Organometallic Borromean Rings and [2]Catenanes Featuring Di-NHC Ligands

Guest-Shuttling in a Nanosized Metallobox

An iridium-conjoined long and narrow metallorectangle was obtained by combining a quinoxalinophenanthrophenazine-connected Janus-di-imidazolylidene ligand and pyrazine. The size and shape of this assembly together with the fused polyaromatic nature of its panels provides it with properties that are uncommon for other metallosupramolecular assemblies. For example, this nanosized 'slit-like' metallobox is able show very large binding affinities with planar organic molecules in such a way, that the cavity is asymmetrically occupied by the guest molecule. This unsymmetrical conformation leads to the existence of a large amplitude motion of these guests, which slide between the two sides of the cavity of the host, thus constituting rare examples of molecular shuttles.

Iminopyrrole-Based Self-Assembly: A Route to Intrinsically Flexible Molecular Links and Knots

The use of 2,5-diformylpyrrole in self-assembly reactions with diamines and Zn(II)/Cd(II) salts allowed the preparation of [2]catenane, trefoil knot, and Borromean rings. The intrinsically dynamic nature of the diiminopyrrole motif rendered all of the formed assemblies intramolecularly flexible. The presence of diiminopyrrole revealed new coordination motifs and influenced the host-guest chemistry of the systems, as illustrated by hexafluorophosphate encapsulation by Borromean rings.

Periodic Borromean rings, rods and chains

This article describes periodic polycatenane structures built from interlocked rings in which no two are directly linked. The 2-periodic vertex-, edge- and ring-transitive families of hexagonal Borromean rings are described in detail, and it is shown how these give rise to 1- and 3-periodic ring-transitive (isonemal) families. A second isonemal 2-periodic family is identified, as is a unique 3-periodic Borromean assembly of equilateral triangles. Also reported is a notable 2-periodic structure comprising chains of linked rings in which the chains are locked in place but no two chains are directly interlinked, being held in place as a novel `quasi-Borromean' set of four repeating components.

Unravelling the Roles of Solvophobic Effects and π⋅⋅⋅π Stacking Interactions in the Formation of [2]Catenanes Featuring Di-(N-Heterocyclic Carbene) Building Blocks

A series of [2]catenanes has been prepared from di-NHC building blocks by utilizing solvophobic effects and/or π⋅⋅⋅π stacking interactions. The dinickel naphthobiscarbene complex syn-[1] and the kinked biphenyl-bridged bipyridyl ligand L2 yield the [2]catenane [2-IL](OTf)4 by self-assembly. Solvophobic effects are pivotal for the formation of the interlocked species. Substitution of the biphenyl-linker in L2 for a pyromellitic diimide group gave ligand L3 , which yielded in combination with syn-[1] the [2]catenane [3-IL](OTf)4 . This assembly exhibits enhanced stability in diluted solution, aided by additional π⋅⋅⋅π stacking interactions. The π⋅⋅⋅π stacking was augmented by the introduction of a pyrene bridge between two NHC donors in ligand L4 . Di-NHC precursor H2 -L4 (PF6 )2 reacts with Ag2 O to give the [Ag2 L4 2 ]2 [2]catenane [4-IL](PF6 )4 , which shows strong π⋅⋅⋅π stacking interactions between the pyrene groups. This assembly was readily converted into the [Au2 L4 2 ]2 gold species [5-IL](PF6 )4 , which exhibits exceptional stability based on the strong π⋅⋅⋅π stacking interactions and the enhanced stability of the Au-CNHC bonds.

Controllable Topological Transformations of 818 Molecular Metalla-knots by Oxidation of Thiazole-Based Ligands

By exploiting coordination-driven self-assembly, high yields of two 818 molecular metalla-knots could be obtained using a thiazole-moiety-containing asymmetric dipyridyl ligand 2-(pyridin-4-yl)-5-(pyridin-4-ylethynyl)benzo[d]thiazole (L1 ), as confirmed using X-ray crystallographic analysis, electrospray ionization-time-of-flight/mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF/MS), and detailed liquid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. To modulate the self-assembled structures, m-chloroperbenzoic acid (m-CPBA) was utilized to oxidize thiazole-based ligand L1 to N-thiazole-oxide-based ligand 2-(pyridin-4-yl)-5-(pyridin-4-ylethynyl)benzo[d]thiazole 3-oxide (L2 ), which enabled the selective construction of the corresponding tetranuclear macrocycles. Notably, two molecular metalla-knots could be topologically transformed from 818 knots to simple monocycles because the L1 alkyne bond was inert toward m-CPBA, as confirmed by liquid-state NMR spectroscopy, ESI-TOF/MS, and elemental analysis.

Nickelacarborane-Supported Bis-N-heterocyclic Carbenes

Metallacarboranes have attracted significant attention due to their unique properties. Considerable efforts have been made on the reactions around the metal centers or the metal ion itself, while transformations of functional groups of the metallacarboranes have been much less explored. We presented here the formation of imidazolium-functionalized nickelacarboranes (2), their subsequent conversion to nickelacarborane-supported N-heterocyclic carbenoids (NHCs, 3), and the reactivities of 3 toward Au(PPh₃)Cl and Se powder, which resulted in the formation of bis-gold carbene complexes (4) and NHC selenium adducts (5). Cyclic voltammetry of 4 shows two reversible peaks, corresponding to the interconversion transformations Ni^II ↔ Ni^III and Ni^III ↔ Ni^IV. Theoretical calculations demonstrated relatively high-lying lone-pair orbitals, weak B-H···H-C interactions between the BH units and the methyl group, and weak B-H···π interactions between the BH groups and the vacant p-orbital of the carbene.