoxybenzil inside the cage at high temperature. Thus, the presence or absence of one methyl group, which is far from the guest‐binding site, makes a significant difference in the guest species and motions inside the cage.     

Gel‐to‐Sol and Sol‐to‐Gel Transitions Utilizing the Interaction of α‐Cyclodextrin with Dodecyl Side Chains Attached to a Poly(acrylic acid) Backbone

Summary: By utilizing the interaction of α‐cyclodextrin (α‐CD) with dodecyl side chains in polymers of x mol‐% dodecyl‐modified poly(acrylic acid) (p(AA/C₁₂(x))), systems that undergo gel‐to‐sol and sol‐to‐gel transitions were successfully constructed. Rheological experiments indicated that addition of α‐CD to the hydrogel of p(AA/C₁₂(5)) caused a drastic decrease in the viscosity, while addition of oligo(α‐CD) to the solution of p(AA/C₁₂(2)) led to a remarkable increase in the viscosity.

Photographs for a gel‐to‐sol transition upon addition of α‐CD to 5.0 g · L⁻¹ p(AA/C₁₂(5)).     

Ferrocenyl‐Ended Thieno–Vinylene Oligomers: Donor–Acceptor Polarization and Mixed‐Valence Properties with Emphasis on the Raman Mapping of Localized‐to‐Delocalized Transitions

What's your role? New oligothiophene–vinylene compounds have been synthesized to study the role of the conjugated chain in two different cases (see scheme; MV=mixed valence). The electronic and molecular structures were analyzed by means of electronic, X‐ray photoelectron, and Raman spectroscopy, together with thermo spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and DFT calculations.

     

Effects of Moisture on the Mechanical Properties of Microcrystalline Cellulose and the Mobility of the Water Molecules as Studied by the Hybrid Molecular Mechanics–Molecular Dynamics Simulation Method

A hybrid molecular mechanics–molecular dynamics simulation method has been performed to study the effects of moisture content on the mechanical properties of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and the mobility of the water molecules. The specific volume and diffusion coefficient of the water increase with increasing moisture content in the range studied of 1.8–25.5 w/w%, while the Young's modulus decreases. The simulation results are in close agreement with the published experimental data. Both the bound scission and free‐volume mechanisms contribute to the plasticization of MCC by water. The Voronoi volume increases with increasing moisture content. It is related to the free volume and the increase enhances the mobility of the water molecules and thus increases the coefficient of diffusion of the water. Moreover, with increasing moisture content, the hydrogen bonding per water molecule between MCC–water molecules decreases, thus increasing the water mobility and number of free water molecules. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 454–464     

Density Functional Theory Investigations on Vibrational Spectra,Molecular Structure,and Properties of the L‐Serine,L‐Cysteine,and L‐Aspartic Acid Molecules

In this paper, we present a thorough investigation of the conformational space to characterize all possible gas‐phase structures of the neutral L‐serine, L‐cysteine, and L‐aspartic acid molecules. A total of 120 trial structures were generated for L‐aspartic acid and 96 trial structures for L‐serine and L‐cysteine by combining all internal single‐bond rotamers. Various combinations of the Hartree–Fock and density functional theory/B3LYP methods with different bases were used to optimize all possible trial structures. The theoretical studies on the structure, harmonic vibrational spectra, and molecular properties of these amino acids are presented. The assignments of the calculated wave numbers resulting from potential energy distributions were performed using the VEDA 4 program to allow a good interpretation of the theoretical vibrational spectra of the title compounds. The fundamental harmonic frequencies were found to be in good agreement with data in the literature. A natural bond orbital analysis was performed to investigate the charge delocalization throughout the molecules for the three test compounds. Moreover, an extensive discussion of the highest occupied molecular orbital–lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy gap as well as other related molecular properties are reported.     

Synthesis and Aggregation Behavior of meso‐Sulfinylporphyrins: Evaluation of S‐Chirality Effects on the Self‐Organization to S–Oxo‐Tethered Cofacial Porphyrin Dimers

The synthesis and aggregation behavior of meso‐sulfinylporphyrins are described. The copper‐catalyzed C–S cross‐coupling reaction of a meso‐iodoporphyrin with benzenethiol and n‐octanethiol has proved to be an efficient method for the synthesis of meso‐sulfanylporphyrins, which are oxygenated by m‐chloroperbenzoic acid to produce the corresponding meso‐sulfinylporphyrins. Optically active zinc meso‐sulfinylporphyrins were successfully isolated by means of optical resolution of the racemates on a chiral HPLC column. Zinc sulfinylporphyrins readily undergo self‐organization through S–oxo–zinc coordination to form cofacial porphyrin dimers in solution, in which the hetero‐ and homodimers are present as a diastereomeric mixture. The aggregation modes of the S–oxo‐tethered porphyrin dimers were fully characterized by ¹H NMR, IR, and UV/Vis spectroscopy as well as DFT calculations on their model compounds, thus revealing that the self‐aggregation behavior depends on the combination of S chirality. The absolute configurations at the sulfur center can be determined by the exciton‐coupled CD method. The observed self‐association constant for the S–oxo‐tethered dimerization of (S)‐phenylsulfinylporphyrin in toluene is larger than that in dichloromethane, which reflects the difference in dipole moments between the homodimer and the monomer. In cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry, the first oxidation process of the cofacial dimers is split into two reversible steps, which indicates that the initially produced π radical cations are delocalized efficiently between the two porphyrin rings. The present findings demonstrate the potential utility of meso‐sulfinyl groups as promising ligands for investigating the effects of peripheral chirality on the structures and optical and electrochemical properties of metal‐assisted porphyrin self‐assemblies.     

Four supramolecular isomers of dichloridobis(1,10‐phenanthroline)cobalt(II): synthesis,structure characterization and isomerization

Crystal engineering can be described as the understanding of intermolecular interactions in the context of crystal packing and the utilization of such understanding to design new solids with desired physical and chemical properties. Free‐energy differences between supramolecular isomers are generally small and minor changes in the crystallization conditions may result in the occurrence of new isomers. The study of supramolecular isomerism will help us to understand the mechanism of crystallization, a very central concept of crystal engineering. Two supramolecular isomers of dichloridobis(1,10‐phenanthroline‐κ²N,N′)cobalt(II), [CoCl₂(C₁₂H₈N₂)₂], i.e. (IA) (orthorhombic) and (IB) (monoclinic), and two supramolecular isomers of dichloridobis(1,10‐phenanthroline‐κ²N,N′)cobalt(II) N,N‐dimethylformamide monosolvate, [CoCl₂(C₁₂H₈N₂)₂]·C₃H₇NO, i.e. (IIA) (orthorhombic) and (IIB) (monoclinic), were synthesized in dimethylformamide (DMF) and structurally characterized. Of these, (IA) and (IIA) have been prepared and structurally characterized previously [Li et al. (2007). Acta Cryst. E 63 , m1880–m1880; Cai et al. (2008). Acta Cryst. E 64 , m1328–m1329]. We found that the heating rate is a key factor for the crystallization of (IA) or (IB), while the temperature difference is responsible for the crystallization of (IIA) or (IIB). Based on the crystallization conditions, isomerization behaviour, the KPI (Kitajgorodskij packing index) values and the density data, (IB) and (IIA) are assigned as the thermodynamic and stable kinetic isomers, respectively, while (IA) and (IIB) are assigned as the metastable kinetic products. The 1,10‐phenanthroline (phen) ligands interact with each other through offset face‐to‐face (OFF) π–π stacking in (IB) and (IIB), but by edge‐to‐face (EF) C—H...π interactions in (IA) and (IIA). Meanwhile, the DMF molecules in (IIB) connect to neighbouring [CoCl₂(phen)₂] units through two C—H...Cl hydrogen bonds, whereas there are no obvious interactions between DMF molecules and [CoCl₂(phen)₂] units in (IIA). Since OFF π–π stacking is generally stronger than EF C—H...π interactions for transition‐metal complexes with nitrogen‐containing aromatic ligands, (IIA) is among the uncommon examples that are stable and densely packed but that do not following Etter's intermolecular interaction hierarchy.     

Ligand and Metal Effects on the Stability and Adsorption Properties of an Isoreticular Series of MOFs Based on T‐Shaped Ligands and Paddle‐Wheel Secondary Building Units

The synthesis of stable porous materials with appropriate pore size and shape for desired applications remains challenging. In this work a combined experimental/computational approach has been undertaken to tune the stability under various conditions and the adsorption behavior of a series of MOFs by subtle control of both the nature of the metal center (Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Zn²⁺) and the pore surface by the functionalization of the organic linkers with amido and N‐oxide groups. In this context, six isoreticular MOFs based on T‐shaped ligands and paddle‐wheel units with ScD_0.33 topology have been synthesized. Their stabilities have been systematically investigated along with their ability to adsorb a wide range of gases (N₂, CO₂, CH₄, CO, H_2, light hydrocarbons (C₁–C₄)) and vapors (alcohols and water). This study has revealed that the MOF frameworks based on Cu²⁺ are more stable than their Co²⁺ and Zn²⁺ analogues, and that the N‐oxide ligand endows the MOFs with a higher affinity for CO₂ leading to excellent selectivity for this gas over other species.     

Nuclear quantum effect and temperature dependency on the hydrogen‐bonded structure of base pairs

The structure of Watson–Crick‐type adenine‐thymine and guanine‐cytosine pairs has been studied by hybrid Monte Carlo (HMC) and path integral hybrid Monte Carlo (PIHMC) simulations with the use of semiempirical PM6‐DH+ method in the gas phase. We elucidated the nuclear quantum effect and temperature dependency on the hydrogen‐bonded moiety of base pairs. It was shown that the contribution of nuclear quantum effect on the hydrogen‐bonded structure is significant not only at low temperature 150 K but also at temperature as high as 450 K. The relative position of hydrogen‐bonded proton between two heavy atoms and the nuclear quantum nature of the proton are also shown. Furthermore, we have applied principal component analysis to HMC and PIHMC simulations to analyze the nuclear quantum effect on intermolecular motions. We found that the ratio of Buckle mode (lowest vibrational mode from normal mode analysis) decreases due to the nuclear quantum effect, whereas that of Propeller mode (second lowest vibrational mode) increases. In addition, nonplanar structures of base pairs were found to become stable due to the nuclear quantum effect from two‐dimensional free energy landscape along Buckle and Propeller modes. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A Computational Approach to the Effects of Solvent on the Structural,Electronic, Spectroscopic (195Pt NMR and IR), and Thermochemical Properties of a Third‐Generation Anticancer Drug: Trans‐Platinum(II) Complex of 3‐Aminoflavone

This study evaluated the structural, electronic and thermochemical properties of an anticancer active molecule, i.e. trans‐bis‐(3‐aminoflavone)dichloridoplatinum(II) (trans‐Pt(3‐af)₂Cl₂; TCAP) in the gas and solution phases. The polarizable continuum model (PCM) model was used to perform the required calculations in five solvents with different polarities. Moreover, the dependencies of energetic aspects, structural, thermodynamic parameters and frontier orbital energies of the complex were also examined. Dependencies of the frequency shifts of u(CO), u(NH) and ¹⁹⁵Pt Chemical shifts on the solvent dielectric were investigated by Kirkwood–Bauer–Magat equation (KBM). The energies of platinum d‐orbitals and formal electron configurations of Pt atom were calculated by natural bond analysis (NBO).