Jonathan C. Collings

The synthesis and one- and two-photon optical properties of dipolar, quadrupolar and octupolar donor–acceptor molecules containing dimesitylboryl groups

Two series of related donor-acceptor conjugated dipolar, pseudo-quadrupolar (V-shaped) and octupolar molecular systems based on the p-dimesitylborylphenylethynylaniline core, namely, 4-(4-dimesitylborylphenylethynyl)-N,N-dimethylaniline, 4-[4-(4-dimesitylborylphenylethynyl)phenylethynyl]-N,N-dimethylaniline, 3,6-bis(4-dimesitylborylphenylethynyl)-N-n-butylcarbazole and tris[4-(4-dimesitylborylphenylethynyl)phenyl]amine, and on the E-p-dimesitylborylethenylaniline motif, namely, E-4-dimesitylborylethenyl-N,N-di(4-tolyl)aniline, 3,6-bis(E-dimesitylborylethenyl)-N-n-butylcarbazole and tris(E-4-dimesitylborylethenylphenyl)amine have been synthesised by palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling and hydroboration routes, respectively. Their absorption and emission maxima, fluorescence lifetimes and quantum yields have been obtained and their two-photon absorption (TPA) spectra and TPA cross-sections have been examined. Of these systems, the octupolar compound tris(E-4-dimesitylborylethenylphenyl)amine has been shown to exhibit the largest TPA cross-section among the two series of approximately 1000 GM at 740 nm. Its TPA performance is comparable to those of other triphenylamine-based octupoles of similar size. The combination of such large TPA cross-sections and high emission quantum yields, up to 0.94, make these systems attractive for applications involving two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF).

Arene–perfluoroarene interactions in crystal engineering 8: structures of 1∶1 complexes of hexafluorobenzene with fused-ring polyaromatic hydrocarbons

A series of 1∶1 complexes of hexafluorobenzene (HFB) with naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene, pyrene and triphenylene were prepared and their X-ray crystal structures determined at low temperatures. Each structure contains infinite mixed stacks of alternating nearly-parallel molecules of HFB and arene, which display various ‘slip’ distortions and form different 3-dimensional motifs. The naphthalene, anthracene and pyrene complexes show polymorphism. Crystal packing of HFB complexes is compared with that of corresponding octafluoronaphthalene complexes. Ab initio DFT calculations on the infinite lattices give lattice parameters and ‘slip’ parameters in close agreement with the experimental crystal structures, while showing that intermolecular cohesion is predominantly of electrostatic, rather than van der Waals, origin.

Arene-perfluoroarene interactions in crystal engineering. Part 3. Single-crystal structures of 1 : 1 complexes of octafluoronaphthalene with fused-ring polyaromatic hydrocarbons

Molecular complexes of 1 : 1 stoichiometry of octafluoronaphthalene (OFN) with the polyaromatic hydrocarbons anthracene, phenanthrene, pyrene and triphenylene have been prepared, and their single-crystal X-ray structures determined at 120 K. All of the structures are composed of infinite stacks of alternating, almost parallel molecules of OFN and the hydrocarbons, in contrast to the herringbone or γ-type (flattened herringbone) packing of the pure components. It is clearly shown that the stacking motif does not require a close correlation between the molecular geometry of the arene and perfluoroarene species, but is stable over a wide range of differing sizes and shapes. Thus, the arene–perfluoroarene interaction is of general importance as a supramolecular synthon. The molecular geometries of the components are not affected by complexation, indicating the absence of charge transfer in the complexes. The role of close C–H···F–C and C–F···F–C intermolecular contacts between stacks is discussed. A re-determination of the single-crystal structure of triphenylene at 150 K is also reported, providing a more accurate comparison with that of the 1 : 1 OFN·triphenylene complex.

Arene-perfluoroarene interactions in crystal engineering: structural preferences in polyfluorinated tolans

The compounds 4-ROC6F4CCPh (4) where R = Me (a), Et (b), Prn (c), Pri (d), Bun (e), n-C5H11 (f), PhCH2 (g), PhCH2CH2 (h), 4-MeC6H4 (i), 4-EtC6H4 (j) and menthyl (k), have been prepared by reaction of C6F5CCPh (3) with ROH in the presence of KOH, and characterised by NMR (1H, 13C, 19F) and mass spectroscopy. The single-crystal structures of PhCCPh·C6F5CCC6F5 (1∶2), 3 and 4a,c,d,f,g,i have been determined by X-ray diffraction at 120–160 K, and that of 3 also calculated by an ab initio pseudo-potential DFT method. The tolan moiety is nearly planar in each molecule except 4a, which has a Ph/C6F5 dihedral angle of 25.8°. The R group adopts an out-of-plane orientation except in 4f, where the n-pentyl chain is nearly coplanar with the C6F5 group at the cost of severe distortion of the C(ar)–C(ar)–O angles (which differ by 13.5°). The structures of 1∶2, 3 (pseudo-isomorphous with 1∶2), 4a, 4g (disordered) and 4i contain stacks of alternating arene and perfluoroarene moieties; 4c and 4d form discrete centrosymmetric dimers with arene/perfluoroarene overlap, while 4f forms infinite stacks without such overlap. Differential thermal analysis and transmitted polarised light microscopy revealed no liquid-crystalline behaviour of 3 and 4.

Iridium-catalyzed C–H borylation of quinolines and unsymmetrical 1,2-disubstituted benzenes: insights into steric and electronic effects on selectivity

Borylation of quinolines provides an attractive method for the late-stage functionalization of this important heterocycle. The regiochemistry of this reaction is dominated by steric factors but, by undertaking reactions at room temperature, an underlying electronic selectivity becomes apparent, as exemplified by the comparative reactions of 7-halo-2-methylquinoline and 2,7-dimethylquinoline which afford variable amounts of the 5- and 4-borylated products. Similar electronic selectivities are observed for nonsymmetrical 1,2-disubstituted benzenes. The site of borylation can be simply estimated by analysis of the 1H NMR spectrum of the starting material with preferential borylation occurring at the site of the most deshielded sterically accessible hydrogen or carbon atom. Such effects can be linked with C–H acidity. Whilst DFT calculations of the pKa for the C–H bond show good correlation with the observed selectivity, small differences suggest that related alternative, but much more computationally demanding values, such as the M–C bond strength, may be better quantitative predictors of selectivity.

Syntheses, structures, two-photon absorption cross-sections and computed second hyperpolarisabilities of quadrupolar A–π–A systems containing E-dimesitylborylethenyl acceptors

A series of bis(E-dimesitylborylethenyl)-substituted arenes, namely arene = 1,4-benzene, 1,4-tetrafluorobenzene, 2,5-thiophene, 1,4-naphthalene, 9,10-anthracene, 4,4′-biphenyl, 2,7-fluorene, 4,4′-E-stilbene, 4,4′-tolan, 5,5′-(2,2′-bithiophene), 1,4-bis(4-phenylethynyl)benzene, 1,4-bis(4-phenylethynyl)tetrafluorobenzene and 5,5″-(2,2′:5′,2″-terthiophene), have been synthesised viahydroboration of the corresponding diethynylarenes with dimesitylborane. Their absorption and emission maxima, fluorescence lifetimes and quantum yields are reported along with the two-photon absorption (TPA) spectra and TPA cross-sections for the 5,5′-bis(E-dimesitylborylethenyl)-2,2′-bithiophene and 5,5′-bis(E-dimesitylborylethenyl)-2,2′:5′,2″-terthiophene derivatives. The TPA cross-section of the latter compound of ca. 1800 GM is the largest yet reported for a 3-coordinate boron compound and is in the range of the largest values measured for quadrupolar compounds with similar conjugation lengths. The X-ray crystal structures of 1,4-benzene, 2,5-thiophene, 4,4′-biphenyl and 5,5″-(2,2′:5′,2″-terthiophene) derivatives indicate π-conjugation along the BCC–arene–CCB chain. Theoretical studies show that the second molecular hyperpolarisabilities, γ, in each series of compounds are generally related to the HOMO energy, which itself increases with increasing donor strength of the spacer. A strong enhancement of γ is predicted as the number of thiophene rings in the spacer increases.

Synthesis, optical properties, crystal structures and phase behaviour of selectively fluorinated 1,4-bis(4′-pyridylethynyl)benzenes, 4-(phenylethynyl)pyridines and 9,10-bis(4′-pyridylethynyl)anthracene, and a Zn(NO3)2 coordination polymer

A series of selectively fluorinated and non-fluorinated rigid rods based on the 4-pyridylethynyl group, namely 1,4-bis(4′-pyridylethynyl)benzene (1a), 1,4-bis(4′-pyridylethynyl)tetrafluorobenzene (1b), 1,4-bis(2′,3′,5′,6′-tetrafluoropyridylethynyl)benzene (1c), 1,4-bis(2′,3′,5′,6′-tetrafluoropyridylethynyl)tetrafluorobenzene (1d), 9,10-bis(4′-pyridylethynyl)anthracene (2), 4-(pentafluorophenylethynyl)pyridine (3a) and 4-(phenylethynyl)tetrafluoropyridine (3b) were prepared in good yields using Pd/Cu-catalysed Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions and/or lithium chemistry involving nucleophilic aromatic substitution. UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence spectra for 1a–d and 2 are reported. The X-ray crystal structures of 1b, 1c, 2, 3a and 3b show a variety of packing motifs, none of which involve arene–perfluoroarene stacking. The phase behaviour of 1a–1c has been studied by differential thermal analysis and transmitted polarised light microscopy. Compound 1b exhibits an ordered phase between 227.6 and 272.5 °C which is either hexatic B or crystal B. A 1 ∶ 1 complex (4) between 1b and Zn(NO3)2 has been prepared; its crystal structure consists of zig-zag polymer chains held together by hydrogen bonds.

Synthesis and evaluation of synthetic retinoid derivatives as inducers of stem cell differentiation

All-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) and its associated analogues are important mediators of cell differentiation and function during the development of the nervous system. It is well known that ATRA can induce the differentiation of neural tissues from human pluripotent stem cells. However, it is not always appreciated that ATRA is highly susceptible to isomerisation when in solution, which can influence the effective concentration of ATRA and subsequently its biological activity. To address this source of variability, synthetic retinoid analogues have been designed and synthesised that retain stability during use and maintain biological function in comparison to ATRA. It is also shown that subtle modifications to the structure of the synthetic retinoid compound impacts significantly on biological activity, as when exposed to cultured human pluripotent stem cells, synthetic retinoid 4-(5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphthalen-2-ylethynyl)benzoic acid, 4a (para-isomer), induces neural differentiation similarly to ATRA. In contrast, stem cells exposed to synthetic retinoid 3-(5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphthalen-2-ylethynyl)benzoic acid, 4b (meta-isomer), produce very few neurons and large numbers of epithelial-like cells. This type of structure-activity-relationship information for such synthetic retinoid compounds will further the ability to design more targeted systems capable of mediating robust and reproducible tissue differentiation.

Synthesis, photophysics and molecular structures of luminescent 2,5-bis(phenylethynyl)thiophenes (BPETs)

The Sonogashira cross-coupling of two equivalents of para-substituted ethynylbenzenes with 2,5-diiodothiophene provides a simple synthetic route for the preparation of 2,5-bis(para-R-phenylethynyl)thiophenes (R = H, Me, OMe, CF3, NMe2, NO2, CN and CO2Me) (1a–h). Likewise, 2,5-bis(pentafluorophenylethynyl)thiophene (2) was prepared by the coupling of 2,5-diiodothiophene with pentafluorophenylacetylene. All compounds were characterised by NMR, IR, Raman and mass spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and their absorption and emission spectra, quantum yields and lifetimes were also measured. The spectroscopic studies of 1a–h and 2 show that both electron donating and electron withdrawing para-subsituents on the phenyl rings shift the absorption and emission maxima to lower energies, but that acceptors are more efficient in this regard. The short singlet lifetimes and modest fluorescence quantum yields (ca. 0.2–0.3) observed are characteristic of rapid intersystem crossing. The single-crystal structures of 2,5-bis(phenylethynyl)thiophene, 2,5-bis(para-carbomethoxyphenylethynyl)thiophene, 2,5-bis(para-methylphenylethynyl)thiophene and 2,5-bis(pentafluorophenylethynyl)thiophene were determined by X-ray diffraction at 120 K. DFT calculations show that the all-planar form of the compounds is the lowest in energy, although rotation of the phenyl groups about the CC bond is facile and TD-DFT calculations suggest that, similar to 1,4-bis(phenylethynyl)benzene analogues, the absorption spectra in solution arise from a variety of rotational conformations. Frequency calculations confirm the assignments of the compounds’ IR and Raman spectra.

Arene–perfluoroarene interactions in crystal engineering. Part 10. Crystal structures of 1∶1 complexes of octafluoronaphthalene with biphenyl and biphenylene

Co-crystals of the 1 ∶ 1 molecular complexes of octafluoronaphthalene (OFN) with biphenyl and biphenylene have been grown from solutions containing both components. Their structures have been analysed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques at low temperature, which show them to be composed of infinite columns of near parallel, alternating OFN and biphenyl or biphenylene molecules, indicating that the complexes are stabilised by the arene–perflouroarene interaction.