Dinuclear tricarbonylrhenium(I) complexes: impact of regioisomerism on the photoluminescence properties

Dinuclear Re(I) complexes have proportionally been much less studied than mononuclear analogues. In particular, very little information is available about their solid-state emission properties. In this work, two structural isomers of dinuclear complexes (Bi-Re-metaPhe and Bi-Re-paraPhe), which differ by the relative position of the coordination spheres on a central phenyl ring, were synthesized and compared with each other and with the parent mononuclear compound (Mono-Re-Phe), from a theoretical and experimental point of view. In solution, the electronic, electrochemical and spectroscopic properties of the dinuclear complexes were almost identical, and rather close to those of the monomer. In the solid state, the photoluminescence (PL) efficiency of dimers was not higher than that of the monomer, but a clear mechanoresponsive luminescence (MRL) effect appeared only for the former ones. The positional isomerism influenced the amplitude of this effect, as well as the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties in a water-acetonitrile mixture. This study reveals the importance of positional isomerism to modulate the emission properties in the solid state. It also shows the advantage of dinuclear structures to access new MRL-active materials.

Toward Heteronuclear Molecular Re(I)-Cu(II) Boxes: Structural, Luminescent, and Magnetic Properties

The bifunctional ligands of isonicotinic acid (Py-4-COOH) and 4-pyrid-4-ylbenzoic acid (Pybz-4-COOH) instead of polypyridines were therefore reacted with (Re(CO)₄)₃(C₃N₃S₃) (C₃N₃S₃ = cyanurate trianion), resulting in the formation of two trinuclear [(Re(CO)₃)₃(C₃N₃S₃)(Py-4-COOH)₃] (1) and [(Re(CO)₃)₃(C₃N₃S₃)(Pybz-4-COOH)₃] (2), respectively. In the meantime, both complexes 1 and 2 are connected by three bifurcated hydrogen bonds between their carboxylic acid moieties Py-4-COOH and Pybz-4-COOH to form the supramolecular trigonal-prismatic and -antiprismatic structures, respectively. It is noted that complex 1 can further react with copper(II) nitrate upon deprotonation to give nonanuclear [(Re(CO)₃)₃(C₃N₃S₃)(Py-4-COO)₃]₂Cu₃(H₂O)₉ (3), where two trinuclear [(Re(CO)₃)₃(C₃N₃S₃)(Py-4-COO)₃] moieties are connected by three penta-coordinate copper(II) ions, each coordinating to two carboxylates and three water molecules, to form the trigonal-prismatic structure. Surprisingly, addition of pyrazine (pz) in the synthetic process of complex 3 resulted in serendipitous isolation of a rare example of octadecanuclear {[(Re(CO)₃)₃(C₃N₃S₃)(Py-4-COO)₃]₂Cu₃(H₂O)₆(pz)₂}₂ (4), which can be regarded as a dimer of complex 3, connected by two bridging pz ligands. Interestingly, both complexes 3 and 4 are heteronuclear molecular Re(I)-Cu(II) boxes, constructed by a complex-as-a-ligand strategy. Furthermore, complexes 1 and 2 can exhibit respective low-energy luminescence at ca. 561 and 534 nm at room temperature upon photoexcitation, and complex 3 is found to display antiferromagnetic coupling of -127.68 and -134.70 cm^-1, possibly due to multiple hydrogen bonds inducing significant Cu(II)···Cu(II) coupling.

Catalytic C–H Arylation of Tetrathiafulvalenes for the Synthesis of Functional Materials

Sulfur-containing functional π-conjugated cores play key roles in materials science, mostly due to their unique electrochemical and photophysical properties. Among these, the excellent electron donor tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) has occupied a central position since the emergence of organic electronics. Peripheral C–H modification of this highly useful sulfur-containing motif has resulted in the efficient creation of new molecules that expand the applications of TTFs. This Short Review begins with the development of the palladium-catalyzed direct C–H arylation of TTF. Subsequently, it summarizes the applications of this efficient C–H transformation for the straightforward synthesis of useful TTF derivatives that are employed in a variety of research fields, demonstrating that the development of a new reaction can have a significant impact on chemical science.

1 Introduction

2 Development of the Palladium-Catalyzed Direct C–H Arylation of TTF

3 Synthesis of TTF-Based Tetrabenzoic Acid and Tetrapyridine for MOFs

4 Synthesis of TTF-Based Tetrabenzaldehyde and Tetraaniline for COFs

5 Tetraarylation of TTFAQ

6 Synthesis of Multistage-Redox TTF Derivatives

7 Miscellaneous Examples

8 Conclusions