Medium Diradical Character, Small Hole and Electron Reorganization Energies and Ambipolar Transistors in Difluorenoheteroles.

Four difluorenoheteroles having a central quinoidal core with the heteroring varying as furan, thiophene, its dioxide derivative and pyrrole have shown to be medium character diradicals. Solid-state structures, optical, photophysical, magnetic, and electrochemical properties have been discussed in terms of diradical character, variation of aromatic character and captodative effects (electron affinity). Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) have been prepared, showing balanced hole and electron mobilities of the order of 10-3  cm2 V-1 s-1 or ambipolar charge transport which is first inferred from their redox amphoterism. Quantum chemical calculations show that the electrical behavior is originated from the medium diradical character which produces similar reorganization energies for hole and electron transports. The vision of a diradical as simultaneously bearing pseudo-hole and pseudo-electron defects might justify the reduced values of reorganization energies for both regimes. Structure-function relationships between diradical and ambipolar electrical behavior are revealed.

S,C,C- and O,C,C-Bridged Triarylamines and Their Persistent Radical Cations.

This work reports the synthesis, crystal structures, and electronic properties of structurally constrained S,C,C- and O,C,C-bridged triarylamine derivatives and their persistent radical cations. O,C,C-Bridged triphenylamines and a dinaphthylphenylamine were obtained through a straightforward synthetic protocol. Similar to a previously reported S,C,C-bridged triphenylamine, the O,C,C-bridged triarylamines were easily oxidized to afford the corresponding radical cations, which were obtained as hexachloroantimonate salts. X-ray crystallographic analyses showed almost planar structures for these O,C,C-bridged triarylamine radical cations, which represent new members of the family of planar triarylamine radical cations without substituents on the aryl rings. Detailed investigations of the electronic properties of the S,C,C- and O,C,C-bridged triarylamine radical cations demonstrated that the spin and positive charge are sufficiently delocalized over the planar triarylamine scaffolds. The results provide the following insights into the effects of the bridging unit (sulfur vs oxygen) and the dibenzo-annulation on the spin delocalization in the bridged triarylamine radical cations: (1) An effective decrease of the spin density on the nitrogen atom is observed for the sulfur bridge relative to the oxygen bridge; and (2) a moderate decrease of the spin density on the oxygen atom rather than the nitrogen atom is induced by the dibenzo-annulation.

Isolation and spectral characterization of thermally generated multi-Z-isomers of lycopene and the theoretically preferred pathway to di-Z-isomers.

Lycopene has a large number of geometric isomers caused by E/Z isomerization at arbitrary sites within the 11 conjugated double bonds, offering varying characteristics related to features such as antioxidant capacity and bioavailability. However, the geometric structures of only a few lycopene Z-isomers have been thoroughly identified from natural sources. In this study, seven multi-Z-isomers of lycopene, (9Z,13'Z)-, (5Z,13Z,9'Z)-, (9Z,9'Z)-, (5Z,13'Z)-, (5Z,9'Z)-, (5Z,9Z,5'Z)-, and (5Z,9Z)-lycopene, were obtained from tomato samples by thermal isomerization, and then isolated by elaborate chromatography, and fully assigned using proton nuclear magnetic resonance. Moreover, the theoretically preferred pathway from (all-E)-lycopene to di-Z-isomers was examined with a computational approach using a Gaussian program. Fine-tuning of the HPLC separation conditions led to the discovery of novel multi-Z-isomers, and whose formation was supported by advanced theoretical calculations.

Isolation and characterization of (15Z)-lycopene thermally generated from a natural source.

(15Z)-Lycopene was prepared by thermal isomerization of (all-E)-lycopene derived from tomatoes, and isolated by using a series of chromatographies. The fine red crystalline powder of (15Z)-lycopene was obtained from 556 mg of (all-E)-lycopene with a yield of 0.6 mg (purity: reversed-phase HPLC, 97.2%; normal-phase HPLC, ≥99.9%), and (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra of the isomer were fully assigned. More refined computational analyses that considered differences in the energy levels of the conformers involved in isomerization have also determined the stabilities of (15Z)-lycopene and other geometric isomers, along with the activation energies during isomerization from the all-E form. The fine control of conditions for HPLC separation and an advanced theoretical insight into geometric isomerization have led to the discovery of the 15Z-isomer generated from a natural source.

Data mining with molecular design rules identifies new class of dyes for dye-sensitised solar cells.

A major deficit in suitable dyes is stifling progress in the dye-sensitised solar cell (DSC) industry. Materials discovery strategies have afforded numerous new dyes; yet, corresponding solution-based DSC device performance has little improved upon 11% efficiency, achieved using the N719 dye over two decades ago. Research on these dyes has nevertheless revealed relationships between the molecular structure of dyes and their associated DSC efficiency. Here, such structure-property relationships have been codified in the form of molecular dye design rules, which have been judiciously sequenced in an algorithm to enable large-scale data mining of dye structures with optimal DSC performance. This affords, for the first time, a DSC-specific dye-discovery strategy that predicts new classes of dyes from surveying a representative set of chemical space. A lead material from these predictions is experimentally validated, showing DSC efficiency that is comparable to many well-known organic dyes. This demonstrates the power of this approach.

Crystal structure of 2-bromo-1,4-dihy-droxy-9,10-anthra-quinone.

In an attempt to brominate 1,4-diprop-oxy-9,10-anthra-quinone, a mixture of products, including the title compound, C14H7BrO4, was obtained. The mol-ecule is essentially planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.029 Å) and two intra-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds occur. In the crystal, the mol-ecules are linked by weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, Br⋯O contacts [3.240 (5) Å], and π-π stacking inter-actions [shortest centroid-centroid separation = 3.562 (4) Å], generating a three-dimensional network.

Function of a glutamine synthetase-like protein in bacterial aniline oxidation via γ-glutamylanilide.

Acinetobacter sp. strain YAA has five genes (atdA1 to atdA5) involved in aniline oxidation as a part of the aniline degradation gene cluster. From sequence analysis, the five genes were expected to encode a glutamine synthetase (GS)-like protein (AtdA1), a glutamine amidotransferase-like protein (AtdA2), and an aromatic compound dioxygenase (AtdA3, AtdA4, and AtdA5) (M. Takeo, T. Fujii, and Y. Maeda, J. Ferment. Bioeng. 85:17-24, 1998). A recombinant Pseudomonas strain harboring these five genes quantitatively converted aniline into catechol, demonstrating that catechol is the major oxidation product from aniline. To elucidate the function of the GS-like protein AtdA1 in aniline oxidation, we purified it from recombinant Escherichia coli harboring atdA1. The purified AtdA1 protein produced gamma-glutamylanilide (γ-GA) quantitatively from aniline and l-glutamate in the presence of ATP and MgCl2. This reaction was identical to glutamine synthesis by GS, except for the use of aniline instead of ammonia as the substrate. Recombinant Pseudomonas strains harboring the dioxygenase genes (atdA3 to atdA5) were unable to degrade aniline but converted γ-GA into catechol, indicating that γ-GA is an intermediate to catechol and a direct substrate for the dioxygenase. Unexpectedly, a recombinant Pseudomonas strain harboring only atdA2 hydrolyzed γ-GA into aniline, reversing the γ-GA formation by AtdA1. Deletion of atdA2 from atdA1 to atdA5 caused γ-GA accumulation from aniline in recombinant Pseudomonas cells and inhibited the growth of a recombinant Acinetobacter strain on aniline, suggesting that AtdA2 prevents γ-GA accumulation that is harmful to the host cell.

A theoretical study of crystallochromy: spectral tuning of solid-state tetracenes.

The crystallochromy of the red and yellow solids of tetracenes was theoretically investigated using the transition-density-fragment interaction combined with transfer integral method [K. J. Fujimoto, J. Chem. Phys. 137, 034101 (2012)]. The calculated absorption and fluorescence energies were in good agreement with the experimental values for both solids. The spectral tuning mechanism was analyzed in terms of three contributions: side-chain conformational effect, electrostatic solid-state effect, and multimerization effect. This analysis provided an insight into the mechanism of the large spectral shift between the two solids. The multimerization effect was found to be primarily important for the large red-shift of the red solid. Further analysis also revealed the strong dependence of the excited state character on the molecular displacement. Such dependence was found to have a significant influence on the magnitudes of the absorption energy and oscillator strength. These results indicated that the present approach is useful for analyzing and understanding the mechanism of crystallochromy.

Anthracene-1,4,9,10-tetra-one.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C14H6O4, contains three independent mol-ecules (A, B and C). In mol-ecule C, there are two disordered sets of two carbonyl O atoms [occupancies = 0.643 (11) and 0.357 (11)]. All three mol-ecules are non-planar due to repulsion between two O atoms in peri positions on the anthracene ring, showing a slight difference in deviation of the carbonyl O atoms. The intra-molecular distances between the two nearest O atoms are in the range of 2.685 (10)-2.766 (10) Å. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by C-H⋯O and π-π [centroid-centroid distances = 3.615 (2), 3.844 (2) and 3.921 (2) Å] inter-actions, which lead to the formation of a herringbone-like arrangement.

Site-selective radical reactions of kinetically stable open-shell singlet diradicaloid difluorenoheteroles with tributyltin hydride and azo-based radical initiators.

We have demonstrated site-selective radical reactions of the kinetically stable open-shell singlet diradicaloids difluoreno[3,4-b:4',3'-d]thiophene (DFTh) and difluoreno[3,4-b:4',3'-d]furan (DFFu) with tributyltin hydride (HSn(n-Bu)3) and azo-based radical initiators. Treatment of these diradicaloids with HSn(n-Bu)3 induces hydrogenation at the ipso-carbon in the five-membered rings, while treatment with 2,2'-azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) induces substitution at the carbon atoms in the peripheral six-membered rings. We have also developed one-pot substitution/hydrogenation reactions of DFTh/DFFu with various azo-based radical initiators and HSn(n-Bu)3. The resulting products can be converted into substituted DFTh/DFFu derivatives via dehydrogenation. Theoretical calculations unveiled a detailed mechanism of the radical reactions of DFTh/DFFu with HSn(n-Bu)3 and with AIBN, and that the site-selectivity of these radical reactions is controlled by the balance of the spin density and the steric hindrance in DFTh/DFFu.

A double-helical S,C-bridged tetraphenyl-para-phenylenediamine and its persistent radical cation.

A structurally constrained, double-helical S,C-bridged tetraphenyl-para-phenylenediamine (TPPD) has been synthesized. The stable radical cation of the S,C-bridged TPPD was generated by chemical oxidation, and the electron spin was found to be delocalized over the entire π-conjugated framework. The excellent conformational stability of the neutral molecule facilitated the separation of its enantiomers.

Isomerism tunes the diradical character of difluorenopyrroles at constant Hückel-level anti-aromaticity.

A new diradical based on diindenocarbazole or difluorenopyrrole was synthesized and experimentally characterized by optical, electrochemical, and magnetic techniques, as well as quantum chemical calculations. The isomerism of these structures tunes the diradical character and the associated properties, representing a unique case of such important modulation. A full study of the electronic structure was carried out considering the perturbative interactions between different canonical forms as well as the anti-aromatic character of the molecular cores. Such a study reveals how we can tune diradical character simply by reorganizing the bonding patterns at constant chemical costs (composition).

Two identical nonylphenol monooxygenase genes linked to IS6100 and some putative insertion sequence elements in Sphingomonas sp. NP5.

Sphingomonas sp. NP5 can degrade a wide range of nonylphenol (NP) isomers that have widely contaminated aquatic environments as major endocrine-disrupting chemicals. To understand the biochemical and genetic backgrounds of NP degradation, a gene library of strain NP5 was constructed using a broad-host-range vector pBBR1MCS-2 and introduced into Sphingobium japonicum UT26. Several transformants accumulated reddish brown metabolites on agar plates dispersed with a mixture of NP isomers. Two different DNA fragments (7.6 and 9.3 kb) involved in the phenotype were isolated from the transformants. Sequence analysis revealed that both fragments contained an identical 1593 bp monooxygenase gene (nmoA), the predicted protein sequence of which showed 83 % identity to the octylphenol-4-monooxygenase of Sphingomonas sp. PWE1. The nmoA gene in the 7.6 kb fragment was surrounded by an IS21-type insertion sequence (IS) and IS6100, while another in the 9.3 kb fragment was adjacent to an IS66-type IS, suggesting that they have been acquired through multiple transposition events. A fast-growing recombinant Pseudomonas putida strain harbouring nmoA was constructed and used for degradation of a chemically synthesized NP isomer, 4-(1-ethyl-1-methylhexyl)phenol. This strain converted the isomer into hydroquinone stoichiometrically. 3-Methyl-3-octanol, probably originating from the alkyl side chain, was also detected as the metabolite. These results indicate that these two nmoA genes are involved in the NP degradation ability of strain NP5.

Tuning the solid-state optical properties of tetracene derivatives by modification of the alkyl side-chains: crystallochromy and the highest fluorescence quantum yield in acenes larger than anthracene.

In the solution state, there were no notable differences between the optical properties of a range of alkyl-substituted tetracenes. However, in the solid state, their photophysical properties changed with respect to the length, shape, number, and substitution pattern of the alkyl side chains, as well as the distribution of two regioisomers. Remarkably, in the solid state, 1,4,7,10-tetraisopropyltetracene exhibited the highest reported fluorescence quantum yield of any tetracene derivative (0.90). The changes in the optical characteristics of these tetracenes according to the arrangement of the tetracene rings and the color-change mechanism in the solid state are discussed. Moreover, the world record in solid-state fluorescence efficiency in acenes larger than anthracene is described.

9,10-Diiodo-phenanthrene.

The whole mol-ecule of the title compound, C14H8I2, is generated by crystallographic twofold symmetry. The mol-ecule is planar [maximum deviation = 0.0323 (6) Å] with the I atoms displaced from the mean plane of the phenanthrene ring system by only 0.0254 (5) Å. In the crystal, mol-ecules form face-to-face slipped anti-parallel π-π stacking inter-actions along the c axis with an inter-planar distance of 3.499 (7) Å.

3,6-Dibromo-phenanthrene.

The phenanthrene ring in the title compound, C(14)H(8)Br(2), is approximately planar [maximum deviation = 0.039 (3) Å]. In contrast, the two bromo atoms are displaced slightly from the phenanthrene plane [maximum deviation = 0.1637 (3) Å]. In the crystal, the mol-ecules adopt a herringbone-like arrangement and form face-to-face slipped π-π stacking inter-actions along the b axis, with an inter-planar distance of 3.544 (3) Šand slippage of 1.81 Å. The crystal studied was a racemic twin with a minor twin fraction of 0.390 (10).

9,10-Dibromo-phenanthrene.

The mol-ecule of the title compound, C(14)H(8)Br(2), is almost planar [maximum deviation 0.0355 (7) Å] and possesses crystallographic twofold (C2) symmetry. In the crystal, the mol-ecules form face-to-face slipped anti-parallel π-π stacking inter-actions along the c axis with an inter-planar distance 3.471 (7) Å, centroid-centroid distances of 3.617 (5)-3.803 (6) Å.

2,6-Dimeth-oxy-9,10-anthraquinone.

The title compound, C(16)H(12)O(4), crystallizes with two half-mol-ecules in the asymmetric unit, each of which is completed by a crystallographic inversion center. The two crystallographically independent mol-ecules have almost the same geometry and are almost planar [maximum deviations = 0.018 (3) and 0.049 (3) Å]. They adopt a conformation in which the C(meth-yl)-O bonds are directed along the mol-ecular short axis [C-C-O-C torsion angles of 179.6 (2) and 178.0 (2)°]. In the crystal, the mol-ecular packing is characterized by a combination of a columnar stacking and a herringbone-like arrangement. The mol-ecules form slipped π-stacks along the b axis, in which there are two kinds of columns differing from each other in their slippage. The inter-planar distances between neighboring mol-ecules are 3.493 (3) for one column and 3.451 (2) Šfor the other.

2,3,6,7-Tetra-meth-oxy-9,10-anthra-quinone.

Mol-ecules of the title compound, C(18)H(16)O(6), are almost planar [maximum deviation = 0.096 (4) Å] and reside on crystallographic centres of inversion. They adopt a conformation in which the C(meth-yl)-O bonds are directed along the mol-ecular short axis [C-C-O-C torsion angles of -175.3 (3) and 178.2 (3)°]. In the crystal, mol-ecules adopt a slipped-parallel arrangement with π-π stacking inter-actions along the a axis with an inter-planar distance of 3.392 (4) Å. Weak C-H⋯O inter-actions link the mol-ecules into sheets parallel to (10-2).

Augmented Self-Association by Electrostatic Forces in Thienopyrrole-Fused Thiadiazoles that Contain an Ester instead of an Ether Linker.

During the self-assembly of π-conjugated molecules, linkers and substituents can potentially add supportive noncovalent intermolecular interactions to π-stacking interactions. Here, we report the self-assembly behavior of thienopyrrole-fused thiadiazole (TPT) fluorescent dyes that possess ester or ether linkers and dodecyloxy side chains in solution and the condensed phase. A comparison of the self-association behavior of the ester- and ether-bridged compounds in solution using detailed UV-vis, fluorescence, and NMR spectroscopic studies revealed that the subtle replacement of the ether linkers by ester linkers leads to a distinct increase in the association constant (ca. 3-4 fold) and the enthalpic contribution (ca. 3 kcal mol-1 ). Theoretical calculations suggest that the ester linkers, which are in close proximity to one another due to the π-stacking interactions, induce attractive electrostatic forces and augment self-association. The self-assembly of TPT dyes into well-defined 1D clusters with high aspect ratios was observed, and their morphologies and crystallinity were investigated using SEM and X-ray diffraction analyses. TPTs with ester linkers exhibit a columnar liquid crystalline mesophase in the condensed phase.