Extended Tetrathiafulvalenes with Fluoreno[3,2-b]fluorene and Diindeno[1,2-b : 1',2'-i]anthracene Cores.

In one-dimensional polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) containing five- and six-membered rings fused together, one key question is whether the structures possess a quinoidal or aromatic diradical character. Here, we generate such PAHs by reversible oxidation of PAH-extended tetrathiafulvalenes (TTFs). Extended TTFs were thus prepared and studied for their geometrical properties (crystallography), redox properties, and UV/Vis/NIR/EPR characteristics as a function of charge state. The EPR measurements of radical cations showed unique features for each PAH-TTF. The dications, formally composed of fluoreno[3,2-b]fluorene and diindeno[1,2-b:1',2'-i]anthracene cores, were experimentally found to exhibit singlet ground states. For the latter, calculations reveal the closed shell, quinoid singlet state to be isoenergetic with the open shell singlet diradical. Each charge state exhibited unique optical properties with radical cations absorbing strongly in the NIR region with signatures from π-dimers for the large core. The experimental results were paralleled and supported by detailed computations, including spin density distribution calculations, EPR simulations, and nucleus independent chemical shift (NICS) xy scans.

Synthesis and Properties of Fluorenone-Containing Cycloparaphenylenes and Their Late-Stage Transformation.

Cycloparaphenylenes (CPPs) are the smallest possible armchair carbon nanotubes, the properties of which strongly depend on their ring size. They can be further tuned by either peripheral functionalization or by replacing phenylene rings for other aromatic units. Here we show how four novel donor-acceptor chromophores were obtained by incorporating fluorenone or 2-(9H-fluoren-9-ylidene)malononitrile into the loops of two differently sized CPPs. Synthetically, we managed to perform late-stage functionalization of the fluorenone-based rings by high-yielding Knoevenagel condensations. The structures were confirmed by X-ray crystallographic analyses, which revealed that replacing a phenylene for a fused-ring-system acceptor introduces additional strain. The donor-acceptor characters of the CPPs were supported by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopic studies, electrochemical studies (displaying the CPPs as multi-redox systems undergoing reversible or quasi-reversible redox events), as well as by computations. The oligophenylene parts were found to comprise the electron donor units of the macrocycles and the fluorenone parts the acceptor units.

Intramolecular Triplet Diffusion Facilitates Triplet Dissociation in a Pentacene Hexamer.

Triplet dynamics in singlet fission depend strongly on the strength of the electronic coupling. Covalent systems in solution offer precise control over such couplings. Nonetheless, efficient free triplet generation remains elusive in most systems, as the intermediate triplet pair 1 (T1 T1 ) is prone to triplet-triplet annihilation due to its spatial confinement. In the solid state, entropically driven triplet diffusion assists in the spatial separation of triplets, resulting in higher yields of free triplets. Control over electronic coupling in the solid state is, however, challenging given its sensitivity to molecular packing. We have thus developed a hexameric system (HexPnc) to enable solid-state-like triplet diffusion at the molecular scale. This system is realized by covalently tethering three pentacene dimers to a central subphthalocyanine scaffold. Transient absorption spectroscopy, complemented by theoretical structural optimizations and steady-state spectroscopy, reveals that triplet diffusion is indeed facilitated due to intramolecular cluster formation. The yield of free triplets in HexPnc is increased by a factor of up to 14 compared to the corresponding dimeric reference (DiPnc). Thus, HexPnc establishes crucial design aspects for achieving efficient triplet dissociation in strongly coupled systems by providing avenues for diffusive separation of 1 (T1 T1 ), while, concomitantly, retaining strong interchromophore coupling which preserves rapid formation of 1 (T1 T1 ).

On the Mechanism of the Formal [2+2] Cycloaddition - Retro-electrocyclization (CA-RE) Reaction.

The [2+2] cycloaddition - retro-electrocyclization (CA-RE) reaction is a "click-like" protocol for facile synthesis of donor-acceptor chromophores from an alkyne and tetracyanoethylene. Herein we shed light on the mechanism of this reaction by detailed kinetics studies using 1 H NMR spectroscopy. By considering several experiments simultaneously, a variety of mechanistic models was evaluated. Surprisingly, a model in which the final 1,1,4,4-tetracyanobuta-1,3-diene product promoted the first step was the only one that described well the experimental data. This autocatalysis model also involved a non-concerted, stepwise formation of the cyclobutene cycloaddition adduct. By proper choice of conditions, we were able to generate the transient cyclobutene in sufficient amount to verify it as an intermediate using 13 C NMR spectroscopy. For its final retro-electrocyclization step, simple first-order kinetics was observed and only minor solvent dependence, which indicates a concerted reaction.

Synthesis of 2-(Methylthio)-1,3-dithioles from 1,3-Dithiole-2-thiones: Important Building Blocks in Tetrathiafulvalene Chemistry.

2-(Methylthio)-1,3-dithioles are important heterocyclic compounds used for the preparation of redox-active derivatives of tetrathiafulvalene as they serve as precursors for phosphonate esters that can be employed in Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons olefination reactions. Here, we present a mild and less hazardous method than previous methods for converting readily accessible 1,3-dithiole-2-thiones into 2-(methylthio)-1,3-dithioles by methylation with trimethyl orthoformate and HBF4·Et2O and a subsequent reduction with NaBH4.

Computational Evolution Of New Catalysts For The Morita-Baylis-Hillman Reaction.

We present a de novo discovery of an efficient catalyst of the Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) reaction by searching chemical space for molecules that lower the estimated barrier of the rate-determining step using a genetic algorithm (GA) starting from randomly selected tertiary amines. We identify 435 candidates, virtually all of which contain an azetidine N as the catalytically active site, which is discovered by the GA. Two molecules are selected for further study based on their predicted synthetic accessibility and have predicted rate-determining barriers that are lower than that of a known catalyst. Azetidines have not been used as catalysts for the MBH reaction. One suggested azetidine is successfully synthesized and showed an eightfold increase in activity over a commonly used catalyst. We believe this is the first experimentally verified de novo discovery of an efficient catalyst using a generative model.

Fulvalene-Based Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Ladder-Type Structures: Synthesis and Properties.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have found strong interest for their electronic properties and as model systems for graphene. While PAHs have been studied intensively as single units, here PAHs were constructed in ladder-type arrangements using cross-conjugated fulvalene and dithiafulvalene motifs as connecting units and moving forward a convenient synthetic approach for dimerizing (thio)ketones into olefins by the action of Lawesson's reagent. Some of the PAHs can also be regarded as "super-extended" tetrathiafulvalenes (TTFs) with some of the largest cores ever explored, being multi-redox systems that exhibit both reversible oxidations and reductions. Concomitant absorption redshifts were observed when expanding the ladder-type structures from one to two to three indenofluorene units, and optical and electrochemical HOMO-LUMO gaps were found to correlate linearly. Various conformations (and solid-state packing arrangements) were studied by X-ray crystallography and computations.

Triangular Rhodamine Triads and Their Intrinsic Photophysics Revealed from Gas-Phase Ion Fluorescence Experiments.

When ionic dyes are close together, the internal Coulomb interaction may affect their photophysics and the energy-transfer efficiency. To explore this, we have prepared triangular architectures of three rhodamines connected to a central triethynylbenzene unit (1,3,5-tris(buta-1,3-diyn-1-yl)benzene) based on acetylenic coupling reactions and measured fluorescence spectra of the isolated, triply charged ions in vacuo. We find from comparisons with previously reported monomer and dimer spectra that while polarization of the π-system causes redshifted emission, the separation between the rhodamines is too large for a Stark shift. This picture is supported by electrostatic calculations on model systems composed of three linear and polarizable ionic dyes in D3h configuration: The electric field that each dye experiences from the other two is too small to induce a dipole moment, both in the ground and the excited state. In the case of heterotrimers that contain either two rhodamine 575 (R575) and one R640 or one R575 and two R640, emission is almost purely from R640 although the polarization of the π-system expectedly diminishes the dipole-dipole interaction.

Dihydroazulene-Azobenzene-Dihydroazulene Triad Photoswitches.

Photoswitch triads comprising two dihydroazulene (DHA) units in conjugation with a central trans-azobenzene (AZB) unit were prepared in stepwise protocols starting from meta- and para-disubstituted azobenzenes. The para-connected triad had significantly altered optical properties and lacked the photoactivity of the separate photochromes. In contrast, for the meta-connected triad, all three photochromes could be photoisomerized to generate an isomer with two vinylheptafulvene (VHF) units and a cis-azobenzene unit. Ultrafast spectroscopy of the photoisomerizations revealed a fast DHA-to-VHF photoisomerization and a slower trans-to-cis AZB photoisomerization. This meta triad underwent thermal VHF-to-DHA back-conversion with a similar rate of all VHFs, independent of the identity of the neighboring units, and in parallel thermal cis-to-trans AZB conversion. The experimental observations were supported by computation (excitation spectra and orbital analysis of the transitions).

Orthogonal Photoswitching with Norbornadiene.

Orthogonal photoswitching is a convenient but challenging way of controlling multiple functions in a system by selective photoisomerization of one unit before the other in any arbitrarily chosen sequence. Here, we present this concept for the norbornadiene/quadricyclane (NBD/QC) photo/thermo-switch in the presence or absence of a coordinated metal ion. Thus, introducing two pyridyl ligands via ethyne-1,2-diyl bridges provides a system that by chelation of metal ions, such as PdII , has altered optical and switching properties. Mixing the PdII complex with its free ligand furnishes a four-state system where NBD-to-QC photoisomerizations for complexed and uncomplexed species are controlled by the irradiation wavelength and can occur orthogonally, that is, the sequence of photoisomerizations can be swapped. Studies on AgI and PbII complexes, being less stable than the PdII complex, are also presented; these exhibit like the PdII complex significantly red-shifted NBD absorptions.

Multi-Photochromic Molecules Based on Dihydroazulene Units.

Multi-photochromic systems incorporating individually addressable switching units are attractive for development of advanced data storage devices. Here, we present the synthesis and properties of a selection of such molecular systems incorporating the dihydroazulene/vinylheptafulvene (DHA/VHF) photo-/thermoswitch. The influence of the linker (meta-phenylene vs. azulene-1,3-diyl vs. thiophene-2,5-diyl) separating two DHA units on the switching properties was investigated. An azulene-1,3-diyl spacer largely inhibited both the DHA-to-VHF photoisomerizations and the thermal VHF-to-DHA back-reactions; the latter occurred ten times slower than for the related compound with a meta-phenylene spacer. A DHA trimer containing three DHA units around a central benzene ring was found to undergo stepwise DHA-to-VHF photoisomerizations, whereas the thermal back-reactions occurred at similar rates for the three VHF entities. A meta-phenylene-bridged DHA dimer was subjected to further structural modifications at position C-1 of each DHA, having strong implications for the switching events, and synthetic steps for further functionalizations at position C-7 of each DHA were investigated. Finally, the molecular structure (from X-ray crystallographic analysis) between the meta-phenylene-bridged DHA dimer and CuI is presented.

Gas-Phase Ion Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Tailor-made Rhodamine Homo- and Heterodyads: Quenching of Electronic Communication by π-Conjugated Linkers.

While many key photophysical features are understood for electronic communication between chromophores in neutral compounds, there is limited information on the effect of charges in practically relevant ionic chromo/fluorophores. Here we have chosen positively charged rhodamines and prepared a selection of homo- and heterodimers with alkyl or π-conjugated, acetylenic bridges. Protonated molecules were transferred as isolated ions to gas phase where there is no solvent screening of charges, and fluorescence spectra were measured with a custom-made ion-trap setup. Our work reveals strong polarization of the π-spacer (induced dipole/quadrupole) when it experiences the electric field from one/ two dyes. Hence, π-spacers provide efficient shielding of charges by reducing the Coulomb interaction, whereas two dye cations polarize each other when connected by an alkyl. The screening influences the Förster resonance energy transfer efficiency that relies on the dipole-dipole interaction.

Luminescence Spectroscopy of Rhodamine Homodimer Dications in Vacuo Reveals Strong Dye-Dye Interactions.

Being alone or together makes a difference for the photophysics of dyes but for ionic dyes it is difficult to quantify the interactions due to solvent screening and nearby counter ions. Gas-phase luminescence experiments are desirable and now possible based on recent developments in mass spectrometry. Here we present results on tailor-made rhodamine homodimers where two dye cations are separated by methylene linkers, (CH2 )n . In solution the fluorescence is almost identical to that from the monomer whereas the emission from bare cation dimers redshifts with decreasing n. In the absence of screening, the electric field from the charge on one dye is strong enough to polarize the other dye, both in the ground state and in the excited state. An electrostatic model based on symmetric dye responses (equal induced-dipole moments in ground state) captures the underlying physics and demonstrates interaction even at large distances. Our results have possible implications for gas-phase Förster Resonance Energy Transfer.

A Study of Electrocyclic Reactions in a Molecular Junction: Mechanistic and Energetic Requirements for Switching in the Coulomb Blockade Regime.

Molecular photoswitches incorporated in molecular junctions yield the possibility of light-controlled switching of conductance due to the electronic difference of the photoisomers. Another isomerization mechanism, dark photoswitching, promoted by a voltage stimulus rather than by light, can be operative in the Coulomb blockade regime for a specific charge state of the molecule. Here we elucidate theoretically the mechanistic and thermodynamic restrictions for this dark photoswitching for donor-acceptor substituted 4n and 4n+2 π-electron open-chain oligoenes (1,3-butadiene and 1,3,5-hexatriene) by considering the molecular energies and orbitals of the molecules placed in a junction. For an electrocyclic ring closure reaction to occur for these compounds, we put forward two requirements: a) the closed stereoisomer (cis or trans form) must be of lower energy than the open form, and b) the reaction pathway must be in accordance to the orbital symmetry rules expressed by the Woodward-Hoffmann rules (when the electrodes do not significantly alter the molecular orbital appearances). We find these two requirements to be valid for the dianion of (1E,3Z,5E)-hexa-1,3,5-triene-1,6-diamine, and the Coulomb blockade diamonds were therefore modeled for this compound to elucidate how a dark photoswitching event would manifest itself in the stability plot. From this modeling of conductance as a function of gate and bias potentials, we predict a collapse in Coulomb diamond size, that is, a decrease in the height of the island of zero conductance.

Spectroscopy of nitrophenolates in vacuo: effect of spacer, configuration, and microsolvation on the charge-transfer excitation energy.

In a charge-transfer (CT) transition, electron density moves from one end of the molecule (donor) to the other end (acceptor). This type of transition is of paramount importance in nature, for example, in photosynthesis, and it governs the excitation of several protein biochromophores and luminophores such as the oxyluciferin anion that accounts for light emission from fireflies. Both transition energy and oscillator strength are linked to the coupling between the donor and acceptor groups: The weaker the coupling, the smaller the excitation energy. But a weak coupling necessarily also causes a low oscillator strength possibly preventing direct excitation (basically zero probability in the noncoupling case). The coupling is determined by the actual spacer between the two groups, and whether the spacer acts as an insulator or a conductor. However, it can be difficult or even impossible to distinguish the effect of the spacer from that of local solvent molecules that often cause large solvent shifts due to different ground-state and excited-state stabilization. This calls for gas-phase spectroscopy experiments where absorption by the isolated molecule is identified to unequivocally establish the intrinsic molecular properties with no perturbations from a microenvironment. From such insight, the effect of a protein microenvironment on the CT excited state can be deduced. In this Account, we review our results over the last 5 years from mass spectroscopy experiments using specially designed apparatus on several charged donor-acceptor ions that are based on the nitrophenolate moiety and π-extended derivatives, which are textbook examples of donor-acceptor chromophores. The phenolate oxygen is the donor, and the nitro group is the acceptor. The choice of this system is also based on the fact that phenolate is a common structural motif of biochromophores and luminophores, for example, it is a constituent of the oxyluciferin anion. A presentation of the setups used for gas-phase ion spectroscopy in Aarhus is given, and we address issues of whether double bonds or triple bonds best convey electronic coupling between the phenolate oxygen and the nitro group, the significance of separating the donor and acceptor spatially, the influence of cross-conjugation versus linear conjugation, and along this line ortho versus meta versus para configuration, and not least the effect of a single solvent molecule (water, methanol, or acetonitrile). From systematic studies, a clear picture has emerged that has been supported by high-level calculations of electronically excited states. Our work shows that CC2 coupled-cluster calculations of vertical excitation energies are within 0.2 eV of experimental band maxima, and importantly, that the theoretical method is excellent in predicting the relative order of excitation energies of a series of nitrophenolates. Finally, we discuss future challenges such as following the change in absorption as a function of the number of solvent molecules and when gradually approaching the bulk limit.

Towards solar energy storage in the photochromic dihydroazulene-vinylheptafulvene system.

One key challenge in the field of exploitation of solar energy is to store the energy and make it available on demand. One possibility is to use photochromic molecules that undergo light-induced isomerization to metastable isomers. Here we present efforts to develop solar thermal energy storage systems based on the dihydroazulene (DHA)/vinylheptafulvene (VHF) photo/thermoswitch. New DHA derivatives with one electron-withdrawing cyano group at position 1 and one or two phenyl substituents in the five-membered ring were prepared by using different synthetic routes. In particular, a diastereoselective reductive removal of one cyano group from DHAs incorporating two cyano groups at position 1 turned out to be most effective. Quantum chemical calculations reveal that the structural modifications provide two benefits relative to DHAs with two cyano groups at position 1: 1) The DHA-VHF energy difference is increased (i.e., higher energy capacity of metastable VHF isomer); 2) the Gibbs free energy of activation is increased for the energy-releasing VHF to DHA back-reaction. In fact, experimentally, these new derivatives were so reluctant to undergo the back-reaction at room temperature that they practically behaved as DHA to VHF one-way switches. Although lifetimes of years are at first attractive, which offers the ultimate control of energy release, for a real device it must of course be possible to trigger the back-reaction, which calls for further iterations in the future.

Imparting Stability to Organic Photovoltaic Components through Molecular Engineering: Mitigating Reactions with Singlet Oxygen.

One key challenge in the development of viable organic photovoltaic devices is to design component molecules that do not degrade during combined exposure to oxygen and light. Such molecules should thus remain comparatively unreactive towards singlet molecular oxygen and not act as photosensitizers for the generation of this undesirable species. Here, novel redox-active chromophores that combine these two properties are presented. By functionalizing indenofluorene-extended tetrathiafulvalenes (IF-TTFs) with cyano groups at the indenofluorene core using Pd-catalyzed cyanation reactions, we find that the reactivity of the exocyclic fulvene carbon-carbon double bonds towards singlet oxygen is considerably reduced. The new cyano-functionalized IF-TTFs were tested in non-fullerene acceptor based organic photovoltaic proof-of-principle devices, revealing enhanced device stability.

Role of nearby charges on the electronic structure of π-conjugated molecules: symmetric versus asymmetric charge distributions in oligo(p-phenyleneethynylene).

Oligo(p-phenyleneethynylene)s (OPEs) are conjugated oligomers of great interest within materials science and molecular electronics on account of their highly applicable electronic and optical properties. Here we use gas-phase action spectroscopy to elucidate how the intrinsic electronic properties of these chromophores are affected by nearby charges. An OPE3 chromophore with two nearby ammonium groups was synthesized. This molecule and a related OPE3 with only one amine protonation site were transferred to the gas phase by electrospray ionization and subjected to action spectroscopy. Ions were bunched in a 14-pole ion trap, accelerated to 50-keV kinetic energies, mass-to-charge selected by a magnet, and photoexcited in a crossed-beam configuration. Fragment ions were finally mass-analyzed by an electrostatic analyzer. The setup enables photodissociation mass spectrometry and action spectroscopy on the microsecond time scale. The gas-phase absorption of the mono- and dication was measured and compared to that of neutral chromophores in solution. Similar absorption was found for neutral chromophores (in solution) and the dication (in gas phase or solution), whereas the monocation absorbs at lower energies in the gas phase. Simple electrostatic considerations lead to an energy difference like the one found from the experiment. The work presented here addresses how the electronic properties of a π-conjugated system are affected by nearby charges, a question of fundamental interest in, for example, molecular electronics.

Absorption spectra of 4-nitrophenolate ions measured in vacuo and in solution.

From blue to red: While four pi-conjugated nitrophenolates absorb within a relatively narrow region in solution, they cover the entire visible spectrum when isolated in vacuo [picture: see text]. The work combines gas- and solution-phase spectroscopy and provides the first benchmark of theoretical excitation energies for nitrophenolates.