Satoru Hiroto

Intermolecular Oxidative Annulation of 2-Aminoanthracenes to Diazaacenes and Aza[7]helicenes†

Aniline is oxidized into so-called “aniline black”, well-known black pigments that are a mixture of oligomeric materials containing C N double bonds and fused structures. Since such an oxidative fusion reaction of aniline derivatives is usually uncontrollable and provides many isomers and oligomers, it has rarely been recognized as a synthetically useful transformation. However, the selective oxidation of aromatic amines should provide a powerful protocol to combine two aromatic units into one extended p system if the substrates and reaction conditions are carefully designed. Recently, oligoacenes containing pyrazine units have attracted much attention as promising compounds for electron-transporting materials because of their resistance to oxidation relative to the parent oligoacenes. However, the synthetic strategy for this type of azaacenes has mainly been limited to the classic condensation of ortho-quinone derivatives with aromatic ortho-diamines, both of which are often unstable under air. Here we disclose the selective oxidative fusion of 2-aminoanthracenes mediated by 2,3-dichloro-5,6dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) to provide pyrazine-fused bisanthracenes in high yields. Our approach, which makes use of the more-stable monoamino substrates, would be useful for the construction of various pyrazine-fused oligoacenes. Furthermore, we also found that pyrrole-fused bisanthracenes could be formed under slightly modified conditions. The pyrrole-fused dimer can be regarded as an aza[7]helicene with a stable helical conformation that exhibits circular dichroism (CD) and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) properties. We used 2-aminoanthracene 1a, the two triisopropylsilylethynyl groups of which enhance the solubility of the starting material and products. We found that the oxidation of 1a with DDQ in CHCl3 (Scheme 1) afforded a pyrazine-fused dimer 2a in 43 % yield as a single regioisomer (Table 1, entry 1). The H NMR spectrum of 2 a was indicative of a C2h symmetrical structure, thus indicating a zig-zag-type structure fused by a pyrazine linkage. Furthermore, another product 3a was obtained as a more polar material in 48 % yield. The H NMR spectrum showed 3a was unsymmetrical, with one NH proton signal detected at d = 9.12 ppm. The parent mass ion peaks of 3a at m/z = 1087.6716 (calcd for (C72H97NSi4) + = 1087.6693) suggested a loss of one nitrogen atom from 2a. On the basis of these data, we assigned 3a as a pyrrole-fused dimer. Finally,

Iridium-Catalyzed Direct Tetraborylation of Perylene Bisimides

Treatment of perylene bisimides (PBIs) with bis(pinacolato)diboron in the presence of an iridium catalyst provides tetraborylated PBIs at 2,5,8,11-positions in good yields with perfect regioselectivity. The planar structure of the perylene core has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. Oxidation of tetraborylated PBI with hydroxylamine hydrochloride affords tetrahydroxy PBI in excellent yield, which exhibits a substantially blue-shifted absorption spectrum due to an intramolecular hydrogenbonding interaction between carbonyl and hydroxy groups.

Synthesis and Functionalization of Porphyrins through Organometallic Methodologies

This review focuses on the postfunctionalization of porphyrins and related compounds through catalytic and stoichiometric organometallic methodologies. The employment of organometallic reactions has become common in porphyrin synthesis. Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions are now standard techniques for constructing carbon-carbon bonds in porphyrin synthesis. In addition, iridium- or palladium-catalyzed direct C-H functionalization of porphyrins is emerging as an efficient way to install various substituents onto porphyrins. Furthermore, the copper-mediated Huisgen cycloaddition reaction has become a frequent strategy to incorporate porphyrin units into functional molecules. The use of these organometallic techniques, along with the traditional porphyrin synthesis, now allows chemists to construct a wide range of highly elaborated and complex porphyrin architectures.

Nitrogen-embedded buckybowl and its assembly with C60.

Curved π-conjugated molecules have attracted considerable interest because of the unique properties originating from their curved π surface. However, the synthesis of such distorted molecules requires harsh conditions, which hamper easy access to heteroatom-containing curved π systems. Here we report the synthesis of a π-extended azacorannulene with nitrogen in its centre. The oxidation of 9-aminophenanthrene provides tetrabenzocarbazole, which is converted to the azabuckybowl through palladium-catalysed intramolecular coupling. The electron-donating nature and curved π surface of the azabuckybowl enable its tight association with C60 in solution and solid states. High charge mobility is observed for the azabuckybowl/C60 assembly. This compound may be of interest in the fields of curved π systems as fullerene hosts, anisotropic π donors and precursors to nitrogen-containing nanocarbon materials.

Synthesis of diazo-bridged BODIPY dimer and tetramer by oxidative coupling of β-amino-substituted BODIPYs.

A diazo-bridged BODIPY dimer and tetramer were prepared by the oxidative coupling reaction of β-amino-substituted BODIPYs. The structure of the dimer was elucidated by X-ray diffraction analysis, showing its coplanar orientation of two BODIPY units. Effective extension of π-conjugation was confirmed by optical and electrochemical investigations.

Functionalization of a simple dithienylethene via palladium-catalyzed regioselective direct arylation.

The direct arylation on the thienyl groups of a diarylethene with various aryl iodides efficiently provided arylated dithienylethenes under palladium catalysis. Unsymmetrically substituted dithienylethenes were also synthesized by this protocol. This procedure allows a rapid access to a variety of aryl-substituted dithienylethenes from a single substrate of a simple dithienylethene.

Synthesis of highly twisted and fully π-conjugated porphyrinic oligomers.

Highly twisted π-conjugated molecules have been attractive but challenging targets. We report here an efficient synthesis of highly twisted diporphyrins with 126° and 136° twist angles that involves an oxidative fusion reaction of planar aminoporphyrin precursors at room temperature. Repeated amination-oxidative fusion sequences provide a unidirectionally twisted tetramer. The twisting angle of the tetramer is 298°.

Synthesis of Oxygen-Substituted Hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronenes through Ir-Catalyzed Direct Borylation

Direct C-H borylation of hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronenes (HBCs) has been achieved under iridium catalysis, which allows efficient synthesis of hydroxy-substituted HBCs by oxidation of the boryl groups. Further oxidation of dihydroxy HBC with phenyliodine bis(trifluoroacetate) (PIFA) afforded tetraoxo-substituted HBC without any regioisomers, which can be considered as a π-extended quinone.

Energy and electron transfer from fluorescent mesostructured organosilica framework to guest dyes.

Energy and electron transfer from frameworks of nanoporous or mesostructured materials to guest species in the nanochannels have been attracting much attention because of their increasing availability for the design and construction of solid photofunctional systems, such as luminescent materials, photovoltaic devices, and photocatalysts. In the present study, energy and electron-transfer behavior of dye-doped periodic mesostructured organosilica films with different host-guest arrangements were systematically examined. Fluorescent tetraphenylpyrene (TPPy)-silica mesostructured films were used as a host donor. The location of guest perylene bisimide (PBI) dye molecules, acting as an acceptor, could be controlled on the basis of the molecular design of the PBI substituent groups. PBI dyes with bulky substituents and polar anchoring groups were located at the pore surface with low self-aggregation, which induced efficient energy or electron transfer because of the close host-guest arrangement. However, PBI dye with bulky and hydrophobic substituents was located in the center of template surfactant micelles; the fluorescence emission from the host TPPy groups was hardly quenched when the host-guest distance was longer than the critical Förster radius (ca. 4.5 nm). The relationship between the energy or electron-transfer efficiency and the location of guest species in the channels of mesostructured organosilica was first revealed by molecular design of the PBI substituents.

Conformational Changes of meso-Aryl Substituted Expanded Porphyrins upon Protonation: Effects on Photophysical Properties and Aromaticity

meso-Hexakis(pentafluorophenyl) [30]heptaphyrin(1.1.1.1.1.1.0) and meso-hexakis(pentafluorophenyl) [38]nonaphyrin(1.1.0.1.1.0.1.1.0) have been investigated with a particular focus on their photophysical properties affected by protonation with acids using steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic measurements along with femtosecond Z-scan method. It was found that the smaller Stokes shift and longer excited singlet/triplet state lifetimes of protonated [30]heptaphyrin and [38]nonaphyrin compared to their distorted neutral counterparts are strongly associated with the rigid and planar molecular structures. Much larger two photon absorption cross-section values of protonated [30]heptaphyrin and [38]nonaphyrin (6300 and 6040 GM) than those of their neutral forms (1350 and 1300 GM) also reflect the enhanced rigidity and planarity as well as aromaticity. In parallel with this, the nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) values of protonated forms exhibit large negative values, -14.3 and -11.5 ppm for [30]heptaphyrin and [38]nonaphyrin, respectively, at central positions. Thus we have demonstrated the structure-property relationships between molecular planarity, photophysical properties, and aromaticity of expanded porphyrins upon protonation based on our experimental and theoretical investigations. This study also promises a possibility of structural control of expanded porphyrins through protonation in which the molecular flexibilities of expanded porphyrins lead to distorted structures especially as the number of pyrrole rings increases.