Synthetic approaches to aromatic belts: building up strain in macrocyclic polyarenes.

This tutorial review discusses synthetic strategies towards aromatic belts, defined here as double-stranded conjugated macrocycles, such as [n]cyclacenes, [n]cyclophenacenes, Schlüter belt, and Vögtle belt. Their appeal stems, firstly, from the unique nature of their conjugation, having p orbitals oriented radially rather than perpendicular to the plane of the macrocycle. Secondly, as aromatic belts are model compounds of carbon nanotubes of different chiralities, a synthetic strategy towards the buildup of structural strain in these compounds could finally open a route towards rational chemical synthesis of carbon nanotubes. The elusiveness of these compounds has stimulated fascinating and ingenious synthetic strategies over the last decades. The various strategies are classified here by their approach to the buildup of structural strain, which is the main obstacle in the preparation of these curved polyarenes.

Bicorannulenyl: stereochemistry of a C40H18 biaryl composed of two chiral bowls.

The bicorannulenyl molecule is composed of two chiral bowls tethered by a single bond in a helical fashion. This simple combination of two chiral motifs gives rise to rich dynamic stereochemistry, where 12 conformers interconvert through bowl inversions and central bond rotation, and enantiomerizations occur via multistep processes. Interestingly, 8 out of 10 transition states are chiral, giving rise to mostly chiral enantiomerization pathways, where the molecule changes chirality without passing through an achiral conformation. However, analysis of the stereochemical landscape by DFT calculations and variable temperature NMR spectroscopy reveals that the energetically most favorable enantiomerization pathway passes through one of the two achiral transition states. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction corroborates the DFT results and provides information on packing modes of bicorannulenyl molecules in the solid state that have not been seen previously for other buckybowls.

Antiaromaticity and reactivity of a planar cyclooctatetraene fully annelated with bicyclo[2.1.1]hexane units.

A detailed investigation has been made into the antiaromaticity and chemical reactivity of a planar cyclooctatetraene (COT) molecule fully annelated with bicyclo[2.1.1]hexane units 2. In spite of its planar 8pi-electronic structure, theoretical calculations have indicated that the antiaromaticity of COT 2 is considerably decreased in comparison with a planar COT 16 with D 4h symmetry. This behavior appears to be related to the wider HOMO-LUMO gap of 2 relative to 16, which is caused by the raised LUMO level as a result of the effective sigma-pi* orbital interaction between the strained bicyclic framework and the COT pi system. The two-electron reduction of 2 required the use of potassium mirror or a combination of lithium/corannulene in highly dried [D8]THF at -78 degrees C under vacuum. In contrast, the [4+2] cycloaddition of 2 with tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) proceeded quite smoothly owing to the high-lying HOMO. Reaction of 2 with meta-chloroperbenzoic acid gave all-trans tetraepoxide 23 in the same way as the corresponding benzene derivative 3. While the Simons-Smith-type cyclopropanation of benzene 3 gave tricyclopropanated derivative 21, the reaction of 2 only afforded isomers of dicyclopropanated derivatives 25 and 26. Yet, the reactivity of 2 is higher than the parent COT, which does not show any reactivity under the same conditions. On the basis of homodesmic reactions, it was concluded that release of strain is also an important factor for such relatively high reactivity in the epoxidation and cyclopropanation of bicycloannelated COT 2 as well as benzene 3.

Reductive Bergman-type cyclizations of cross-conjugated enediynes to fulvene and fulvalene anions: the role of the substituent.

Various cross-conjugated enediynes undergo "Bergman-type" cycloaromatizations upon reduction with potassium metal, generating anions of fulvenes and fulvalene derivatives. This new anionic cyclization is considerably more facile than the classic Bergman cyclization with linear enediynes, creating highly reactive diradicals at -78 degrees C. Not all cross-conjugated enediynes yield cyclized dianions upon reduction; some give uncyclized, Y-shaped, cross-conjugated dianions, while others apparently yield radical-anions that either dimerize or persist as monomers. One system yields both a cyclized and an uncyclized dianion. The substituents are thus shown to be a critical factor in determining the outcome of the reduction. Cyclization occurs within a specific "window of opportunity" that is governed by the substituents.

Reduction of bowl-shaped hydrocarbons: dianions and tetraanions of annelated corannulenes.

[structure: see text] The reduction of several annelated corannulene derivatives was undertaken using lithium and potassium metals. It was found that annelation affects the annulenic character of corannulene by changing its charge distribution; the dianions of derivatives that are annelated with six-membered rings have less annulenic character and are less paratropic than corannulene dianion. This effect is even more pronounced in corannulenes that are peri-annelated with five-membered rings. The alkali metal used in the reduction process has a great influence on the outcome, especially on the degree of reduction. Most derivatives get reduced to tetraanions only with potassium, and not with lithium, the exception being systems that can stabilize the tetraanion with lithium by special means, such as aggregation or dimerization. One such system is cyclopenta[bc]corannulene (acecorannulylene), which gives a coordinative dimer that consists of two cyclopentacorannulene tetraanions, bound together in a convex-convex fashion by lithium cations. The points of contact in this dimer are two rehybridized carbons from each cyclopentacorannulene unit, which are bridged together by two lithium cations.

Anions and polyanions of oligoindenopyrenes: modes of electron delocalization and dimerization.

A series of pyrene-based polycyclic aromatic compounds, indeno[cd]pyrene, diindeno[cd,fg]pyrene, diindeno[cd,jk]pyrene, tris-(tert-butylindeno[cd,fg,jk])pyrene, and tetrakis-(tert-butylindeno[cd,fg,jk,mn])pyrene, were reduced with alkali metals in [D8]tetrahydrofuran, and the resulting anions were studied by NMR spectroscopy. It was found that the diatropic character of the dianions obtained depends on the number of annulated indeno groups. When one such group is present, a paratropic dianion is obtained, which is similar to the dianion of the parent pyrene; the effect, however, is weak. When more indeno groups are annulated, the dianions become diatropic owing to the greater number of five-membered rings that can acquire aromatic character as a result of reduction. The 1H NMR chemical shifts of tetrakis-(tert-butylindeno[cd,fg,jk,mn])pyrene in the neutral state show an interesting dependence on concentration that reflects an association of the molecules in solution by pi stacking. This phenomenon was not observed for the reduced species. The trianion radicals of tris-(tert-butylindeno[cd,fg,jk])pyrene and tetrakis-(tert-butylindeno[cd,fg,jk,mn])pyrene undergo reductive dimerization and form bilayered hexaanions.

Ball-and-socket stacking of supercharged geodesic polyarenes: bonding by interstitial lithium ions.

Unprecedented supramolecular stacks of highly reduced geodesic pi-systems were prepared by the reduction of the derivatized fullerenes Me(5)C(60)H and Ph(5)C(60)H and corannulene with lithium metal (R(5)C(60)(5)(-)/Cor(4)(-)/9Li(+)). The host--guest assemblies form because of the enhanced electrostatic interactions between the lithium cations and the anionic moieties, in addition to the structural compatibility between the curved hydrocarbons. The high stability of these new supramolecular assemblies (heterodimers) enables the introduction of another organization motif to the system. This is achieved by using tethered corannulenes as host molecules, which leads to the formation of tethered bis-heterodimers ((Me(5)C(60)(5)(-)/Cor(4)(-))(2)(CH(2))(8)/18Li(+)).

Reduction of strained polycycles: how much strain can a pyrene anion take?

The reduction of a series of [n](2,7)pyrenophanes (n = 7-10) with lithium or potassium metal shows that the strain in the system, controlled by the length of the tether, determines the nature of the reduction products. The reduction of [7](2,7)pyrenophane (2) and [2]metacyclo[2](2,7)pyrenophane (3) leads to reductive dimerization followed by novel intramolecular sigma-bond formation as a means of escaping strained anti-aromaticity. [8](2,7)Pyrenophane (4) affords only reductive dimerization, and no two-electron reduction is observed. The reduction of [9](2,7) pyrenophane (5) and [10](2,7)pyrenophane (6) leads to reductive dimerization, followed by the formation of a dianionic anti-aromatic species, which eventually cleaves the solvent, THF-d(8). The similarity between the reduction of the latter systems and the reduction of pyrene (1) is discussed.

Results of laparoscopic gastric bypass in patients with cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: The safety and efficacy of bariatric surgery in patients with cirrhosis has not been well studied. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of patients with cirrhosis who underwent weight-loss surgery at a single institution. RESULTS: Out of a total of 2119 patients who underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP), 30 patients (1.4%) with cirrhosis were identified. When compared with the entire cohort, patients with cirrhosis were significantly more prone to be heavier (BMI 53 vs 48), older in years (age 50 vs 45), more likely to be male (RR=1.3), and have a higher incidence of diabetes (70% vs 21%) and hypertension (67% vs 21%), P<0.05. The diagnosis of cirrhosis was made intra-operatively in 90% of patients. There were no perioperative deaths, conversions to laparotomy, or liver-related complications. Early complications occurred in 9 patients and included anastomotic leak (1), acute tubular necrosis (4), prolonged intubation (2), ileus (1), and blood transfusion (2). Mean length of hospital stay was 4 days (2-18). There was one late unrelated death and one patient with prolonged nausea and protein malnutrition. The average follow-up time was 16 months (1-48). For patients >12 months postoperatively (n=15), the average percent excess weight loss was 63+/-15%. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic RYGBP in the cirrhotic patient has an acceptable complication rate and achieves satisfactory early weight loss. Patients tend to be heavier, older, male and more likely to have diabetes and hypertension. Long-term studies are necessary to examine how weight loss impacts established cirrhosis.

Calculations of PAH anions: When are diffuse functions necessary?

The effect of including vs. excluding diffuse functions while calculating numerous parameters of PAH anions by various calculation methods is discussed. The omission of diffuse functions appears to have a negligible effect while calculating geometry parameters or total energy; thus, acceptable results may be obtained without them. The conclusions for charge density appear to be the same; however, limited results make an unambiguous claim unachievable. Calculating (1)H- and (13)C-NMR shifts undoubtedly requires the use of these functions.

Fullerene anions of different sizes and shapes: a 13C NMR and density-functional study.

A combined experimental and theoretical study was conducted on numerous higher fullerene anions with different sizes and shapes, C76-D2, C78-C2v, C78-D3, C84-D2, and C84-D2d. The corresponding fullerenes were reduced by lithium metal to diamagnetic multiply charged anions. The centers of gravity of the 13C NMR spectra of all the multiply charged anions were deshielded, relative to those of the neutral fullerenes. The results of density functional (DFT) computations of the 13C NMR spectra and the molecular orbitals (MOs) of possible polyanion reduction products suggest that hexaanions were the species formed.

Stereodynamics and characterization of the hexa(4-n-dodecylbiphenylyl)benzene hexaanion that includes a twisted benzene core.

Hexa(4-n-dodecylbiphenylyl)benzene (HDBB) was reduced by a series of alkali metals in THF under high vacuum. Three reduction states were identified by NMR spectroscopy, namely the dianion, tetraanion and hexaanion. The NMR spectra of HDBB(6-) revealed a remarkable distortion of symmetry, which is interpreted by adoption of a twisted conformation of the central benzene ring and a slow rotation of the inner phenylene rings of the biphenyl units. Due to the surprising thermal stability of the hexaanion, a dynamic NMR investigation revealed the pseudorotation of the twisted conformation and the phenylene rotation mentioned above.

"The great escape" from antiaromaticity: reduction of strained pyrenes.

The two-electron reduction of strained pyrenes ([7](2,7)pyrenophanes) with lithium metal leads to the formation of a new sigma-bond as a means to "escape" strained antiaromaticity.

Two helium atoms inside fullerenes: probing the internal magnetic field in C60(6-) and C70(6-).

A 3He NMR resonance of C606- containing He is assigned to He2@C606-, thus showing that C60 can also accommodate two helium atoms. The ratio of the di-helium compound relative to the mono- is 1:200, 10 times lower than the equivalent counterpart of C70. The 3He NMR chemical shift of He2@C606- is 0.093 ppm downfield from the already known resonance of He@C606-. In the reduced endohedral mono- and di-helium C70, the 3He NMR chemical shift of He2@C706- is 0.154 ppm upfield from the peak of He@C706-.

An insight into the aromaticity of fullerene anions: experimental evidence for diamagnetic ring currents in the five-membered rings of C(60)(6-) and C(70)(6-).

Reduction of the two "closed" [6,6] methanofullerenes, [6,6]C(61)H(2) (1) and [6,6]C(71)H(2) (5), to the corresponding hexaanions with lithium metal causes the bridgehead-bridgehead bonds to open, at least partially, and this change gives rise to diamagnetic ring currents in the resulting homoconjugated six-membered rings (6-MRs). These new ring currents shield the overlying hydrogen atoms on the methylene bridge and induce upfield shifts of 1.60 and 0.11 ppm in their (1)H NMR resonances, respectively. Analogous reduction of the already "open" [5,6]methanofullerenes, [5,6]C(61)H(2) (2) and [5,6]C(71)H(2) (3 and 4), only slightly enhances the shielding of the hydrogen atoms over the homoconjugated 6-MRs (upfield shifts of 0.13, 0.68, and 0.14 ppm, respectively) but leads to exceptionally strong diamagnetic ring currents in the homoconjugated five- membered rings (5-MRs), as evidenced by dramatic shielding of the hydrogen atoms situated over them (upfield shift of 5.01, 6.78, and 1.63 ppm, respectively). The strongest shielding is seen for the hydrogen atom sitting over the 5-MR at the pole of C(71)H(2)(6)(-) (delta = -0.255 ppm) indicating that the excess charge density is concentrated at the poles.

Anionic cyclization of a cross-conjugated enediyne.

Cross-conjugated enediynes cannot follow the Bergman cycloaromatization as it involves a methylenediyne moiety with only five pi e(-), insufficient for aromatization. Under reductive conditions the cyclization is made feasible by generating a product with a Hückel number of pi electrons. We illustrate this principle and demonstrate for the first time an anionic cyclization of a cross-conjugated enediyne that results in formation of a five-membered ring. 9-(3-Phenyl-1-phenylethynylprop-2-ynylidene)-9H-fluorene (3) was reduced by potassium to yield the dianion of 9-(3,4-diphenylcyclopenta-2,4-dienylidene)-9H-fluorene (4(2-)), which contains a cyclopentadienyl fragment, and oxidation with iodine yielded the unstable fulvalene 4.