Bicyclo[2.2.2]octene-Based “Crab-like” Molecules: Synthesis, Complexation, Luminescence Properties, and Solid-State Structures

Solvent Effect on the Photophysical Properties of Terpyridine Incorporating Pyrene Moiety: Estimation of Dipole Moments by Solvatochromic Shift Methods

The absorption and fluorescence emission spectra of terpyridine incorporating pyrene moiety (Tpy-pyr) have been recorded in extensive variety of solvents having different polarities. The effect of the solvent on the spectral characteristics are examined. It is shown that Tpy-pyr exhibit positive solvatochromism, large Stokes shift values in polar solvents, and fluorescence in the long wavelength region of the visible range. A linear increasing trend with Stokes shift indicates the presence of Tpy-pyr - solvent interaction. The acquired results could be attributed to the formation of excited states with intramolecular charge transfer. The fluorescence quantum yield was drastically reduced in polar protic solvents and the formation of the twisted states with charge transfer was proposed. Both ground and excited state dipole moments (µg and µe) were determined experimentally by Lippert-Mataga, Reichardt, Bilot-Kawski, Bakhshiev and Kawski-Chamma-Viallet solvatochromic methods analyzed on the base of the microscopic solvent polarity functions. The µg and µe dipole moment of Tpy-pyr estimated from density functional theory (DFT) and those determined experimentally from solvatochromic methods are compared and the results are discussed.

Distinctive tunable photophysical properties of versatile environmentally-sensitive tribranched cyanopyridine fluorophores

In the present work, twenty-four environmentally-sensitive cyanopyridine fluorophores bearing pyrene and/ or fluorene with different para-substituted-phenyl moieties that have been previously designed and synthesized by us are studied in depth for their photophysical properties. Initially, the optical performances of the compounds were investigated by employing UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopic tools in various aprotic and protic solvents. All the compounds exhibited absorption bands between 310 and 452 nm, and emission bands between 454 and 633 nm. High sensitivity emission spectra with solvents of different polarities were recorded and studied. The fluorescence quantum yield (ϕ_f) increased in solvents of low polarity and decreased on increasing the polarity of solvents. On the other hand, in case of strong electron donating (-NMe₂) and strong electron attracting (-CN) substitution, a pronounced increase in Stokes shifts (up to 252 nm, 14250 cm^-1) were recorded. Lippert-Mataga and Reichardts correlations, applied for estimating the variation in dipole moments (Δμ), suggested that the emissive state of designed fluorescence 3-cyanopyridine derivatives is of strong ICT character. The aprotic and protic solvents gave a linear plot for the Stokes shifts in a Lippert-Mataga plot, which appeared as two distinct domains in E_T(30) scales indicating the presence of hydrogen bondings. It was observed that for compounds 5b - 8b, with (-NMe₂) group on the skeleton of phenyl ring, the Lippert-Mataga and Reichardt-Dimroth's plots deviated from linearity signifying that 5b - 8b molecules were involved in specific interaction with protic solvents.

Synthesis of Hydrazinylpyridines via Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution and Further Transformation to Bicyclo[2.2.2]octenes Fused with Two N-Aminosuccinimide Moieties

Efficient and reliable synthesis of substituted hydrazinylpyridines in thick-wall ACE tubes via nucleophilic substitution of a chlorine substituent in different chloropyridines is presented. Hydrazine hydrate and alkylhydrazines were used as nucleophiles and simple alcohols and diethyl ether were the only organic solvents necessary, making the process environmentally and user friendly, potentially reaching 100% atomic efficiency. In the next step, transformations of succinic anhydride moieties fused to the bicyclo[2.2.2]octene framework into succinimide moieties via nucleophilic substitution of oxygens were conducted. As nucleophiles two of the synthesized hydrazinylpyridines (2-hydrazinyl-3-nitropyridine and 2-hydrazinyl-5-nitropyridine) and also hydrazine hydrate, phenylhydrazine, and 4-nitrophenylhydrazine were used. Reactions were again carried out in ACE tubes and only simple alcohols, diethyl ether, and acetone were needed as solvents. One of the prepared bicyclo[2.2.2]octene adducts displayed water solubility thus being a promising candidate for future studies as a novel bidentate ligand for various metal cations in aqueous solutions or acting as an unprecedented halogen bond acceptor.

Exploiting a multicomponent domino reaction strategy for the tailoring of versatile environmentally sensitive fluorophore-based nicotinonitriles incorporating pyrene and fluorene moieties

A simplistic and highly effective protocol for the synthesis of a new class of poly-functionalized innovative nicotinonitriles incorporating pyrene and/or fluorene moieties has been developed through the domino four-component condensation reaction of 1-(pyren-1-yl)ethanone/1-(9H-fluoren-2-yl)ethanone, numerous aromatic aldehydes, and 3-oxo-3-(pyren-1-yl)propanenitrile/3-(9H-fluoren-2-yl)-3-oxopropanenitrile and ammonium acetate in acetic acid as a reaction medium. The advantages of this approach are the short reaction time, excellent yield, and the easy experimental workup that affords substrate diversity and operative competence under metal-free reaction conditions for the formation of C–C and C–N bonds. The substituent effects on the photophysical property-based absorption and the emission of the synthesized compounds in dichloromethane have been well-investigated. Strong absorption quenching of around 100 nm was observed when substitution of the benzene ring at the C₄-position of the pyridine moiety occurred with an electron-donating (–N(CH₃)₂) group. All of the newly synthesized nicotinonitrile derivatives showed strong blue-green fluorescence emission with maxima in the range between 420–630 nm. These highly pronounced emission spectra will help this family of compounds to find application in many areas and the field of materials science.

A simplistic and highly effective protocol for the synthesis of a new class of poly-functionalized innovative nicotinonitriles incorporating pyrene and/or fluorene moieties has been developed through the domino four-component condensation reaction.

Aggregation enhanced excimer emission (AEEE) with efficient blue emission based on pyrene dendrimers

A series of fluorescent dendrimers with pyrene moieties exhibited aggregation enhanced excimer emission (AEEE). Increases in the dendrimer generation caused emission at 480 nm with a high excimer/monomer emission intensity ratio.

Synthesis and photophysical properties of pyrene-based green fluorescent dyes: butterfly-shaped architectures

A few pyrene-based fluorescent compounds were synthesized using Pd/Cu-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction. Photophysical properties of the π-conjugated pyrene derivatives were studied and the results indicate materials with high quantum efficiency and high extinction coefficient. No π stacking was observed in the crystal lattice. The molecules described here may be useful in developing sensors or imaging agents.

C-shaped diastereomers containing cofacial thiophene-substituted quinoxaline rings: synthesis, photophysical properties, and X-ray crystallography

Synthesis and characterization of two diastereomeric C-shaped molecules containing cofacial thiophene-substituted quinoxaline rings are described. A previously known bis-α-diketone was condensed with an excess of 4-bromo-1,2-diaminobenzene in the presence of zinc acetate to give a mixture of two C-shaped diastereomers with cofacial bromine-substituted quinoxaline rings. After chromatographic separation, thiophene rings were installed by a microwave-assisted Suzuki coupling reaction, resulting in highly emissive diastereomeric compounds that were studied by UV-vis, fluorescence, and NMR spectroscopy, as well as X-ray crystallography. The unique symmetry of each diastereomer was confirmed by NMR spectroscopy. NMR data indicated that the syn isomer has restricted rotation about the bond connecting the thiophene and quinoxaline rings, which was also observed in the solid state. The spectroscopic properties of the C-shaped diastereomers were compared to a model compound containing only a single thiophene-substituted quinoxaline ring. Ground state intramolecular π-π interactions in solution were detected by NMR and UV-vis spectroscopy. Red-shifted emission bands, band broadening, and large Stokes shifts were observed, which collectively suggest excited state π-π interactions that produce excimer-like emissions, as well as a remarkable positive emission solvatochromism, indicating charge-transfer character in the excited state.

Unsymmetrical diimine chelation to M(II) (M=Zn, Cd, Pd): atropisomerism, pi-pi stacking and photoluminescence

Three types of atropisomeric unsymmetrical diimine complexes, tetrahedral (L(R)(Φ))MX(2) (M = Zn, Cd; X = Cl, Br; R = Me, CMe(3), OH, OMe, Cl; 1a-k, type-I), tetrahedral (L(Me2)(Φ))ZnBr(2) (2, type-II) and square planar (L(OH)(ϕ))PdCl(2) (3, type-III) with different photoluminescence properties, have been reported (L(R)(Φ) = (E)-4-R-N-(pyridine-2-ylmethylene)aniline; Φ = dihedral angle between the diimine unit including the pyridine ring and the phenyl ring planes). In crystals, Φ = 0° for type-I, 90° for type-II and 63° for type-III atropisomers have been confirmed by single crystal X-ray structure determinations of 1c, 1e, 2 and 3·H(2)O isomers. Optimizations of geometries in methanol have established Φ = 28-32° for type-I, 90.83° for type-II and 43.44° for type-III isomers. In solids, type-I atropisomers with Φ = 0, behave as conjugated 14πe systems facilitating π-π stacking and are brightly luminescent at room temperature while type-II and type-III isomers in solid and type-I isomers in solutions are more like non-conjugated 8πe + 6πe systems and non-emissive. Frozen glasses of acetonitrile, methanol and dichloromethane-toluene mixture at 77 K of type-I isomers are emissive and display structured excitation and emission spectra for R = Me, CMe(3), OMe species. Excitation and emission maxima of frozen glasses (λ(ex) = 320-380 nm; λ(em) = 440-485 nm) are red shifted in the solid (λ(ex) = 390-455 nm; λ(em) = 470-550 nm). TD-DFT calculations on 1b, 1d, 1f and stacked (1b)(2) isomers and luminescence lifetime measurements have elucidated that an excited (1)ILCT state has been the origin of emission of the type-I isomers and delocalizations of the photoactive π(diimine) and π(diimine)(*) orbitals of the L(R)(Φ) over the stacked layers shift the λ(ext) and λ(em) of solids to lower energies than those in frozen glasses. The trends of diimine ligand based electron transfer events of the complexes in DMF have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry at 298 K.

Quinoline based receptor in fluorometric discrimination of carboxylic acids

Quinoline and naphthalene-based fluororeceptors 1 and 2 have been designed and synthesized for detection of hydroxy carboxylic acids in less polar solvents. The receptor 1 shows monomer emission quenching followed by excimer emission upon hydrogen bond-mediated complexation of carboxylic acids. The excimer emission distinguishes aromatic dicarboxylic acids from aliphatic dicarboxylic acids and even long chain aliphatic dicarboxylic acids from short chain aliphatic dicarboxylic acids. The receptor 1 is found to be selective for citric acid with a strong excimer emission in CHCl₃. On the contrary, the receptor 2 exhibited less binding constant value and did not form any excimer upon complexation with the same acids under similar conditions. This established the role of quinoline ring nitrogen in binding with the acids.

Synphos modified Pt nanoclusters, their heterogenization by silica sol-gel entrapment, and catalytic activity in hydrogenolysis of bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-7-enes and hydrogenation of ethyl pyruvate

Platinum (Pt) colloids modified by the chiral ligand synphos were prepared with the goal of obtaining a catalytic nanomaterial and were subsequently embedded in silica to form a heterogeneous catalyst. The systems were characterized by (31)P-NMR, x-ray diffraction, molecular modeling and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTs) measurements. These colloids, both as 'quasi-homogeneous catalysts' (or soluble heterogeneous catalysts) and embedded in silica (heterogeneous catalysts) were employed in the selective hydrogenolysis of highly sterically constrained bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-7-enes and hydrogenation of ethyl pyruvate.