1,2-Difunctionalization of Acetylene Enabled by Light

Although the direct conversion of gaseous acetylene into value-added liquid commodity chemicals is becoming increasingly attractive, the majority of the established methodologies are focused on cross-coupling, hydro-functionalization, and polymerization. Herein, we describe a 1,2-difunctionalization method that inserts acetylene directly into readily available bifunctional reagents. This method provides access to diverse C2-linked 1,2-bis-heteroatom products in high regio- and stereoselectivity along with opening up previously unexplored synthetic directions. In addition, we demonstrate this method's synthetic potential by converting the obtained products into diverse functionalized molecules and chiral sulfoxide-containing bidentate ligands. Using a combination of experimental and theoretical methods, the mechanism for this insertion reaction was investigated.     

Photochemically-Driven CO2 Release Using a Metastable-State Photoacid for Energy Efficient Direct Air Capture

One of the grand challenges underlying current direct air capture (DAC) technologies relates to the intensive energy cost for sorbent regeneration and CO₂ release, making the massive scale (GtCO₂/year) deployment required to have a positive impact on climate change economically unfeasible. This challenge underscores the critical need to develop new DAC processes with substantially reduced regeneration energies. Here, we report a photochemically-driven approach for CO₂ release by exploiting the unique properties of an indazole metastable-state photoacid (mPAH). Our measurements on simulated and amino acid-based DAC systems revealed the potential of mPAH to be used for CO₂ release cycles by regulating pH changes and associated isomers driven by light. Upon irradiating with moderate intensity light, a ≈55 % and ≈68 % to ≈78 % conversion of total inorganic carbon to CO₂ was found for the simulated and amino acid-based DAC systems, respectively. Our results confirm the feasibility of on-demand CO₂ release under ambient conditions using light instead of heat, thereby providing an energy efficient pathway for the regeneration of DAC sorbents.     

Initiator-Activation Strategy-Enabled Organocatalyzed Reversible-Deactivation Radical Polymerization Driven by Light

Organocatalyzed reversible-deactivation radical polymerizations (RDRPs) are attractive for many applications. Here, we developed photoredox-mediated RDRP by activating (hetero)aryl sulfonyl chloride (ArSO₂Cl) initiators with pyridines and designing a novel bis(phenothiazine)arene catalyst. The in situ formed sulfonyl pyridinium intermediates effectively promote controlled chain-growth from ArSO₂Cl, enabling access to various well-defined polymers with high initiation efficiencies and controlled dispersities under mild conditions. This versatile method allows “ON/OFF” temporal control, chain-extension, facile synthesis of different polymer brushes via organocatalyzed grafting reactions from linear chains. Time-resolved fluorescence decay studies and calculations support the reaction mechanism. This work provides a transition-metal-free RDRP to tailor polymers with readily available aromatic initiators, and will promote the design of polymerization leveraged from photoredox catalysis.     

Creating a Defined Chirality in Amino Acids and Cyclic Dipeptides by Photochemical Deracemization

2,5-Diketopiperazines are cyclic dipeptides displaying a wide range of applications. Their enantioselective preparation has now been found possible from the respective racemates by a photochemical deracemization (53 examples, 74 % to quantitative yield, 71–99 % ee). A chiral benzophenone catalyst in concert with irradiation at λ=366 nm enables to establish the configuration at the stereogenic carbon atom C6 at will. If other stereogenic centers are present in the diketopiperazines they remain unaffected and a stereochemical editing is possible at a single position. Consecutive reactions, including the conversion into N-aryl or N-alkyl amino acids or the reduction to piperazines, occur without compromising the newly created stereogenic center. Transient absorption spectroscopy revealed that the benzophenone catalyst processes one enantiomer of the 2,5-diketopiperazines preferentially and enables a reversible hydrogen atom transfer that is responsible for the deracemization process. The remarkably long lifetime of the protonated ketyl radical implies a yet unprecedented mode of action.     

Photochemistry synthesis. Part 2: Enantiomerically pure polyhydroxy-1,1,3-triarylpropan-2-ols

A new method to open the heterocyclic ring of flavan-3-ols via photolytic cleavage of the ether bond, with stereoselective trapping of the intermediates with phloroglucinol to obtain phloroglucinol grafted derivatives of flavan-3-ols, was developed. Photolysis of catechin and epicatechin, respectively, in the presence of phloroglucinol yielded the enantiomeric (1S,2S)- and (1R,2R)-1,3-di(2,4,6-trihydroxyphenyl)-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)propan-2-ols, respectively. The absolute configuration at C-1 and C-2 was determined by electronic circular dichroism (experimental and calculated) and these results confirmed that the trapping mechanism is controlled by the C-3 configuration of the flavan-3-ol.     

Photochemical formation of perchlorate from aqueous oxychlorine anions

Evidence of atmospherically produced perchlorate is being accumulated, yet information regarding its formation process is largely unknown. For the first time, the present study demonstrates that perchlorate can be generated as an end-product of photochemical transformation reactions of chlorine precursors such as aqueous salt solutions of hypochlorite, chlorite, and chlorate upon exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. For example, under exposure to UV light from photochemical reactor lamps at a peak wavelength of 253.7 nm for 7 days, the observed perchlorate concentrations were 5, 25, and 626 μg/L at initial chlorite concentrations of 100, 1000, and 10,000 mg/L, respectively. In addition, perchlorate was generated within 7 days from aqueous chlorite solutions at mid-latitude (33°59′N, 101°89′W) spring and summer solar radiation. Via UV radiation from the artificial lamps and sunlight, chlorite was converted to chloride (68%) and chlorate (32%) as end-products on the basis of molar percentage. However, perchlorate was not detected from aqueous chloride solutions at initial concentrations up to 10,000 mg/L under the experimental conditions. Relevant mechanistic pathways were proposed based on the fact that chlorine dioxide (as a primary intermediate) may play a significant role in phototransformation of the precursors leading to perchlorate.     

Design of an NO photoinduced releaser xerogel based on the controlled nitric oxide donor trans-[Ru(NO)Cl(cyclam)](PF6)2 (cyclam=1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane)

The immobilization and properties of the nitric oxide donor trans-[Ru(NO)Cl(cyclam)](PF(6))(2), RuNO, entrapped in a silica matrix by the sol-gel process is reported herein. The entrapped nitrosyl complex was characterized by spectroscopic (UV-vis, infrared (IR), X-ray photoelectron, and (13)C and (29)Si MAS NMR) and electrochemical techniques. The entrapped species exhibit one characteristic absorption band in the UV-vis region of the electronic spectrum at 354 nm and one IR nu(NO) stretching band at 1865 cm(-1), as does the RuNO species in aqueous solution. Our results show that trans-[Ru(NO)Cl(cyclam)](PF(6))(2) can be entrapped in a SiO(2) matrix with preservation of the molecular structure. However, in a SiO(2)/SiNH(2) matrix, the complex undergoes a nucleophilic attack by the amine group at the nitrosonium. Irradiation of the complex, entrapped in the SiO(2) matrix, with light of 334 nm, resulted in NO release. The material was regenerated to its initial nitrosyl form by reaction with nitric oxide.     

Photochemical reaction of W(CO)6 with GeCl4 as a source of germyl and germylene compounds acting as initiators for ring-opening metathesis polymerization of norbornene

Photolysis of W(CO)₆ in a solution of n-heptane containing GeCl₄ leads to the formation of two seven-coordinate compounds with direct WGe bonds: [(CO)₄W(μ-Cl)₃W(GeCl₃)(CO)₃] (1) and [(μ-GeCl₂){W(CO)₅}₂] (2). The molecular structures of these two tungsten-germanium compounds have been established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The germyl compound 1 is a previously synthesized binuclear complex of tungsten(II) with a d⁴ electronic configuration, while in the new germylene compound 2 the tungsten atom is formally in the zero oxidation state with a d⁶ electronic configuration and a direct WW bond. In an attempt to establish whether compounds 1 and 2 could be used as precatalysts for the ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of cyclic olefins, their reactivity towards norbornene has been studied. In chloroform-d₁ solution the ROMP reaction is accompanied by the formation of a new olefin, 2,2′-binorbornylidene (bi-(NBE)), as a result of carbene-carbene coupling. In reaction of norbornene carried out in benzene solution the ROMP reaction is accompanied by the formation of 2-phenylnorbornane (hydroarylation product) and small amounts of bi-(NBE). In general, in the presence of olefin, compound 2 undergoes rearrangement to give an olefin compound of the type [(WCO)₅(η²-olefin)].     

Synthesis and phototransformations of novel styryl-substituted furo-benzobicyclo[3.2.1]octadiene derivatives

Novel cis- and trans-(o-H/Me/vinyl) substituted styryl furo-benzobicyclo[3.2.1]octadiene derivatives (7a,b, 8) were prepared and transformed to the novel naphthofuran derivatives of benzobicyclo[3.2.1]octadiene (6a,b) and novel phenanthrene-benzobicyclo[3.2.1]octadiene derivative (11) by photochemical electrocyclic ring closure in the presence of iodine and by intramolecular photoinduced [4+2] cycloaddition, respectively. These novel annelated bicyclo[3.2.1]octadiene derivatives (6a,b, 11) are especially interesting for their rigid methano-bridged junction of two aromatic units at defined geometrical arrangement and thereby as potentials for molecular clips.     

Unique solvent effect on photochemistry of ortho-alkylphenacyl benzoates

Photolysis of 2,4,6-trialkylphenacyl benzoates gives not only the corresponding indanones and benzoic acid, but also the corresponding benzocyclobutenols (CBs), which are also detected in the photolysis of mono-alkylphenacyl benzoates for the first time. The product selectivity was heavily dependent upon solvents and o-alkyl group. H-bonding acceptor solvents strongly favor the formation of the CB. As the size of the o-alkyl group increases, the relative amount of the CB increases.