Development of fluorinated benzils and bisbenzils as room-temperature phosphorescent molecules

Flexible organic crystals. Understanding the tractable co-existence of elastic and plastic bending

As an emerging class of flexible materials, mechanically bendable molecular crystals are broadly classified as elastic or plastic. Nevertheless, flexible organic crystals with mutually exclusive elastic and plastic traits, with contrasting structural requirements, co-existing under different stress settings are exceptional; hence, it is imperative to establish the concurring factors that beget this rare occurrence. We report a series of halogen-substituted benzil crystals showing elastic bending (within ∼2.45% strain), followed by elastoplastic deformation under ambient conditions. Under higher stress settings, they display exceptional plastic flexibility that one could bend, twist, or even coil around a capillary tube. X-ray diffraction, microscopy, and computational data reveal the microscopic and macroscopic basis for the exciting co-existence of elastic, elastoplastic, and plastic properties in the crystals. The layered molecular arrangement and the weak dispersive interactions sustaining the interlayer region provide considerable tolerance towards breaking and making upon engaging or releasing the external stress; it enables restoring the original state within the elastic strain. Comparative studies with oxalate compounds, wherein the twisted diketo moiety in benzil was replaced with a rigid and coplanar central oxalate moiety, enabled us to understand the effect of the anisotropy factor on the crystal packing induced by the C Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019 ]]> O⋯C tetral interactions. The enhanced anisotropy depreciated the elastic domain, making the oxalate crystals more prone to plastic deformation. Three-point bending experiments and the determined Young's moduli further corroborate the co-existence of the elastic and plastic realm and highlight the critical role of the underlying structural elements that determine the elastic to plastic transformation. The work highlights the possible co-existence of orthogonal mechanical characteristics in molecular crystals and further construed the concurrent role of microscopic and macroscopic elements in attaining this exceptional mechanical trait.

Structural and mechanical studies of benzil and oxalate crystals highlight the microscopic and macroscopic basis for the co-existence of orthogonal mechanical traits and the elastic to plastic transformation under different stress settings.

Room-temperature phosphorescence of a supercooled liquid: kinetic stabilisation by desymmetrisation

Achieving organic room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) in a solvent-free liquid state is a challenging task because the liquid state provides a less rigid environment than the crystal. Here, we report that an unsymmetrical heteroaromatic 1,2-diketone forms an organic RTP liquid. This diketone exists as a kinetically stable supercooled liquid, which resists crystallisation even under pricking or shearing stresses, and remains as a liquid for several months. The unsymmetrical diketone core is flexible, with eight distinct conformers possible, which prevents nucleation and growth for the liquid-solid transition. Interestingly, the thermodynamically stable crystalline solid-state was non-emissive. Thus, the RTP of the diketone was found to be liquiefaction-induced. Single-crystal X-ray structure analysis revealed that the diminished RTP of the crystal is due to insufficient intermolecular interactions and restricted access to an emissive conformer. Our work demonstrates that flexible unsymmetrical skeletons are promising motifs for bistable liquid-solid molecular systems, which are useful for the further development of stimuli-responsive materials that use phase transitions.

Csp–Csp bond cleavage and fragment coupling: a transition metal-free “extrusion and recombination” approach towards synthesis of 1,2-diketones

A metal-free strategy for C–C bond activation of 1,3-diynes has been established via an “extrusion and recombination” approach to derive structurally important 1,2-diketones in good yields with excellent selectivity.

Excited-State Dynamics of Room-Temperature Phosphorescent Organic Materials Based on Monobenzil and Bisbenzil Frameworks

Room-temperature phosphorescent (RTP) materials have been attracting tremendous interest, owing to their unique material characteristics and potential applications for state-of-the-art optoelectronic devices. Recently, we reported the synthesis and fundamental photophysical properties of new RTP materials based on benzil, i.e., fluorinated monobenzil derivative and fluorinated and non-fluorinated bisbenzil derivative analogues [Yamada, S. et al., Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 1154-1162.]. To deeply understand their RTP properties, we investigated the excited-state dynamics and photostability of the derivatives by means of time-resolved and steady-state photoluminescence spectroscopies. For these derivatives, clear RTP emissions with lifetimes on the microsecond timescale were identified. Among them, the monobenzil derivative was found to be the most efficient RTP material, showing both the longest lifetime and highest amplitude RTP emission. Time-resolved photoluminescence spectra, measured at 77 K, and density functional theory calculations revealed the existence of a second excited triplet state in the vicinity of the first excited singlet state for the monobenzil derivative, indicative of the presence of a fast intersystem crossing pathway. The correlation between the excited state dynamics, emission properties, and conformational flexibility of the three derivatives is discussed.