First example of ring carbomer of 1,4-cyclohexadiene

From Stilbenes to carbo-Stilbenes: an Encouraging Prospect

Beyond previously described carbo-naphthalene and carbo-biphenyl, a novel type of bis-carbo-benzenic molecules is envisaged from the stilbene parent. The synthesis, structure, spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of two such carbo-stilbenes are described at complementary experimental and computational DFT levels. In the selected targets, the bare skeletal carbo-mer of carbo-stilbene is decorated by 8 or 10 phenyl groups, 0 or 2 tert-butyl groups, and 2 n-octyl chains, the later substituents being introduced to compensate anticipated solubility issues. As in the parent stilbene series, isomers of the phenylated carbo-stilbenes are characterized. The cis- and trans-isomers are, however, formed in almost equal amounts and could not be separated by either chromatography or crystallization. Nevertheless, due to a slow interconversion at the NMR time scale (up to 55 °C) the 1H NMR signals of both isomers of the two carbo-stilbenes could be tentatively assigned. The calculated structure of the cis-isomer exhibits a helical shape, consistent with the observed magnetic shielding of phenyl p-CH nuclei residing inside the shielding cone of the facing C18 ring. The presence of the two isomers in solution also gives rise to quite broad UV-vis absorption spectra with main bands at ca 460, 560 and 710 nm, and a significant bathochromic shift for the decaphenylated carbo-stilbene vs the di-tert-butyl-octaphenylated counterpart. Square wave voltammograms do not show any resolution of the two isomers, giving a reversible reduction wave at -0.65 or -0.58 V/SCE, and an irreversible oxidation peak at 1.11 V/SCE, those values being classical for most carbo-benzene derivatives. Calculated NICS values (NICS(1)=-12.5±0.2 ppm) also indicate that the aromatic nature of the C18 rings is not markedly affected by the dialkynylbutatriene (DAB) connector between them.

A difluorenyl-carbo-cyclohexadiene: prospective chromophore for two-photon absorption

For the purpose of outlining structure-property relationships for two-photon absorption (2PA), a "s-locked" carbo-cyclohexadiene with two fluorenyl substituents has been envisaged for comparison with previously studied aromatic carbo-benzene and non-aromatic carbo-quinoid congeners. A representative where the C10-π-conjugated fluorenyl moieties are also connected by a C8-π-insulating 3,6‐dimethoxy‐3,6‐bis(trifluoromethyl)octa‐1,4,7‐triyn-1,8-diyl edge has thus been synthesized in four steps from known C8F triyne and C10 triynyldial, through a [8F+10] cyclization process. In spite of a relatively strong absorbance (e = 84 800 L.mol-1.cm-1 at 634 nm), the non-vanishing green fluorescence (at 533 nm) of the chromophore should allow measurements of the 2PA cross section by both the TPEF and Z-scan methods.

Lipidic Carbo-benzenes: Molecular Probes of Magnetic Anisotropy and Stacking Properties of α-Graphyne

Solubilization of the C₁₈ fundamental circuit of α-graphyne has been envisaged by decoration with aliphatic chains R = n-C_nH_2n+1. The synthesis and characterization of p-dialkyl-tetraphenyl-carbo-benzenes (n = 2, 8, 14, 20) are thus presented and compared to the monoalkyl series produced concomitantly. In both series, a dramatic enhancement of solubility in organic solvents (CH₂Cl₂, CHCl₃) is observed for n ≥ 8, and in the dialkyl series, the melting-decomposition temperature of the solid products is shown to decrease linearly from 208 °C for n = 2 to 149 °C for n = 20. Fluoroalkyl analogues with R = n-C₈H₄F₁₃ are also described. The products display classical UV-vis electronic spectra of carbo-benzenes in solution (λ_max = 445.5 ± 1 nm, ε ≈ 200 000 L·mol^-1·cm^-1). They are also characterized by UV-vis absorption in the solid state, which is found to be correlated with the color and crystal packing. The methylene groups of R provide an experimental probe of the magnetic anisotropy and aromaticity of the C₁₈ ring through the progressive NMR shielding of the ¹H nuclei from ca. 4.70 to 1.25 ppm going away from the border of the ring (as far as 8 Å away). All alkyl-carbo-benzenes were also found to be highly crystalline. Seven of them have been characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis and the C₁₈ columnar packing compared in a systematic manner. Crystals of the diethyl and bistetradecyl derivatives, containing no solvent molecule, provided the first examples of direct π-stacking of carbo-benzene rings, with inter-ring distances very close to calculated interlayer distances in AB and ABC α-graphityne (3.255 and 3.206 Å vs 3.266 and 3.201 Å, respectively).

“Carbo-aromaticity” and novel carbo-aromatic compounds

Recent advances in experimental and theoretical studies ofcarbo-benzene derivatives, along with the proposition of a generalization of the definition of aromaticity to the two-membered π-rings of triple bonds, suggest relevance for the notion of “carbo-aromaticity”.

First insights into the synthesis of carbo-phospholane and carbo-phospholene oxides

Fifteen-membered ring carbo-mers of five-membered rings are considered in the heterocyclic series of the phosphole oxide and less unsaturated parents. The synthesis of the first carbo-phospholane oxides is achieved by a [14+1] two-step/one-pot macrocyclization route with 86 % yield. Reduction of the latter phosphora-[5]pericyclyne with SnCl­2 allowed consistent 1H and 31P NMR characterization of the corresponding carbo-phospholene, produced with 11 % yield. The ultimate carbo-phosphole oxide could not be isolated, but preliminary results on alternative strategies towards this 14 pz-electron Hückel carbo-aromatic are reported.