Highly Sensitive Switchable Sensors for Hydroxide on Glass Surfaces Based on Isoquinolinium-Quinolinium-substituted Acetylenes.

Bi-substituted acetylenes with a quinolinium and an isoquinolinium substituent are described, which reversibly form intensely colored adducts with O-nucleophiles and thus enable the detection of >0,5 ppm hydroxide on the surfaces of various glasses. Acids reconstitute the colorless bi-substituted acetylenes. The quinolinium and isoquinolinium rings are bound via their 2-, 3-, 4- and 1-, 3-, 4-positions to the triple bond, respectively. The choice of substitution sites of the hetarenium rings enables the design of mixed conjugated/cross-conjugated π-electron systems. Depending on the combination of binding sites, the frontier orbital profile, the triple bond polarization, the fluorescence behaviour, and the sensitivity to hydroxide differs.

Synthesis and characterization of propeller-shaped mono- to hexacationic quinolinium-substituted benzenes.

Diels-Alder reaction of 2-, 3- and 4-(phenylethynyl)quinolines and tetraphenylcyclopentadienone gave three regioisomeric 2,3,4,5,6-pentaphenyl-1-(quinolin-2-yl, -3-yl, and -4-yl)benzenes. Restricted rotation of the 3-yl and 4-yl substituted derivatives is observed between the central core and the substituents, resulting in propeller-shaped molecules. Likewise, 1,2-diquinolinyl-3,4,5,6-tetraphenylbenzenes with 3-yl,3-yl and 3-yl,4-yl connectivity were prepared. As evidenced by NMR spectroscopy, they form two diasteromers due to their restricted rotation. A cobalt-catalyzed [2 + 2 + 2]-cyclotrimerization of 2-(phenylethynyl)quinoline resulted in the formation of triphenyl-2,4,6- and -3,5,6-tri(quinolin-2-yl)benzenes. The same reaction was applied to 3,3'-ethyne-1,2-diyldiquinoline which formed hexa(quinolin-3-yl)benzene. N-Methylation gave the title compounds. Among those, the hexacationic hexa(N-methylquinolinio-3-yl)benzene is described. Stereochemical aspects are predominantly discussed by means of results of NMR experiments. DFT-calculations on the most stable conformations and the frontier orbital profiles of the hexacation as well as of its neutral precursor have been carried out.

Dipolar Bent and Linear Acetylenes Substituted by Cationic Quinolinium and Anionic Benzoates. Formation of Mesomeric Betaines.

3-Ethynylquinoline was subjected to a Sonogashira-Hagihara reaction with methyl 2-, 3-, and 4-bromobenzoates, respectively, and then N-methylated to give 3-[((methoxycarbonyl)phenyl)ethynyl]-1-methylquinolinium salts (two X-ray analyses). On saponification of the 3- and 4-substituted benzoates, the mesomeric betaines 3- and 4-[(1-methylquinolinium-3-yl)ethynyl]benzoates were formed. By contrast, the 2-benzoate derivative gave either the corresponding (1-oxo-1H-isochromen-3-yl)quinolinium derivative or the mesomeric betaine 2-(1-methylquinolinium-3-yl)-1,3-dioxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-2-ide depending on the reaction conditions. A DFT calculation predicts a transoid conformation of the acetylene bond in the intermediate 2-[(1-methylquinolinium-3-yl)ethynyl]benzoate which is due to a strong hydrogen bond between the carboxylate group and 2H of the quinolinium ring, in addition to a 1,5-interaction between the carboxylate group and the CC triple bond. The bond angles of the transoid CC triple bond were calculated to be 211.6° and -175.1° in vacuo. The corresponding linear triple bond is 50.4 kJ/mol less stable in vacuo according to the calculation, and the N-heterocyclic carbene quinoline-2-ylidene is not formed as a tautomer.