Single Crystal to Single Crystal (SC‐to‐SC) Transformation from a Nonporous to Porous Metal–Organic Framework and Its Application Potential in Gas Adsorption and Suzuki Coupling Reaction through Postmodification

A new amino‐functionalized strontium–carboxylate‐based metal–organic framework (MOF) has been synthesized that undergoes single crystal to single crystal (SC‐to‐SC) transformation upon desolvation. Both structures have been characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray analysis. The desolvated structure shows an interesting 3D porous structure with pendent ?NH₂ groups inside the pore wall, whereas the solvated compound possesses a nonporous structure with DMF molecules on the metal centers. The amino group was postmodified through Schiff base condensation by pyridine‐2‐carboxaldehyde and palladium was anchored on that site. The modified framework has been utilized for the Suzuki cross‐coupling reaction. The compound shows high activity towards the C?C cross‐coupling reaction with good yields and turnover frequencies. Gas adsorption studies showed that the desolvated compound had permanent porosity and was microporous in nature with a BET surface area of 2052 m² g^?1. The material also possesses good CO₂ (8 wt %) and H₂ (1.87 wt %) adsorption capabilities.     

Structure and properties of the mesophase of syndiotactic polystyrene. II. Effect of stepwise extraction on the preparation of the mesophase

In this study, a novel stepwise extraction method has been examined. The guest molecules housed between the helices of the clathrate δ form of syndiotactic polystyrene can be removed completely with this method. A systematic study of the preparation of a solvent‐free mesophase (emptied clathrate) membrane, its helical and residual solvent contents, and its structural transformations has been performed. In this first attempt, an enhancement in the TTGG helical content has been observed in the extracted membrane, and a conceptual mechanism is proposed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 269–273, 2003     

Structure and properties of the mesophase of syndiotactic polystyrene—III. Selective sorption of the mesophase of syndiotactic polystyrene

Syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) has various crystalline forms such as α, β, γ, and δ forms, and a mesophase depending on the preparation method. In this study, we focused on the mesophase with the molecular cavity of sPS, which is obtained by step‐wise extraction of the guest molecules from the sPS δ form. To prepare the mesophase containing different shapes and sizes of the cavity, two kinds of the sPS δ form membrane cast from either toluene or chloroform solution were first prepared and then the guest molecules were removed by a step‐wise extraction method using acetone and methanol. We could succeed in the preparation of two kinds of mesophase with different shapes and sizes of the molecular cavity. Either toluene or chloroform vapor sorption to the sPS mesophase membranes was examined at 25 °C. Sorption analysis indicates that the mesophase with large molecular cavities can mainly sorb large molecules; on the other hand, the mesophase with small cavities can sorb only the small molecules, and is unable to sorb a large amount of large molecule because the cavity was too small to sorb the large molecules. Therefore, the sPS mesophase membrane has sorption selectivity based on the size of the molecular cavity. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 238–245, 2004     

Synthesis, structure, and nonlinear optical properties of cross-conjugated perphenylated iso-polydiacetylenes

Monodisperse, cross-conjugated perphenylated iso-polydiacetylene (iso-PDA) oligomers, ranging from monomer 15 to pentadecamer 25, have been synthesized by using a palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling protocol. Structural characteristics elucidated by X-ray crystallographic analysis demonstrate a non-planar backbone conformation for the oligomers due to the steric interactions between alkylidene phenyl groups. The electronic absorption spectra of the oligomers show a slight red-shift of the maximum absorption wavelength as the chain length increases from dimer 17 b to pentadecamer 25, a trend that has saturated by the stage of nonamer 22. Fluorescence spectroscopy confirms that the pendent phenyl groups present on the oligomer framework enhance emission, and the relative emission intensity consistently increases as a function of chain length n. The molecular third-order nonlinearities, gamma, for this oligomer series have been measured via differential optical Kerr effect (DOKE) detection and show a superlinear increase as a function of the oligomer chain length n. Molecular modeling and spectroscopic studies suggest that iso-PDA oligomers (n>7) adopt a coiled, helical conformation in solution.     

Spherical shape complementarity as an overriding motif in the molecular recognition of noncharged organic guests by p-sulfonatocalix[4]arene: complexation of bicyclic azoalkanes

[reaction: see text] The complexation of p-sulfonatocalix[4]arene (CX4) with 2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene (1), 2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene (2), 2,3-diazabicyclo[3.2.2]non-2-ene (3), 1-methyl-4-isopropyl-2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene (4), and 1-phenyl-2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene (5) was studied in D2O at pD 7.4 by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The formation of deep inclusion complexes was indicated by large upfield 1H NMR shifts of the guest protons (up to 2.6 ppm), which were also used to assign, in combination with 2D ROESY spectra, a preferential inclusion of the isopropyl group of 4 and a dominant inclusion of the azo bicyclic residue for 5. The bicyclic azoalkanes 1-3 showed exceptionally high binding constants on the order of 1000 M(-1), 1-2 orders of magnitude larger than for previously investigated noncharged organic guest molecules. The strong binding was attributed to the spherical shape complementarity between the guest and the conical cavity offered by CX4. Interestingly, although the derivatives 4 and 5 are more hydrophobic, they showed a 2-3 times weaker binding, which was again attributed to the deviation from spherical shape in these bridgehead-substituted derivatives. The preferential inclusion of the hydrophilic but spherical bicyclic residue of 5 rather than the hydrophobic aromatic phenyl group provides a unique observation in aqueous host-guest chemistry and corroborates the pronounced spherical shape affinity of CX4.     

Substituent electronic effects on the persistence and absorption spectra of (Z)-o-xylylenols. A nanosecond laser flash photolysis study

[reaction: see text] A systematic investigation on a broad set of aldehydes reveals that the lifetimes of (Z)-photoenols can be modulated by variation of the substituents. We have found that the lifetimes of (Z)-enols (in benzene) can be varied by more than 1 order of magnitude with a judicious choice of the substituents that exert mesomeric and inductive effects as, for example, in the case of pentamethylbenzaldehyde (tau = 35 ns) and dicyanomesitaldehyde (tau = 760 ns). This study thus points to the fact that the electronic factors in conjunction with hydrogen bonding stabilization can considerably broaden the uni- as well as bimolecular chemistry based on photoenolization. Further, we have shown that the photoenols exhibit dramatic shifts in their absorption properties with variation of the substituents; although the photoenols have long been considered to be colored, their absorption properties have not been heretofore comprehensively examined.     

alpha-thiocyanation of carbonyl and beta-dicarbonyl compounds using (dichloroiodo)benzene-lead(II) thiocyanate

The combination reagent (dichloroiodo)benzene and lead(II) thiocyanate in dichloromethane effects oxidation of various enol silyl ethers, ketene silyl acetals, and beta-dicarbonyl compounds, thereby providing an efficient and convenient method for alpha-thiocyanation of carbonyl and beta-dicarbonyl compounds.     

Synthesis and derivatization of ethynyl alpha,alpha-dibromomethyl ketones: formation of highly functionalized vinyl triflates

[reaction: see text] We describe the synthesis of alpha,alpha-dibromomethyl ynones (8) and their subsequent derivatization to vinyl acetates (10). These vinyl acetates feature a 1,1-dibromo-olefin moiety, which is readily exploited in palladium-catalyzed Sonogashira, Stille, and Suzuki cross-coupling reactions with alkynes, stannanes, and boronic acids, respectively. A novel one-pot process then directly converts the resulting vinyl acetates 11-13 to the vinyl triflate derivatives 14a-j.