Yoshiaki Shoji

One-Pot Enantioselective Extraction of Chiral Fullerene C76 Using a Cyclic Host Carrying an Asymmetrically Distorted, Highly π-Basic Porphyrin Module

Optical resolution of nonsubstituted chiral fullerenes such as C(76) is one of the most challenging subjects in host-guest chemistry. The novel cyclic host 1(2H), which bears a meso-diaryl-beta-octaethylporphyrin (P(2H)) unit on one side and its chiral N-2-acetoxyethyl derivative (P(N-EtOAc)) on the other, traps C(76) enantioselectively in its cavity and furnishes 7% enantiomeric excess in a single extraction. Control experiments using reference hosts indicated the importance of the high pi-basicity and large asymmetric distortion of the chiral N-substituted porphyrin unit (P(N-EtOAc)) in 1(2H) for the enantioselection of C(76).

A two-coordinate boron cation featuring C–B+–C bonding

Two-coordinate boron cations (R2B(+)), referred to as borinium ions, are chemical species in which the boron bears only four valence electrons, and that are isoelectronic with hypothetical carbon dications (R2C(2+)). Although lone-pair-donating substituents such as amino groups have enabled the isolation of several borinium ions, diarylated and dialkylated borinium derivatives remain entirely unexplored. Here, we present the synthesis, structure and reactivity of the dimesitylborinium ion, which displays unexpectedly high thermal stability. X-ray crystallography and (11)B NMR spectroscopy, supported by density functional theory calculations, reveal that the borinium ion adopts a linear two-coordinate structure in both the solid state and in solution. The boron centre is stabilized by pπ bonding from the mesityl groups and is free from coordination by the counterion or solvent molecules. This diarylborinium ion possesses exceptional Lewis acidity, accepting a pair of electrons from CO2 to cause an unusual deoxygenation reaction.

A Stable Doubly Hydrogen-Bridged Butterfly-Shaped Diborane(4) Compound

In contrast to the common multiple bonding between carbon atoms, multiply bonded boron compounds have still been a synthetic challenge due to the electron deficiency of boron. We now report that a stable doubly hydrogen-bridged diborane(4), EindB(mu-H)(2)BEind, is produced by the two-electron oxidation of a hydrogen-substituted diborane(4) dianion [Li(+)(thf)](2)[Eind(H)BB(H)Eind](2-), where Eind denotes the 1,1,3,3,5,5,7,7-octaethyl-s-hydrindacen-4-yl. The X-ray crystallography reveals a short B-B distance of 1.4879(7) A in comparison with the normal B-B single bond length (1.72 A), the presence of two hydrogen atoms bridged perpendicular to the B-B bond with a butterfly shape having a dihedral angle of the two BHB triangles of 113(1) degrees, and a linear geometry around the B-B bond with a C-B-B bond angle of 178.92(4) degrees. These structural data, experimental electron density analysis, and computational studies confirm the 3-fold bonding (a sigma and two pi-like bonds) between the two boron atoms incorporating the two bridging hydrogen atoms.

Boron–Boron σ-Bond Formation by Two-Electron Reduction of a H-Bridged Dimer of Monoborane

Diborane(6) as a H-bridged dimer of monoborane can be converted cleanly by two-electron reduction into diborane(6) dianion, which is isoelectronic with ethane, through B-B σ-bond formation when each boron atom has a bulky ligand on it. The existence of the B-B σ bond is supported by the X-ray molecular structure [B-B bond length of 1.924(3) Å], NMR studies, magnetic susceptibility measurements, and DFT calculations. Stepwise hydride abstraction reactions of the diborane(6) dianion produce the corresponding H-bridged diborane(5) anion and doubly H-bridged diborane(4) without B-B bond scission.

Unveiling a New Aspect of Simple Arylboronic Esters: Long-Lived Room-Temperature Phosphorescence from Heavy-Atom-Free Molecules

Arylboronic esters can be used as versatile reagents in organic synthesis, as represented by Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling. Here we report a serendipitous finding that simple arylboronic esters are phosphorescent in the solid state at room temperature with a lifetime on the order of several seconds. The phosphorescence properties of arylboronic esters are remarkable in light of the general notion that phosphorescent organic molecules require heavy atoms and/or carbonyl groups for the efficient generation of a triplet excited state. Theoretical calculations on phenylboronic acid pinacol ester indicated that this molecule undergoes an out-of-plane distortion at the (pinacol)B-Cipso moiety in the T1 excited state, which is responsible for its phosphorescence. A compound survey with 19 arylboron compounds suggested that the phosphorescence properties might be determined by solid-state molecular packing rather than by the patterns and numbers of boron substituents on the aryl units. The present finding may update the general notion of phosphorescent organic molecules.

Rational synthesis of organic thin films with exceptional long-range structural integrity

Standing at order Thin films of organic molecules on solid substrates tend to nucleate at many sites and grow multiple domains. However, one large uniform film would be much more desirable in device applications. Seiki et al. designed organic molecules that filled space in a hexagonal tiling; a propeller-like triptycene base adhered to crystalline surfaces and alkyl tails extended away from it. The authors could make well-ordered multilayer films up to centimeter length scales. Science, this issue p. 1122 Tripodal triptycene building blocks that fill space form large-area organic thin films free of domain boundaries. Highly oriented, domain-boundary–free organic thin films could find use in various high-performance organic materials and devices. However, even with state-of-the-art supramolecular chemistry, it is difficult to construct organic thin films with structural integrity in a size regime beyond the micrometer length scale. We show that a space-filling design, relying on the two-dimensional (2D) nested hexagonal packing of a particular type of triptycene, enables the formation of large-area molecular films with long-range 2D structural integrity up to the centimeter length scale by vacuum evaporation, spin-coating, and cooling from the isotropic liquid of the triptycene. X-ray diffraction analysis and microscopic observations reveal that triptycene molecules form a completely oriented 2D (hexagonal triptycene array) + 1D (layer stacking) structure, which is key for the long-range propagation of structural order.

Boron-mediated sequential alkyne insertion and C–C coupling reactions affording extended π-conjugated molecules

C–C bond coupling reactions illustrate the wealth of organic transformations, which are usually mediated by organotransition metal complexes. Here, we show that a borafluorene with a B–Cl moiety can mediate sequential alkyne insertion (1,2-carboboration) and deborylation/Csp2–Csp2 coupling reactions, leading to aromatic molecules. The first step, which affords a borepin derivative, proceeds very efficiently between the borafluorene and various alkynes by simply mixing these two components. The second step is triggered by a one-electron oxidation of the borepin derivative, which results in the formation of a phenanthrene framework. When an excess amount of oxidant is used in the second step, the phenanthrene derivatives can be further transformed in situ to afford dibenzo[g,p]chrysene derivatives. The results presented herein will substantially expand the understanding of main group chemistry and provide a powerful synthetic tool for the construction of a wide variety of extended π-conjugated systems.

11B Solid-State NMR Interaction Tensors of Linear Two-Coordinate Boron: The Dimesitylborinium Cation

Borinium cations (R2B(+)) are of particular fundamental and applied interest in part due to their pronounced Lewis acidity which enables unique chemical transformations. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy of magic-angle spinning and stationary powdered samples of the dicoordinate boron cation in the recently reported dimesitylborinium tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate compound (Shoji et al. Nature Chem. 2014, 6, 498) is applied to characterize the (11)B electric field gradient (EFG) and chemical shift (CS) tensors. The experimental data are consistent with linear C-B(+)-C geometry. The (11)B quadrupolar coupling constant, 5.44 ± 0.08 MHz, and the span of the CS tensor, 130 ± 1 ppm, are both particularly large relative to literature data for a variety of boron functional groups, and represent the first such data for the linear C-B(+)-C borinium moiety. The NMR data are similar to those for the neutral tricoordinate analogue, trimesitylborane, but contrast with those of the Cp*2B(+) cation. Quantum chemical calculations are applied to provide additional insights into the relationship between the NMR observables and the molecular and electronic structure of the dimesitylborinium cation.

Raising the metal–insulator transition temperature of VO2 thin films by surface adsorption of organic polar molecules

We report a molecular adsorption effect on the first-order metal–insulator transition of vanadium dioxide (VO2) thin films. The phase transition temperature is shifted higher by the adsorption of particular polar and rigid tripodal molecules on the film surfaces. The shift becomes larger with increasing dipole moment magnitude, which ranges from 0 to 20 D. The orientation of polar molecules aligned on the surface is most likely responsible for the higher shift of the transition temperature. Coating the surfaces with polar molecules, as demonstrated in this work, might provide a unique way of controlling the phase transition of materials.

A ternary blend of a polymer, fullerene, and insulating self-assembling triptycene molecules for organic photovolatics

Interest in ternary blend organic photovoltaics (OPVs) has been triggered by improved power conversion efficiency (PCE), simple fabrication, and a variety of material combinations. They typically consist of a p-type donor, an n-type fullerene, and a secondary p-type donor, where the two donors undergo complementary photoabsorption to increase the photocurrent. In contrast to this general strategy, we have incorporated propeller-shaped, high-bandgap triptycene (TP) into a bulk heterojunction (BHJ) composed of a conjugated polymer (P3HT, PTB7, and PffBT4T) and methano[60]fullerene (PCBM). The TP molecules self-organize into two-dimensional (2D) layers. Based on their energy levels, these layers are not expected to trap charge carriers. The performance of these OPV devices is discussed in conjunction with film morphology, transient photoconductivity, mobility, crystalline structure, and surface free energy. Herein, we demonstrate that the PCE of the crystalline polymer (PffBT4T):PCBM with 5 wt% TP is slightly improved (maximum: 9.41%, average: 8.96 ± 0.23%) without the use of a solvent additive, along with much enhanced long-term stability. This is presumably due to the presence of the TP sheet that acts as a nucleation agent and facilitates the crystallization of the polymer. The features of the TP scaffold give rise to a high-performance, additive-free ternary BHJ. Thus, further exploration through chemical functionalization of TP is warranted.