Cross-conjugated chromophores: synthesis of iso-polydiacetylenes with Donor/Acceptor substitution

The iterative construction of cross-conjugated donor (D), acceptor (A), and donor-acceptor (D-A) substituted iso-polydiacetylene (iso-PDA) oligomers has been achieved utilizing palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling techniques. Structure-property relationships for these compounds have been analyzed for cross-conjugated pi-electronic communication as a result of contributions from donor, acceptor, or donor-acceptor functionalization.     

Identification of archaeal proteins that affect the exosome function in vitro

Background  

The archaeal exosome is formed by a hexameric RNase PH ring and three RNA binding subunits and has been shown to bind and degrade RNA in vitro. Despite extensive studies on the eukaryotic exosome and on the proteins interacting with this complex, little information is yet available on the identification and function of archaeal exosome regulatory factors.     

Reactions of terminal polyynes with benzyl azide

Terminal di-, tri-, tetra-, and pentaynes substituted with a variety of functional groups react with benzyl azide in the presence of CuSO(4)·5H(2)O and ascorbic acid to give derivatives of 4-ethynyl-, 4-butadiynyl-, 4-hexatriynyl-, and 4-octatetraynyl-1,2,3-triazoles in moderate to good yields. These reactions appear to proceed regioselectively, and functionalization occurs exclusively at the terminal alkyne moiety. As well, no evidence of multiple azide additions to the polyyne framework is observed. X-ray crystallographic analysis of nine derivatives is used to document the regioselectivity of the reaction as well as outline structural characteristics of the 1,2,3-triazole products.     

Two-photon absorption properties of two-dimensional π-conjugated chromophores: combined experimental and theoretical study

The two-photon absorption (TPA) properties of four TPEB [tetrakis(phenylethynyl)benzene] derivatives (TD, para, ortho, and meta) with different donor/acceptor substitution patterns have been investigated experimentally by the femtosecond open-aperture Z-scan method and theoretically by the time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT) method. The four compounds show relatively large TPA cross sections, and the all-donor substituted species (TD) displays the largest TPA cross-section σ(2) = 520 ± 30 GM. On the basis of the calculated electronic structure, TD shows no TPA band in the lower energy region of the spectrum because the transition density is concentrated on particular transitions due to the high symmetry of the molecular structure. The centrosymmetric donor-acceptor TPEB para shows excitations resulting from transitions centered on D-π-D and A-π-A moieties, as well as transition between the D-π-D and A-π-A moieties; this accounts for the broad nature of the TPA bands for this compound. Calculations for two noncentrosymmetric TPEBs (ortho and meta) reveal that the diminished TPA intensities of higher-energy bands result from destructive interference between the dipolar and three-state terms. The molecular orbitals (MOs) of the TPEBs are derivable with linear combinations of the MOs of the two crossing BPEB [bis(phenylethynyl)benzene] derivatives. Overall, the characteristics of the experimental spectra are well-described based on the theoretical analysis.     

The Effects of Ring Strain on Cyclic Tetraaryl[5]cumulenes

Cyclic tetraaryl[5]cumulenes ( 1 a–f ) have been synthesized and studied as a function of increasing ring strain. The magnitude of ring strain is approximated by the extent of bending of the cumulenic core as assessed by a combination of X-ray crystallographic analysis and DFT calculations. Trends are observed in ¹³C NMR, UV-vis, and Raman spectra associated with ring strain, but the effects are small. In particular, the experimental HOMO-LUMO gap is not appreciably affected by bending of the [5]cumulene framework from ca. 174° (λ_max=504 nm) in 1 a to ca. 178° (λ_max=494 nm) in 1 f .     

Synthesis and characterization of cyclic alkyl tetraynes

Cyclic (4a-e) and linear (10) tetraynes have been studied. Macrocycles 4a-e are unstable to isolation as neat compounds, but 4b-e have been characterized in solution. 13C NMR spectroscopy shows a consistent downfield shift of the acetylenic resonances of 4c-e as ring strain increases. UV-vis spectroscopy demonstrates that ring strain has little effect on the HOMO-LUMO gap. X-ray crystallography of tetrabromoolefin 6b confirms the monomeric constitution of the precursors.     

Pyridyl‐Endcapped Polyynes: Stabilized Wire‐like Molecules

A 4‐ethynylpyridyl derivative with sterically shielding phenyl groups in the 3‐ and 5‐positions has been synthesized and used to terminate a series of polyynes. This approach allows for the synthesis of stable polyynes up to an octayne, twice as long as previous accessible for “unstabilized” pyridyl‐endcapped polyynes. The potential of these polyynes as wire‐like linkers to metal centers is demonstrated by axial coordination of pyridyl groups to zinc‐ and ruthenium‐metalloporphyrins.