Controlling Antibacterial Activity Exclusively with Visible Light: Introducing a Tetra-ortho-Chloro-Azobenzene Amino Acid

The introduction of a novel tetra-ortho-chloroazobenzene amino acid (CEBA) has enabled photoswitching of the antimicrobial activity of tyrocidine A analogues by using exclusively visible light, granting spatiotemporal control under benign conditions. Compounds bearing this photoswitchable amino acid become active upon irradiation with red light, but quickly turn-off upon exposure to other visible light wavelengths. Critically, sunlight quickly triggers isomerisation of the red light-activated compounds into their original trans form, offering an ideal platform for self-deactivation upon release into the environment. Linear analogues of tyrocidine A were found to provide the best photocontrol of their antimicrobial activity, leading to compounds active against Acinetobacter baumannii upon isomerisation. Exploration of their N- and C-termini has provided insights into key elements of their structure and has allowed obtaining new antimicrobials displaying excellent strain selectivity and photocontrol.     

Dimerization of Colloidal Particles through Controlled Aggregation for Enhanced Properties and Applications

Devising syntheses capable of precisely manipulating matter on the nanoscale is central to many areas of research. The underlying motivation is fueled by the fact that at the nanometer scale, the property has a strong correlation with the structure. One such nanostructure that has accrued much attention is the dimer—a structure composed of two colloidal particles separated by a small gap. This Focus Review discusses how colloidal stability can be strategically manipulated to induce dimerization, together with effective purification steps to further improve yields. We conclude the article by providing representative examples for how dimers composed of plasmonic nanoparticles leads to structures with tunable optical properties and strong electric near‐fields, ideal for application in surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy.     

Concurrent Covalent and Supramolecular Polymerization

Covalent and supramolecular polymerizations, both of which offer their own unique advantages, have emerged as popular strategies for making artificial materials. Herein, we describe a concurrent covalent and supramolecular polymerization strategy—namely, one which utilizes 1) a bis‐azide‐functionalized diazaperopyrenium dication that undergoes polymeriation covalently with a bis‐alkyne‐functionalized biphenyl derivative in one dimension as a result of a rapid and efficient β‐cyclodextrin(CD)‐accelerated, cucurbit[6]uril(CB)‐templated azide–alkyne cycloaddition, while 2) the aromatic core of the dication is able to dimerize in a criss‐cross fashion by dint of π–π interactions, enabling simultaneous supramolecular assembly, resulting in an extended polymer network in an orthogonal dimension.     

A Facile Approach to Optically Active Hydroquinoline‐2‐carboxylates by a One‐Pot Asymmetric Michael/Transamination/Cyclization Process

An efficient one‐pot synthesis of optically active hydroquinoline‐2‐carboxylates from 1,3‐cyclohexanediones, β,γ‐unsaturated α‐keto ester, and benzylamine in the presence of a chiral base catalyst and 1,8‐diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec‐7‐ene (DBU) with good diastereoselectivity and high enantioselectivity is described. The reaction proceeds by a sequential asymmetric Michael/transamination/cyclization process.     

Photoisomerization Mechanism of Ruthenium Sulfoxide Complexes: Role of the Metal‐Centered Excited State in the Bond Rupture and Bond Construction Processes

Phototriggered intramolecular isomerization in a series of ruthenium sulfoxide complexes, [Ru(L)(tpy)(DMSO)]ⁿ⁺ (where tpy=2,2’:6’,2’’‐terpyridine; DMSO=dimethyl sulfoxide; L=2,2’‐bipyridine (bpy), n=2; N,N,N’,N’‐tetramethylethylenediamine (tmen) n=2; picolinate (pic), n=1; acetylacetonate (acac), n=1; oxalate (ox), n=0; malonate (mal), n=0), was investigated theoretically. It is observed that the metal‐centered ligand field (³MC) state plays an important role in the excited state S→O isomerization of the coordinated DMSO ligand. If the population of ³MC_S state is thermally accessible and no ³MC_O can be populated from this state, photoisomerization will be turned off because the ³MC_S excited state is expected to lead to fast radiationless decay back to the original ¹GS_S ground state or photodecomposition along the Ru²⁺?S stretching coordinate. On the contrary, if the population of ³MC_S (or ³MC_O) state is inaccessible, photoinduced S→O isomerization can proceed adiabatically on the potential energy surface of the metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer excited states (³MLCT_S→³MLCT_O). It is hoped that these results can provide valuable information for the excited state isomerization in photochromic d⁶ transition‐metal complexes, which is both experimentally and intellectually challenging as a field of study.     

Low‐Symmetry Ω‐Shaped Zinc Phthalocyanine Sensitizers with Panchromatic Light‐Harvesting Properties for Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Two low‐symmetry phthalocyanines (Pcs) substituted with thiophene units at the non‐peripheral (α) and peripheral (β) positions were synthesized and their optical, electronic‐structure, and electrochemical properties were investigated. The substitution of thiophene units at the α positions of the phthalocyanine skeleton resulted in a red shift of the Q band and significantly modified the molecular‐orbital electronic distributions just below the HOMO and just above the LUMO, with distortion of the typical Gouterman four‐orbital arrangement of MOs. Two amphiphilic Ω‐shaped ZnPcs ( αPcS1 and αPcS2 ) bearing a π‐conjugated side chain with an adsorption site at an α position of the Pc macrocycle were synthesized as sensitizers for dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The absorption spectra of αPcS1 and αPcS2 showed red shifted Q bands and a broad band from 350 to 550 nm assignable to the intramolecular charge‐transfer transition from the ZnPc core to the side chains. Time‐dependent DFT calculations provided a clear interpretation of the effect of the thiophene conjugation on the typical phthalocyanine core π MOs. Compound αPcS1 was used as a light‐harvesting dye on a TiO₂ electrode for a DSSC, which showed a panchromatic response in the range 400–800 nm with a power conversion efficiency of 5.5 % under one‐sun conditions.     

Host–Guest Chemistry between Perylene Diimide (PDI) Derivatives and 18‐Crown‐6: Enhancement in Luminescence Quantum Yield and Electrical Conductivity

Perylene diimide (PDI) derivatives exhibit a high propensity for aggregation, which causes the aggregation‐induced quenching of emission from the system. Host–guest chemistry is one of the best‐known methods for preventing aggregation through the encapsulation of guest molecules. Herein we report the use of 18‐crown‐6 (18‐C‐6) as a host system to disaggregate suitably substituted PDI derivatives in methanol. 18‐C‐6 formed complexes with amino‐substituted PDIs in methanol, which led to disaggregation and enhanced emission from the systems. Furthermore, the embedding of the PDI ? 18‐C‐6 complexes in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films generated remarkably high emission quantum yields (60–70 %) from the PDI derivatives. More importantly, the host–guest systems were tested for their ability to conduct electricity in PVA films. The electrical conductivities of the self‐assembled systems in PVA were measured by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and the highest conductivity observed was 2.42×10^?5 S cm^?1.