Natalia A. Lobova

4-Styrylquinolines: synthesis and study of [2 + 2]-photocycloaddition reactions in thin films and single crystals

Four new (E)-4-styrylquinoline compounds containing two methoxy substituents or an 18-crown-6-ether fragment were synthesized in order to investigate the [2 + 2]-photocycloaddition (PCA) reaction in the solid state. These compounds reveal different abilities to undergo the photoreaction depending on the packing of the quinoline molecules in thin polycrystalline films and single crystals. The only products from the irradiation of (E)-4-styrylquinolines were an rctt isomer of 1,2,3,4-tetrasubstituted cyclobutane and, rarely, a Z isomer of the styrylquinoline. The rctt cyclobutane derivative was formed as a result of the PCA of centrosymmetric syn-‘head-to-tail’ dimeric pairs of the reactant species that are preorganized in such a way as to promote this reaction. Peculiarities in the crystal packing motifs that are typical for single crystals of 4-styrylquinoline compounds are discussed. The solvate molecules can affect significantly the packing of styrylquinolines. Benzene solvate molecules create a soft, flexible, shell about the dimeric pairs that facilitates the PCA in the single crystal without causing degradation of the crystal. In crystal packing that contains CH2Cl2 and H2O solvate molecules, they are prone to form complicated systems of hydrogen bonds with crown-ether oxygen atoms and each other. This results in distorting the organic molecule geometry toward non-planarity and accomplishing a new type of crystal packing uncommon for styrylheterocycles, in which the PCA is impossible. The topochemical single-crystal-to-single-crystal PCA reaction was monitored for one of the species. Two cyclobutane derivatives obtained in single crystals were subjected to recrystallization from a solution. The new single crystals formed belong to different crystal systems, with different unit cell parameters as compared with initial single crystals; significant differences in the geometry of the cyclobutane molecules were also found. This implies that the cyclobutane derivatives obtained in the solid phase have a molecular geometry that is somewhat stressed.

Photoinduced and dark complexation of unsaturated viologen analogues containing two ammonium tails with cucurbit[8]uril

Complex formation between cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) and unsaturated viologen analogues 1a,b bearing two ammoniopropyl substituents was studied using 1H NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The complex stability constants were measured by 1H NMR titration. CB[8] was found to encapsulate 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethylene derivative (E)-1a in water/acetonitrile solution to form only inclusion complex of 1 : 1 composition. The high stability of CB[8]·1a (lg K1:1 ≥ 5) is apparently due to the possibility of hydrogen bond formation between two NH3+ groups of 1a and the OC fragments of both portals of CB[8]. Contrarily, the derivative of 1,2-di(4-quinolyl)ethylene (E)-1b gave three types of inclusion complexes upon mixing with CB[8]. The stability of the 1 : 1 complex (lg K1:1 = 4.6) is decreased compared to (E)-1a, suggesting a poorer fit with respect to the bulky (E)-1b in the cavity of CB[8] for the simultaneous hydrogen bonding of the both ammonium groups. This is the driving force for the formation of an unusual 2 : 1 complex, {CB[8]}2·(E)-1b. The expanded π-system of (E)-1b allows also two tetracationic molecules of the acceptor to form a 1 : 2 complex owing to stacking interactions. Crystallization of a 1b/CB[8] mixture under irradiation resulted in an inclusion complex of the Z-isomer of 1b. The supramolecular complex is formed because the shape of (Z)-1b fits well to the host cavity and the ammonium groups form a system of hydrogen bonds with oxygen atoms of both portals of CB[8]. The features of crystalline complexes CB[8]·(Z)-1b and CB[8]·HClO4 are discussed.

Controlled self-assembly of bis(crown)stilbenes into unusual bis-sandwich complexes: structure and stereoselective [2+2] photocycloaddition

It was shown by 1H NMR spectroscopy that symmetrical bis(crown)stilbenes (L) and small alkali and alkaline-earth metal cations form 1(L) ∶ 1(Mm+) and 1(L) ∶ 2(Mm+) complexes in MeCN solutions. In the case of large or hydrated metal cations such as Cs+, Rb+, K+, Ba2+, Sr2+, [Ca(H2O)x]2+ and stilbenes with a small crown-ether cavity as compared with the metal cation size, stable bis-sandwich complexes 2(L) ∶ 2(Mm+) can also be formed. A stable bis-pseudosandwich 2 ∶ 2 complex is also produced from bis(18-crown-6)stilbene with the propanediammonium ion. The effect of the crown-ether size and the cation size and nature on the route of stilbene phototransformation and product composition was elucidated. The bis-(pseudo)sandwich complexes undergo effective stereoselective [2+2] photocycloaddition giving mainly rctt isomers of new 1,2,3,4-tetracrown cyclobutanes. The structures of complexes of bis(crown)stilbenes and obtained cyclobutanes were confirmed by X-ray diffraction.

Supramolecular Dimerization and [2 + 2] Photocycloaddition Reactions of Crown Ether Styryl Dyes Containing a Tethered Ammonium Group: Structure–Property Relationships

Molecular self-assembly is an effective strategy for controlling the [2 + 2] photocycloaddition reaction of olefins. The geometrical properties of supramolecular assemblies are proven to have a critical effect on the efficiency and selectivity of this photoreaction both in the solid state and in solution, but the role of other factors remains poorly understood. Convenient supramolecular systems to study the structure-property relationships are pseudocyclic dimers spontaneously formed by styryl dyes containing a crown ether moiety and a remote ammonium group. New dyes of this type were synthesized to investigate the effects of structural and electronic factors on the quantitative characteristics of supramolecular dimerization and [2 + 2] photocycloaddition in solution. Variable structural parameters for the styryl dyes were the size and structure of macrocyclic moiety, the nature of heteroaromatic residue, and the length of the ammonioalkyl group attached to this residue. Quantum chemical calculations of the pseudocyclic dimers were performed in order to interpret the relationships between the structure of the ammonium dyes and the efficiency of the supramolecular photoreaction. One of the dimeric complexes was obtained in the crystalline state and studied by X-ray diffraction. The results obtained demonstrate that the photocycloaddition in the pseudocyclic dimers can be dramatically affected by the electronic structure of the styryl moieties, as dependent on the electron-donating ability of the substituents on the benzene ring, and by the conformational flexibility of the pseudocycle, which determines the mobility of the olefinic bonds. The significance of electronic factors is highlighted by the fact that the photocycloaddition quantum yield in geometrically similar dimeric structures varies from ≤10(-4) to 0.38. The latter value is unusually high for olefins in solution.

Synthesis, structure, and stereospecific cross-[2+2] photocycloaddition of pseudodimeric complexes based on ammonioalkyl derivatives of styryl dyes

New 4-pyridine-derived styryl dyes having an ammonioalkyl N-substituent in the pyridine moiety and various substituents in the benzene moiety were synthesized. The formation of pseudodimeric complexes of ammonioalkyl styryl dye derivatives with 18-crown-6-containing styryl dyes of the 4-pyridine, 4-quinoline, and 2-benzothiazole series was studied by 1H NMR in MeCN-d3. It was found that the stability of supramolecular complexes is mainly determined by the monotopic interaction of the ammonioalkyl group with the crown ether moiety via hydrogen bonding. The components of pseudodimeric complexes undergo stereospecific cross-[2+2] photocycloaddition reaction to give unsymmetrical rctt isomers of cyclobutane derivatives owing to the syn-head-to-tail arrangement of components in the initial complex. The efficiency of photoreaction is affected by the N-substituent length, the nature of the substituent in the benzene ring of the ammonioalkyl component, and the nature of the heterocyclic residue of the crown-containing component. The structures of dyes, pseudodimeric complexes, and the cyclobutane derivative were studied by X-ray diffraction.