Synthesis of Terpyridines: Simple Reactions-What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

The preparation of 2⁴-functionalized 1²,2²:2⁶,3²-terpyridines (4′-functionalized 3,2:6′,3″-terpyridines) by the reaction of three 4-alkoxybenzaldehydes with 3-acetylpyridine and ammonia was investigated; under identical reaction conditions, two (R =ⁿC₄H₉, C₂H₅) gave the expected products whereas a third (R = ⁿC₃H₇) gave only a cyclohexanol derivative derived from the condensation of three molecules of 3-acetylpyridine with two of 4-(n-propoxy)benzaldehyde. A comprehensive survey of “unexpected” products from reactions of ArCOCH₃ derivatives with aromatic aldehydes is presented. Three different types of alternative product are identified.

Evidence for a hopping mechanism in metal|single molecule|metal junctions involving conjugated metal–terpyridyl complexes; potential-dependent conductances of complexes [M(pyterpy)2]2+ (M = Co and Fe; pyterpy = 4′-(pyridin-4-yl)-2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine) in ionic liquid

Extensive studies of various families of conjugated molecules in metal|molecule|metal junctions suggest that the mechanism of conductance is usually tunnelling for molecular lengths < ca. 4 nm, and that for longer molecules, coherence is lost as a hopping element becomes more significant. In this work we present evidence that, for a family of conjugated, redox-active metal complexes, hopping may be a significant factor for even the shortest molecule studied (ca. 1 nm between contact atoms). The length dependence of conductance for two series of such complexes which differ essentially in the number of conjugated 1,4-C₆H₄- rings in the structures has been studied, and it is found that the junction conductances vary linearly with molecular length, consistent with a hopping mechanism, whereas there is significant deviation from linearity in plots of log(conductance) vs. length that would be characteristic of tunnelling, and the slopes of the log(conductance)–length plots are much smaller than expected for an oligophenyl system. Moreover, the conductances of molecular junctions involving the redox–active molecules, [M(pyterpy)₂]^2+/3+ (M = Co, Fe) have been studied as a function of electrochemical potential in ionic liquid electrolyte, and the conductance–overpotential relationship is found to fit well with the Kuznetsov–Ulstrup relationship, which is essentially a hopping description.

Microwave-assisted four-component, one-pot condensation reaction: an efficient synthesis of annulated pyridines

A one-pot, effective synthesis of pyridines by a modified Kröhnke procedure is described. Polysubstituted annulated pyridines were synthesized in high yields by four-component, one-pot cyclocondensation reactions of N-phenacylpyridinium bromide, aromatic aldehydes, acetophenones or cyclic ketones in the presence of ammonium acetate and acetic acid, assisted by microwave irradiation. In this procedure, cyclic ketones with two alpha-CH(2) groups yield annulated pyridines with additional alpha-benzylidene groups, which are derived in situ from double aldol condensation of cyclic ketones with two moles of aromatic aldehydes.

Design, characterization, and X-ray structure of an interlocked dinuclear chair-like metallomacrocycle: [FeII2(3,5-bis(2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridin-4′-phen-3-yl)toluene)2][4PF6−]

The self-assembly of 3,5-bis(2,2':6',2''-terpyridin-4'-phen-3-yl)toluene with an equimolar amount of a Fe(II) salt afforded a high yield of an interlocked dinuclear tetracationic "molecular gear" that was confirmed by single crystal X-ray data.

Synthesis and Single-Crystal X-ray Characterization of 4,4‘ ‘-Functionalized 4‘-(4-Bromophenyl)-2,2‘:6‘,2‘ ‘-terpyridines

To expand the utility of bis(terpyridine) metal connectivity, the selective symmetrical and unsymmetrical 4,4"-functionalization (-CN, -Me, -CO2Me) of 4'-(4-bromophenyl)-2,2':6',2"-terpyridines was achieved using the Kröhnke synthesis. The final substituted 2,2':6',2"-terpyridines along with their corresponding intermediates, 4a-c, were recrystallized and characterized by 1H NMR and 13C NMR as well as X-ray crystallography; COSY correlations were also conducted to permit definitive proton assignment.

Synthesis, X-ray Structure, and Self-Assembly of Functionalized Bis(2,2‘:6‘,2‘ ‘-terpyridinyl)arenes

meta-Bis(terpyridinyl)phenol has been synthesized from O-benzyl-3,5-di(formyl)phenol in three steps. Its alkylation afforded a series of bisterpyridinylarenes, which can be self-assembled to afford the corresponding hexametallomacrocycles possessing Fe(II), Zn(II), or Ru(II) connectivity. [structure: see text]