Molecular design of ambipolar redox-active molecules II: closed-shell systems

This mini-review highlights key structural features that should be taken into account when creating ambipolar redox-active closed-shell metal-free molecules. This type of compound is strongly required for the fabrication of all-organic ‘poleless’ batteries and semiconductors. The suggested strategies aimed at stabilization of both oxidized (cationic) and reduced (anionic) redox-states are based on the comprehensive analysis of the most successful structures taken from the recent publications.     

Synthesis of 2,4-disubstituted 2,3-dihydro-1H-1,5-benzodiazepines of the 1,3-indanedione series

2,4-Disubstituted 2,3-dihydro-1H-1,5-benzodiazepines were synthesized by reacting o-phenylenediamine with ,-unsaturated ketones of the indanedione series.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 379–381, March, 1989.     

Reactivity of some “ladder” type complexes under conditions of metallation

The behavior of binuclear “ladder” type complexes FpL, where Fp=Cp(CO)₂Fe, L=p-MeC₆H₄Cr(CO)₃ (4), CH₂C₆H₅Cr(CO)₃ (5), andp-FpC₆H₄Cr(CO)₃ (6), under conditions of metallation was studied. Unlike compounds5 and6, the σ-bound ligand L in compound4 migrates from the iron atom to the cyclopentadienyl ring to give complexes Me(CO)₂FeC₅H₄−C₆H₄(p-Me)Cr(CO)₃. The electrochemical reduction potentials of the complexes4–6 and the rearrangement products were measured. The migration activity of L is determined by the ease of reductive cleavage of the Fe−L bond and the susceptibility of the system to undergo intramolecular electron transfer from the Cp ligand to the aromatic ring. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 1832–1835, September, 1998.     

Electrochemical study of some bromo-substituted [2.2]paracyclophanes

The potentials of electrochemical oxidation ( ) and reduction ( ) of monobromo- and isomeric di- and tribromo[2.2]paracyclophanes as well as of mono-, di-, and tribromobenzenes were measured in acetonitrile. The similarity between the properties ofpseudo-para-disubstituted cyclophanes andmeta-disubstituted benzenes, on the one hand, andpseudo-meta-disubstituted cyclophanes andpara-disubstituted benzenes, on the other hand, was confirmed by the existence of a linear relationship between of bromo-substituted [2.2]paracyclophanes and of the corresponding bromo-substituted benzenes. The results were explained in terms of the qualitative theory of molecular orbitals, taking into account a through space interaction between the -systems of the benzene rings.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 839–845, May, 1994.The authors wish to express their gratitude to Professor R. Hoffmann (Cornell University, USA) for a useful discussion and criticisms of the text of this paper.This work was financially supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Project 93-03-5246).     

1H,13C,and19F NMR study of products of the interaction of the η5-cyclopentadienyldicarbonyliron(ii) anion,CpFe(CO)2 −, with pentafluorobenzoyl chloride

Interaction of the ⁵-cyclopentadienyldicarbonyliron(II) anion with pentafluorobenzoyl chloride affords C₆F₅COFe(CO)₂Cp, CpFe(CO)₂C₆F₄COFe(CO)₂Cp, and CpFe(CO)₂C₆F₄C₆F₄Fe(CO)₂Cp. The reaction products are characterized by¹H,¹³C and¹⁹F NMR spectra.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 935–937, May, 1994.     

Electrocatalytic dehalogenation of α-bromoketones in the presence of Cp2TiCl2

Processes of direct and electrocatalytic (in the presence of electrochemically reduced Cp₂TiCl₂) reduction of three α-bromoketones containing the C(sp³)-Br or C(sp²)-Br bond, viz., 2-bromo-and 2,6-dibromo-4,4-dimethylcyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-ones and α-bromo-acetophenone, were studied by cyclic voltammetry and preparative electrolysis. In all cases, the dissociative electron transfer proceeds via the concerted mechanism. Preparative electrolysis of these α-bromoketones in the presence of Cp₂TiCl₂ affords the reductive debromination products in 40–80% yield at low cathodic potentials (−0.85 V vs. Ag/AgCl/KCl). In the case of 2,6-dibromo-4,4-dimethylcyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-one in the potentiostatic regime, only one bromine atom can be eliminated selectively. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 977–983, May, 2007.     

Reactivity comparison for selenophen,thiophen, and their methyl derivatives via hydrogen-isotope exchange

Deuteration measurements have been made with t-C₄H₉OK and with 4 moles of CH₃COOH mixed with one mole of CF₃COOH against 2D-selenophen, 3D-selenophen, 3CH₃, 2D-selenophen and 5CH₃, 2D-selenophen. Reactivity in the selenohpen-thiopen series is examined via protophilic and electrophilic isotopic-exchange reactions. The factors for the partial exchange rates with acid and base for heterocyclics with D at position 2 and CH₃ at position 3, 4, or 5 are compared with those factors for isomers of monodeuterotoluene; it is found that the electronic effect of the CH₃ group is transmitted similarly for these heterocyclics and for the benzene ring. Reasonably good agreement is found between the relative constants for deuterium exchange in thiophen, selenophen, and methyl derivatives of these as catalyzed by alkali-metal t-butylates in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and in t-butanol mixed with diethylene glycol dimethyl ether. This shows that the results with DMSO correctly characterize the reactivity in protophilic hydrogen exchange.     

Synthesis and investigation of mono- and binuclear cyano-bridged complexes of rhodium,ruthenium, and palladium

Binuclear Rh^III and Ru^II complexes of the [M¹-CN-M²]⁺BF ₄ ^– (M¹ and/or M² are (⁵-Cp)(³-C₃H₅)Rh and (⁶-C₆H₆)(³-C₃H₅)Ru) type, heteronuclear organometallic compound (⁵-Cp)(³-C₃H₅)RhCNPd(³-C₃H₅)Cl, and mononuclear Rh^III and Ru^II complexes [(³-C₃H₅)LM(MeCN)]⁺ _BF4 ^– (M = Rh, L = ⁵-Cp; M = Ru, L = ⁶-C₆H₆) were synthesized. An electrochemical study of these compounds in solutions demonstrates that the bond between the bridged CN ligand and the metal atoms is rather strong, and there is no dissociation into mononuclear fragments in solutions. The kinetics of the reaction of [(⁵-Cp)(³-C₃H₅)Rh(MeCN)]⁺ _BF4 ^– with halide ions was studied by electrochemical methods. The ligand exchange proceeds by a bimolecular dissociative-exchange mechanism.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 968–973, May, 1995.     

Electrochemical and quantum chemical investigation of the CuI and CuII complexes with biquinolyl monomer and polymer ligands

Structural reorganization of polyamide (PA) and low-molecular-weight Cu^I and Cu^II complexes with biquinolyl (biQ) ligands during their mutual redox transformations in solution was studied using the electrochemical methods (cyclic voltammetry and preparative electrolysis) and quantum chemical DFT calculations. The influence of electronic factors and geometry distortions in the complexes on the ionization energy on going from Cu^I to Cu^II was evaluated in comparison. The catalytically active form of the [Cu^I(PA)L₂]BF₄ complex can be synthesized in situ from the stable tetrahedral complex [Cu^I(PA)₂]BF₄ by the series of successive redox transitions Cu^I → Cu^II → Cu^I accompanied by the loss of one biQ-containing macroligand. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1331–1340, July, 2007.     

Which Stereoinductor Is Better for Asymmetric Functionalization of α-Amino Acids in a Nickel(II) Coordination Environment? Experimental and DFT Considerations

The results of extended comparative investigation of nickel(II) Schiff base complexes (containing various auxiliary chiral moieties) commonly used as a methodological platform for the asymmetric synthesis of tailor-made α-amino acids are provided. The following issues are addressed: 1) redox activity (determining the possibility for electrochemically induced reactions); 2) quantitative estimation of the reactivity of deprotonated complexes towards electrophiles; and 3) quantum-chemical estimation of noncovalent interactions in the metal coordination environment (which shed light on the origin of the stereochemical outcome observed for different stereoinductors). Possible mechanisms that determine the relationship between the stereochemical configuration of a molecule and its electronic structure are discussed. The DFT-calculated HOMO–LUMO energies and localization, as well as relative energies for the (S)- and (R)-alanine derivatives, that determine the stereoinduction efficiency in thermodynamically controlled reactions in nickel(II) coordination are provided. The computational data are supported by experimental results on the monobenzylation of glycine derivatives.