Reactions of 2-aryl-4-methoxy-9-oxocyclohepta[b]pyrylium perchlorates with hydroxylamine and hydrazines

2-Aryl-4-methoxy-9-oxocyclohepta[b]pyrylium perchlorates 1a-c reacted with hydroxylamine hydrochloride and hydrazine sulfate in the presence of triethylamine to afford 2-aryl-4,9-dihydrocyclohepta[b]pyran-4,9-dione 4-oximes 3a-c and 4-hydrazones 4a-c in good yields, respectively. On the other hand, the reactions with methylhydrazine and phenylhydrazine gave respectively 1-methyl- and 1-phenyl-substituted 5-aryl-3-(3-tropolonyl)pyrazoles 5a-c and 6a-c in excellent yields. Treatment with 4-nitrophenylhydrazine gave 2-aryl-4,9-dihydrocyclohepta[b]pyran-4,9-dione 4-(4-nitrophenyl)hydrazones 7a-c in good yields.     

Synthesis of poly(6-azulenylethynyl)benzene derivatives as a multielectron redox system with liquid crystalline behavior

A series of poly(6-azulenylethynyl)benzenes substituted with n-hexyloxycarbonyl chains at 1,3-positions in azulene rings, i.e., hexakis-, 1,2,4,5-tetrakis-, 1,3,5-tris-, and 1,4-bis(6-azulenylethynyl)benzene derivatives 1, 2, 3, and 4b, have been prepared by a simple one-pot reaction involving repeated Pd-catalyzed alkynylation of halogenated arenes with substituted 6-ethynylazulene and/or ethynylated arenes with substituted 6-bromoazulene under Sonogashira-Hagihara conditions. The redox behavior of these novel poly(6-azulenylethynyl)benzene derivatives was examined by cyclic voltammetry (CV), which revealed the presumed multielectron redox properties. Compound 4b exhibited a one-step, two-electron reduction wave upon CV, which revealed the formation of the dianion stabilized by two 6-azulenylethynyl substituents under electrochemical reduction conditions. Four 6-azulenylethynyl substituents on a benzene ring in a 1,2,4,5 relationship increased the electron-accepting properties because of the formation of a stabilized closed-shell dianionic structure, whereas 3 was reduced at more negative reduction potentials. In contrast to the multistep redox behavior of 2, compound 1 was reduced in one step at -1.28 V upon CV. Compound 1 showed a wide temperature range of columnar mesophases (Col(ho) and Col(ro)) from 77.3 degrees C to the decomposition temperature at ca. 270 degrees C. Compounds 2, 3, and 4b exhibited columnar mesomorphism (Col(ro)) with crystalline polymorphs for 2, unusual triple-melting behavior for 3, and both double-melting behavior and columnar mesomorphism (Col(ho)) for 4b. Therefore, the investigated systems exemplify a new principle for multielectron redox behavior with liquid crystalline properties.     

Total synthesis of capsanthin and capsorubin using Lewis acid-promoted regio- and stereoselective rearrangement of tetrasubsutituted epoxides

The synthesis of capsanthin 1 and capsorubin 2 was accomplished via the C(15)-cyclopentyl ketone 6 prepared by Lewis acid-promoted regio- and stereoselective rearrangement of the epoxy dienal 5.     

Synthesis and reactions of halo-, nitro-, and arylazo-substituted 3-cinnamoyltropolones. Formation of styryl-substituted heterocycle-fused troponoid compounds

3-Cinnamoyltropolone ( 1 ) reacted with bromine to afford 7-bromo- ( 2 ), 5,7-dibromo-3-cinnamoyltropolone ( 3 ), and 6,8-dibromo-4,9-dihydrocyclohepta[b]pyrane-4,9-dione ( 4 ) according to amount of the reagent. Iodination and nitration of 1 gave respectively 7-iodo- ( 5 ) and 5-nitro-3-cinnamoyltropolone ( 6 ). Azo-coupling reactions gave 5-arylazo-3-cinnamoyltropolones 7a-f . Compounds 1, 2, 3 and 5 reacted with hydroxylamine to give 3-styryl-8H-cyclohept[d]isoxazol-8-ones 10-13 , while 6 and 7a gave 5-nitro-3-styryl-8H-cyclohept[d]-isoxazol-8-one oxime ( 14 ) and 2-cinnamoyl-7-methoxy-4-phenylazotropone ( 15 ), respectively. The reactions of 1,3 , and 5 with phenylhydrazine gave 3-styryl-1,8-dihydrocycloheptapyrazol-8-ones 16-19 .     

Dual Crosslinking Photo-Switches for Orthogonal Photo-Control of Hybridization Between Serinol Nucleic Acid and RNA

Wavelength-selective photo-regulation by multiple chromophores responding to different wavelengths can expand the variation of photo-manipulating systems. Herein, we report the orthogonal photo-regulation of duplex formation between serinol nucleic acid (SNA) and RNA using light-induced crosslinking reactions mediated by a new photo-reactive nucleobase 8-naphthylvinyladenine (^NVA) and previously described 8-pyrenylvinyladenine (^PVA). An intrastrand crosslink was induced in an SNA strand containing two adjacent ^NVA residues by irradiation with 340–405 nm light; the crosslink was reversed by irradiation with ≤300 nm light. In an SNA strand with adjacent ^NVA and ^PVA residues, an intrastrand crosslink resulted from irradiation with 405–465 nm light that was reversed by irradiation with ≤340 nm light. Intrastrand photo-crosslinking caused severe destabilization of an SNA/RNA duplex, resulting in dissociation to single strands. Cycloreversion resulted in duplex formation. With these ^NVA/^NVA and ^NVA/^PVA photo-switches, four hybridization states of two SNA/RNA duplexes could be orthogonally photo-controlled by irradiation with a suitable wavelength of light.     

Supramolecular dye inclusion single crystals created from 2,3,6-trimethyl-β-cyclodextrin and porphyrins

In Nature, chromophoric groups play various roles, such as oxygen carriers, electron donors, light sensitizers, which are achieved in many cases by control of their aggregation modes in proteins. Host-guest chemistry between cyclodextrins and porphyrins has attracted great interest from supramolecular chemists because of their unique structures and functions that mimic those of proteins with chromophoric prosthetic groups. To mimic Nature's contrivances, the host-guest systems between cyclodextrins and porphyrins have frequently been studied. It is really surprising, however, that to date no detailed structural information of these complexes has been obtained from single-crystal analysis. In 2011, we reported the first successful isolation of a dye inclusion single crystal (DISC) between 2,3,6-trimethyl-β-cyclodextrin (TMβCD) and 5,10,15,20-tetrapyridylporphyrin (TPyP), and analyzed its X-ray crystal structure. The crystal structure revealed not only the real complex mode but also the attractive orientation of TPyP in the DISC. Herein, we present new strategies to prepare DISCs of TMβCD for several porphyrins and provide crystal structures, details of the complex modes, and optical properties. We believe that the present study has various important implications not only for the basic crystal analysis of inclusion complexes but also for potential applications that use these single crystals.     

Synthesis of 3-(dibromoacetyl)tropolone and its reactions with thioureas and thioamides

3-(Dibromoacetyl)tropolone ( 3 ) was obtained in the reaction of 3-acetyltropolone with two equimolar amounts of phenyltrimethylammonium tribromide. This tropolone 3 reacted with thiourea, 1-methyl-2-thiourea, and 1-phenyl-2-thiourea to afford N-unsubstituted and N-methyl- or N-phenyl-substituted 3-(2-amino-4-thiazolyl)tropolones. The reactions of 3 with thioacetamide and thiobenzamide gave 3-(2-methyl-and 2-phenyl-4-thiazolyl)tropolones.     

Solid solution of triptycenequinone and triptycenehydroquinone as a non-stoichiometric quinhydrone. Bathochromic changes in color caused by local intermolecular interaction between p-benzoquinone and hydroquinone moieties

Binary crystal formed by 9,10-dihydro-9,10-[o]benzenoanthracene-1,4-dione (triptycenequinone, TPQ, yellow) and 9,10-dihydro-9,10-[o]benzenoanthracene-1,4-diol (triptycenehydroquinone, TPHQ, colorless) was found to be a substitutional solid solution of TPQ doped by TPHQ with concentration of TPHQ<ca. 0.2. The characteristic color (brown) of the solid solution may be ascribed to local intermolecular CT interaction between the p-benzoquinone and hydroquinone moieties of TPQ and TPHQ, respectively, enabled by a disorder in the binary crystal. It seemed appropriate to regard the solid solution as non-stoichiometric quinhydrone. Crystal structure of pure TPHQ is also reported. A common molecular arrangement in the crystals of pure TPQ and pure TPHQ, as well as the resemblance in the molecular structure, seems to be favorable for the formation of the solid solution.