Spacial structures induced by sterical hindrance of large substituents: A dendritic macromolecular “snowflake” molecule

The mulitstage preparation of densly packed thienylene-phenylene dendrimer 15 comprising 42 thiophene and 7 benzene units arranged in a hexagonal “snowflake” fashion is described. The desired three-dimensionality is induced through steric repulsion of the peripheral hexa(thienyl)benzene units. The molecular geometry of individual dendrimers was supported by quantum chemical calculations, whereby atomic force microscopy gave evidence for spontaneous ordering of the molecules on a graphite surface by the formation of stable nanosized edge-on oriented columns.     

A Conformationally Stable Contorted Hexabenzoovalene

Contorted two‐dimensional aromatic molecules are fascinating synthetic targets because they are molecular “cutouts” of nonplanar graphene structures, fullerenes, or carbon nanotubes. In most cases, the curvature is introduced by the implementation of either five‐, seven‐, or eight‐membered rings into the fused aromatic plane. Curvature can also be generated for two‐dimensional systems consisting of six‐membered rings exclusively, by the introduction of cove or fjord regions. The synthesis of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) that contains two peripheral triptycene units and six tert‐butyl substituents is described. As a result of steric repulsion, the structure is highly contorted with two phenylene blades of the peripheral triptycene units oriented almost coplanar with respect to each other at a distance of 16 Å, as has been verified by single crystal X‐ray diffraction. The conformation is stable in solution even at a temperature of 150 °C. Additionally, internal tert‐butyl groups could be selectively removed, allowing a UV/Vis‐spectroscopic comparison of two structures with the same π‐system, but different degrees of contortion.     

Free energy balance predicates dendrimer binding multivalency at molecular printboards

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) terminating in beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) cavities can be used to bind ink molecules and so provide a molecular printboard for nanopatterning applications. Multivalent, or multisite, binding strengthens the attachment of large inks to the printboard, yielding more robust patterns. We performed fully atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in bulk explicit solvent to probe the conformational space available to dendrimer and dendrite ink molecules, in both free and bound environments. We show that accurate treatment of both pH effects and binding conformations gives calculated binding modes in line with known binding multivalencies. We identify and quantify the steric frustration causing small, low-generation dendrimer inks to bind to the printboard using just a subset of the available anchor groups. Furthermore, we show that the enhanced binding energy of multisite attachment offsets the steric strain, the feasibility of a given binding mode thus determined by the relative magnitudes of the unfavorable steric strain and favorable multisite binding free energies. We use our experimentally validated model of dendrimer binding to predict the binding mode of novel fluorophoric dendrites and find divalent binding, consistent with confocal microscopy imaging of pattern formation at molecular printboards.     

On the origin of the steric effect

A quantitative analysis of the steric effect of aliphatic groups was carried out from first principles. An intuitive framework is proposed that allows the separation and straightforward interpretation of two contributors to the steric effect: steric strain and steric shielding (hindrance). When a sterically demanding group is introduced near a reactive center, deformation of its reactive zone will occur. By quantifying this deformation, a convincing correlation was established with Taft's steric parameters for groups of typical size, supporting the intuitive image of steric shielding; bulky groups slow down the reaction by limiting the accessibility of the reactive centre. On the other hand, the strong initial repulsion between the reactant and the substrate by means of the filled-filled orbital interaction results in the deformation of the substrate as well as a less stabilizing reaction zone, which are the manifestations of the steric strain. We thus conclude that both steric strain and steric hindrance can be derived from the Pauli repulsion evolving between the reactants in the course of the reaction.     

侧基对N-炔丙基酰胺螺旋共聚物光学活性的影响

设计并合成了5个系列的带有不同侧基的手性-非手性N-炔丙基酰胺共聚物,以铑有机配合物为催化剂对单体实施聚合反应得到高产率(>95%)的共聚物,聚合物具有高立构规整性(cis-含量高于94%).利用圆二色(CD)及紫外-可见吸收(UV-Vis)光谱技术对共聚物的二级结构及光学活性进行了表征,当非手性单体的酰胺侧基体积适中时,共聚物具有较高的光学活性,部分共聚物的光学活性甚至高于纯手性聚合物.表明通过选择合适的手性-非手性共聚单体及单体配比,可获得具有高光学活性的螺旋聚合物.     

3-exo,3′-exo-(1R,1′R)-Bithiocamphor — a versatile source for functionally different 3,3′-bibornane derivatives — I. Ring-closure reactions and prototropic rearrangements

The title compound 3, derived from (+)-camphor, allows preparatively useful conversions to be carried out at the 3,3′-bibornane skeleton. The reactions are characterized by steric factors. Despite the increasing steric strain in the bicyclic units, ring-closure reactions of 3 to born-2-ene anellated sulfur-heterocycles are possible, including the formation of the 1,2-dithiine (6), thiophene (11), and 1,2,3-trithiepine system (13), respectively. Compound 6 is distinguished by several unusual properties. In contrast to the normal behaviour of aliphatic thioketones, 3 cannot exist as enthiol. The latter and related intermediates are immediately stabilized by 1,5-prototropic rearrangements leading to bornylidene units e.g. in 16 and consecutive products.     

Cationic polymerization of cyclic olefins

The polymerization and the polymerizabilities of indene, benzofuran, and 1,2-dihydronaphthalene are discussed from the point of view of ring strain, ring stabilization, and steric hindrance in the transition state. Monomer reactivities of these olefins were estimated from copolymerization with styrene and from the rate of addition of iodine bromide in acetic acid. Rates and degrees of polymerization are compared with monomer reactivities and resonance energies of indene, 1,2-dihydronaphthalene, and benzofuran as a measure of ring strain and stabilization. It is found that indence is 1.5–2.0 times more reactive than styrene. This high reactivity of indene is attributed to the ring strain in the monomer state and to the low amount of steric hindrance in the transition state of the coplanar five-membered cyclic olefin. 1,2-Dihydronaphthalene is strained and therefore reactive, but propagation to higher molecular weight products is impeded due to the steric hindrance. The reactivity of benzofuran is decreased by conjugative stabilization of C?C double bonds at the reaction site.     

甲壳型液晶高分子的化学结构及其与性能间关系的研究

设计并合成了7种新型甲壳型液晶高分子,研究了液晶基元的化学结构和立体效应对单体及其聚合物液晶性的影响.发现在液晶基元的末端引入极性或可极化的原子基团提高了单体的熔点和液晶相的热稳定性;液晶基元的长径比越大,单体的熔点和清亮点越高;聚合使单体的液晶稳定性增加、液晶相温度范围变宽;侧链液晶基元的极性、刚性和空阻越大,聚合物的玻璃化温度越高;酰胺基团无论是在分子的末端还是在连接部位,都使单体的熔点和聚合物的玻璃化温度提高,但在分子末端时液晶相较稳定,作为中心桥键时不利于液晶相的稳定形成.     

Steric effects—III: Composition of the E's parameter. Variation of alkyl steric effects with substitution. Role of conformation in determining sterically active and inactive sites

The steric effect of alkyl groups as parameterized by E'_s covers a range of over seven powers of ten. In this article an attempt is made to portray in mechanism terms the manifold nature of the steric effect as a function of substitution, i.e. the composition of the steric effect. One most consider the contribution of the topological carbon sites as a function of the true coordinates of these atoms. To this end, we evaluate the geometry of these alkyl groups in carboxylic acid indirectly by a search for the probable conformations of these acids. The starting point in this study is the determination of the minimum energy conformations in carboxylic acids using the empirical force field method based on analogous alkylmethyl ketone models.This approach to the ground state behaviour of these acids leads directly to a division of the complete set of alkyl groups into two subsets within which a Conformational sequence or filitation is associated with the substitution process which generates the successive alkyl groups of that subset. It is shown that eclipsed conformations are preferred in the case of secondary and tertiary groups bearing Et and Me sub-groups, giving way to preferred bisected conformations when t-Bu and i-Pr sub-groups are present. For further elucidation of steric perturbation terms these two subsets must be considered independently. These important observations lead to an overall coherent interpretation of steric effects.Three regions of distinct behaviour as a function of substitution have been identified. In Region I (the so-called “mormal” region, where the contribution of the introduction of successive methyl groups to the overall E'_s increases monotonically), besides excellent topological site correlations, an excellent hybrid correlation is proposed. For a conformationally homogeneous (i.e. eclipsed) set of alkyl groups the overall E'_s of groups is well expressed by a linear combination of the weighted contribution of sub-groups and the Newman six-number. This correlation leads to an interpretation of the composition of the overall steric effect of an alkyl group, as measured by the E'_s parameter, in terms of conformationally defined sites and stresses the steric importance of certain privileged sites. This result is consistent with the molecular mechanics viewpoint of preferred conformations but at variance with previous assumptions.The levelling effect (Region II), in the light of conformational information, is understood in terms of sterically active and inactive sites, while the inversion effect (Region III) is considered to be the result of molecular distortion brought about by relief of local internal steric strain within the alkyl groups. The X-ray structure of i-Pr₃CCO₂H illustrates this point.     

Synthesis and self-assembly of supramolecular dendritic "Bow-Ties": effect of peripheral functionality on association constants

Self-assembled polyester dendritic bow-ties with various peripheral groups were prepared, and their association constants were measured by (1)H NMR in CDCl(3). The two complementary dendrons were prepared by attachment of either a bis(adamantylurea) or a glycinylurea to the focal point of the dendron. The parent self-assembled system with benzylidene acetals on one periphery and isopropylidene acetals on the other had an association constant of 520 M(-)(1). Upon deprotection of one dendron, the association constant is increased by more than an order of magnitude as the solubility of the hydroxyl-terminated dendron in CDCl(3) is decreased. In contrast, attachment of tri(ethylene oxide) units to the periphery of one dendron lowers the association constant by almost an order of magnitude. The causes of these relatively large changes in complex strength are discussed in terms of solubility, steric effects, competitive hydrogen bonding, and the structure of the dendritic scaffold.     

取代聚苯胺的聚集态结构

环取代基及掺杂对聚苯胺分子链结构产生影响的同时也对大分子聚集态结构产生影响.通过对聚合物膜的XRD、SEM研究，表明在所合成的环取代聚苯胺衍生物中，聚合物的结晶性依POT（聚邻甲苯胺）、PDMAn（聚 2，5 二甲氧基苯胺）、PmClAn（聚间氯苯胺）顺序增加；与本征态的比较，质子酸掺杂后聚合物的结晶性有所提高.POT基本上表现出了非晶聚合物的性质； PDMAn具有同质多晶的结构特征，但结晶度较低； PmClAn表现出了典型高分子晶体性质，符合单斜晶系的特征（晶胞参数为a=0.679 nm， b=2.304 nm， c=0.5734 nm， α=90°， β=100.9°， γ=90°）.采用HyperChem程序包中的MM＋分子力学方法对1H NMR和XRD实验结果进行结构优化，确定了苯式结构/醌式结构为3/2的PmClAn大分子链的构象.     

Steric effects in mono- and polynitroalkane molecules

Conclusions The equilibrium configurations, strain energies, and atomization enthalpies were calculated for a number of mono- and polynitroalkane molecules. A steric hindrance criterion was derived, which could be one of the parameters that characterize the stability. The steric effects, caused by nitro groups, increase in a nonlinear manner with increase in the number of nitro groups in the molecule and elongation of the carbon skeleton.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 182–184, January, 1977.     

Synthesis,crystal structures,and redox potentials of 2,3,12,13-tetrasubstituted 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin zinc(II) complexes

Zinc(II) complexes of antipodal beta-tetrasubstituted meso-tetraphenylporphyrin with trifluoromethyl (Zn(TPP(CF(3))(4)) (1a)), bromine (Zn(TPPBr(4)) (2a)), and methyl groups (Zn(TPP(CH(3))(4)) (3a)) were synthesized in order to examine the steric and the electronic effects of trifluoromethyl groups on the macrocycle. The analysis of X-ray crystal structures of the five-coordinate complexes Zn(TPP(CF(3))(4))(EtOH)(3) (1b), Zn(TPPBr(4))(MeOH)(DMF) (2b), and Zn(TPP(CH(3))(4))(THF)(1.6)(CHCl(3))(0.4) (3b) revealed distorted macrocyclic cores where significant differences in the Zn-N distance between the beta-substituted and the non-beta-substituted side were observed. The difference was significant in 1b due to the strong steric interactions among the peripheral substituents and the electronic effects of trifluoromethyl groups. The macrocycles of 1b-3b are saddle-distorted and slightly ruffled due to the five-coordination of zinc(II) and the peripheral substitution. Distortion of the macrocycles of 2b and 3b were modest. On the other hand, distortion in 1b was severe due to the peripheral strain. Cyclic voltammetric measurements of the four-coordinate complexes Zn(TPP) and 1a-3a were performed and their redox potentials were analyzed together with previously reported potentials of Zn(TPP(CN)(4)). The oxidation potential of 1a did not gain as much as expected from the electron-withdrawing effect of the four trifluoromethyl groups. The HOMO-LUMO gap of 1a was very small (1.5 V) and cannot just be explained by macrocyclic distortion. The magnitude of this gap is very similar to that of Zn(TPP(CN)(4)). Compound 2a also exhibited a modest gap contraction. Compound 3a was easier to oxidize and harder to reduce than Zn(TPP), even though the HOMO-LUMO gap of 3a was similar to that of Zn(TPP).     

Hydroxo-bridged dinuclear cobalt(II) complexes of OBISDIEN and OBISTREN as oxygen carriers

Abstract

The hydroxo-bridged dinuclear cobalt(II) complexes of the macro-cyclic and macrobicyclic dinucleating ligands OBISDIEN and OBISTREN form thermodynamically stable dioxygen adducts. Although the values of the oxygenation constants of cobalt complexes usually increase with an increase in the number of basic amino groups coordinated to the cobalt centers, these complexes are unusual in that the oxygenation constants of the complex formed from OBISDIEN is about three orders of magnitude higher than the analogous complex formed from OBISTREN. The difference in behavior must be due to differences in steric strain. Since crystal structures are not available, steric effects were estimated by the use of molecular mechanics. By application of the molecular modelling program SYBYL it was determined that the distortions of the cryptand ligand necessary to form the hydroxo-bridged dioxygen complex are much greater and more energetic than those of the macrocyclic ligand. Both ligands were found to form excellent oxygen carriers because of facile oxygenation-deoxygenation reactions of their dinuclear cobalt complexes, and because of almost immeasurably slow metal-centered degradation. Moreover, the ligands were not changed during degradation, so that the oxygen-carrying complexes could be easily regenerated by electrolytic reduction.     

Single molecular insight into steric effect on C-terminal amino acids with various hydrogen bonding sites

Amino acids are basic units to construct a protein with the assistance of various interactions. During this building process, steric hindrance derived from amino acid side groups or side chains is a factor that could not be ignored. In this contribution, adsorption behaviors of C-terminal amino acid derivatives with amino acid residues fused in 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride were investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations at various liquid/solid interfaces. STM results at 1-phenyloctane/HOPG interface show that N,N'-3,4,9,10-perylenedicarboximide (GP) and N,N'-methyl-3,4,9,10-perylenedicarboximide (AP) formed linear and herringbone structures, respectively. The driving force could be attributed to different H-bonding sites induced by steric hindrance at side groups. N,N'-Benzyl-3,4,9,10-perylenedicarboximide (PP) generates both linear and herringbone structures because steric hindrance changes the H-bonding sites between PP molecules, whereas N,N'-isopropyl-3,4,9,10-perylenedicarboximide (LP) failed to be imaged because of strong steric hindrance coming from larger side group. To further investigate the impact of steric hindrance, we utilized octanoic acid (OA) as solvent to capture the adsorption details of LP and PP. We found that OA molecules drag PP and LP molecules in a different direction to generate linear structure, impeding the molecular rotation. The structure–solvent relationship shows that the steric hindrance is brought by the large side group, which makes it easier to recognize OA molecules at the interface. These results demonstrate that steric effect plays a significant role in altering interaction sites of the compounds during the adsorption process at the liquid/solid interface.     

Bis(salicylaldiminate)copper(II)/methylaluminoxane catalysts for homo‐ and copolymerizations of ethylene and methyl methacrylate

Bis(salicylaldiminate)copper(II) complexes, when activated with methylaluminoxane, catalyzed the homo‐ and copolymerizations of ethylene and methyl methacrylate (MMA). The activity in the MMA homopolymerization was influenced by the electronic and steric characteristics of the Cu(II) precursors as well as the cocatalyst concentration. The same systems revealed modest activity also in the homopolymerization of ethylene, giving a highly linear polyethylene, and in its copolymerization with MMA. These copolymers exhibited a very high content of polar groups (MMA units > 70 mol %) and were characterized by a high molecular weight and polydispersity. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1134–1142, 2007     

Regioselective Borylation of Porphyrins by C?H Bond Activation under Iridium Catalysis to Afford Useful Building Blocks for Porphyrin Assemblies

Highly regioselective and efficient borylation of a variety of porphyrins has been achieved by reaction with bis(pinacolato)diboron through C? H bond activation under iridium catalysis on the basis of the synthetic protocol developed by Miyaura, Hartwig, and Smith. A boryl group can be selectively introduced at sterically uncongested positions in the peripheral aryl groups of porphyrin substrates whose peripheral β‐positions are sterically hindered. Curiously, β substituents adjacent to the aryl group to be borylated have unexpectedly large effects on the regioselectivity, because the iridium catalyst can discriminate between subtle steric differences. Chemoselective borylation was also achieved for several functionalized porphyrins. This borylation protocol can be applied to various monomeric and oligomeric functional porphyrins, hence offering an efficient route to elaborate multiporphyrin‐based molecular constructs.     

Intramolecular excimer formation and delayed fluorescence in sterically constrained pyrene dimers

The synthesis is described for a series of five molecular dyads comprising pyrene-based terminals covalently linked through a 1,3-disubstituted phenylene spacer. The extent of through-space communication between the pyrene units is modulated by steric interactions imposed by bulky moieties attached at the 6,8-positions of each pyrene unit. For the control compound, only hydrogen atoms occupy the 6,8 positions (DP1), whereas the remaining compounds incorporate ethynylene groups terminated with either triisopropylsilyl (DP2), 1-tert-butylbenzene (DP3), 2,6-di-tert-butylbenzene (DP4) or 1-tert-butyl-3,5-dimethylbenzene (DP5) units. Each compound shows a mixture of monomer and excimer fluorescence in fluid solution at room temperature, but only monomer emission in a glassy matrix at 77 K. The ratio of monomer to excimer fluorescence depends markedly on the molecular structure; DP1 is heavily biased in favour of the excimer and DP4 is enriched with monomer fluorescence. Photophysical properties, including laser induced and delayed fluorescence data, are reported for each compound. Delayed fluorescence occurs by both intramolecular and bimolecular steps, but these events take place on different timescales. The possibility is raised for using intramolecular triplet-triplet annihilation as a means of molecular imaging.     

Thiophene-functionalized isoindigo dyes bearing electron donor substituents with absorptions approaching the near infrared region

A series of six new, highly soluble N,N'-dialkylated isoindigo derivatives bearing different electron donating thiophene units at the 6,6'-positions were synthesized by Stille cross-coupling reaction. The optical and electrochemical properties of these dyes were studied by UV-vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry, revealing a good tunability of their electronic properties by peripheral substituents with amino groups leading to strong absorption reaching the NIR region. The DFT calculations of the frontier molecular orbitals of these dyes corroborate the observed substituent effect on absorption and redox properties.     

Strain release in conformational and geometric adaptation of moderately and highly congested systems: Interplay of small structural effects

Local and global steric strains are studied by spectroscopy and crystallography and by theoretical models. Double-bond and heteroatom pair contributions are investigated with regard to cyclic and acyclic hydrocarbons. Theoretical investigation of steric strain release (SSR) through conformational dodging and geometric deformation from molecular standard values reveals details about congested structures which are not accessible through experimentation. Qualitative rules concerning access to blocked sites—distorted gem-6 structures, bi-sected double bonds—and the control of anomeric structures are understood through studying SSR processes based on the interplay of the Pitzer or related strain and of the hyperconjugative effect, the ring or backbone strain and various through-space interactions (TSI). The empirical and semi-empirical computational modelization of strain release processes leading to the control of complex rotations disclose surprising flexibility in hyper-crowded molecules.