Correlation between Absorption and Substitution of Photochromic 1,2-Bis(thienyl)ethenes (BTEs) Using Modified Spectroscopic Hammett Equations

Series of photochromic 1,2-bis(thienyl)ethenes possessing perfluorocyclopentene backbones, either hydrogen or methyl groups at the β-positions of the thiophenes, and a variety of substituents in their α'-positions were prepared, which cover the range from electron-donating to electron-withdrawing (Me, −CH₂OH, −OTBS, −TMS, −Br, 1,3-dioxan-2-yl, pyridin-4-yl, −CH₂OH, −COOH). As a linear free energy relationship the spectroscopic Hammett equation gives fair to excellent fits to the excitation energy of the absorption maxima of the ring-opened as well as the ring-closed forms of the BTEs, when Hammett substituent constants σ_p were replaced by Brown's modified substituent constants σ_p⁺ and σ_p⁻. Vice versa, hitherto unknown Hammett-Brown substituent constants can be estimated from the UV spectra. Furthermore, we compared the experimentally measured absorption maxima with values which we calculated by three different methods (DFT STEOM-DLPNO-CCSD/def2-TZVPP, TD-DFT ωB97X-D3/6-31G*, TD-DFT ωB97X-D3/6-311++G**).