Coronenes with push-pull geometries from macrocycle-forming Perkin condensations.

Although the Perkin reaction has been successful in producing ester-substituted conjugated macrocycles with four or six building blocks, macrocycles composed of only two elements remained elusive until now. Through the development of a building block derived from phenanthrene with two glyoxylic acid substituents in a pincer-like arrangement, formation of a two-block macrocycle was induced when paired with a complementary phenylenediacetic acid unit. The addition of ether functions to the phenanthrene building block not only improved the yields, but led to macrocycles with push-pull geometries. Photocyclisation of the resulting cyclophanes efficiently yield tetra- and hexasubstituted coronenes.

Aromaticity in Semi-Condensed Figure-Eight Molecules.

Electron delocalization and aromaticity was comparatively evaluated in recently synthesized figure-eight molecules made of two condensed U-shaped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon moieties connected either by two single bonds or by two para-phenylene groups. The selected examples include molecules that incorporate eight-membered and sixteen-membered rings, as well as a doubly [5]helicene-bridged (1,4)cyclophane. We probe whether some electron delocalization could occur through the stereogenic single bonds in these molecules: Is aromaticity purely (semi-)local, or possibly also global in these molecules? It was concluded that the situation can go from a purely (semi-)local character when the dihedral angle at the connecting single bonds is large, such as in biphenyl, to a predominantly (semi-)local character with a minor global contribution when the dihedral angle is small, such as in the para-phenylene connectors of the [5] helicene-bridged cyclophane.

Does Acinetobacter calcoaceticus glucose dehydrogenase produce self-damaging H2O2?

The soluble glucose dehydrogenase (sGDH) from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus has been widely studied and is used, in biosensors, to detect the presence of glucose, taking advantage of its high turnover and insensitivity to molecular oxygen. This approach, however, presents two drawbacks: the enzyme has broad substrate specificity (leading to imprecise blood glucose measurements) and shows instability over time (inferior to other oxidizing glucose enzymes). We report the characterization of two sGDH mutants: the single mutant Y343F and the double mutant D143E/Y343F. The mutants present enzyme selectivity and specificity of 1.2 (Y343F) and 5.7 (D143E/Y343F) times higher for glucose compared with that of the wild-type. Crystallographic experiments, designed to characterize these mutants, surprisingly revealed that the prosthetic group PQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone), essential for the enzymatic activity, is in a cleaved form for both wild-type and mutant structures. We provide evidence suggesting that the sGDH produces H2O2, the level of production depending on the mutation. In addition, spectroscopic experiments allowed us to follow the self-degradation of the prosthetic group and the disappearance of sGDH's glucose oxidation activity. These studies suggest that the enzyme is sensitive to its self-production of H2O2. We show that the premature aging of sGDH can be slowed down by adding catalase to consume the H2O2 produced, allowing the design of a more stable biosensor over time. Our research opens questions about the mechanism of H2O2 production and the physiological role of this activity by sGDH.

Helicene Aromaticity Deviates from the Clar Rule-On the Electronic Dissimilarity of Large Isomeric Fibonacenes.

This combined experimental and theoretical study illustrates the profound consequences of non-planarity on the electronic properties of polycyclic arenes. Three isomeric [10]fibonacene tetraesters were synthesized through a robust and regiocontrolled Perkin/Mallory approach: a nearly planar [10]phenacene derivative, a moderately twisted [10]semicircle derivative, and a 3D non-planar [10]helicene derivative. The photophysical properties of the 3D [10]helicene isomer were found to be dramatically different from the comparable ones of the [10]phenacene and [10]semicircle isomers. The aromatic properties of the [10]phenacene and [10]semicircle isomers conform well with their predictive Kekulé and Clar analyses, but the [10]helicene isomer deviates from these general topological rules, which appears to be a general phenomenon for [n]fibonacenes with n≥9.

Dissymmetric Triaryltriazines: Small Mass Columnar Glasses.

Columnar liquid crystals with very small molecular masses that form anisotropic glasses well above room temperature are obtained by mixed dissymmetric substitution of sym-triazine with ester-bearing phenyl and phenanthryl or tetrahelicenyl moieties. The combination of low molecular symmetry with configurational flexibility and short polar ester moieties stabilizes the mesophase over large temperature ranges and induces pronounced calorimetric glass transitions within the anisotropic fluid despite the smallness of the molecules. In contrast to more symmetrical homologs, no ester tails longer than ethyl are necessary to induce the liquid crystalline state, allowing for the near-absence of any insulating and weight-increasing alkyl periphery. Films drop-cast from solution show in all cases emission spectra that do not show significant change of fluorescence emission upon annealing, indicating that the columnar hexagonal mesoscopic order is obtained directly upon deposition from solution and is resistant to crystallization upon annealing.

A Triply [5]Helicene-Bridged (1,3,5)Cyclophane.

A rigid propeller-shaped conjugated triple macrocycle consisting of two nearly perfectly stacked benzene rings and three linking [5]helicene moieties has been synthesized using a glyoxylic Perkin approach. Analysis of the electron delocalization in this atypical aromatic molecule revealed global aromaticity and a 78 π-electron circuit along the edge of its triple loop, to the detriment of the two 6 π-electron circuits in the two stacked benzene rings.

Columnar Liquid Crystalline Glasses by Combining Configurational Flexibility with Moderate Deviation from Planarity: Extended Triaryltriazines.

Triply phenanthryl- and tetrahelicenyl-substituted triazine-hexaalkyl esters with short alkyl chains show glass transitions conveniently above room temperature within the hexagonal columnar liquid crystalline state, resulting in a solid columnar order at room temperature. As the hexagonal columnar mesophase is easily aligned with the director perpendicular to a solid substrate, such glassy columnar liquid matrices are aimed at for the orientation of guest emitters, to obtain anisotropic emission. A condition for face-on alignment on substrates are attainable melting and clearing temperatures, which is achieved with the moderately nonplanar tetrahelicenyl derivatives in spite of their short alkyl periphery. An unusual phase transition between two columnar mesophases of same hexagonal symmetry, but very different long-distance regularity of the column lattice, is found in one phenanthryl homolog.

Room Temperature Phosphorescence in Solution from Thiophene-Bridged Triply Donor-Substituted Tristriazolotriazines.

Most organic room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) emitters do not show their RTP in solution. Here, we incorporated sulfur-containing thiophene bridges between the donor and acceptor moieties in D3 A-type tristriazolotriazines (TTTs). The thiophene inclusion increased the spin-orbit coupling associated with the radiative T1 →S0 pathway, allowing RTP to be observed in solution for all compounds, likely assisted by protection of the emissive TTT-thiophene core from the environment by the bulky peripheral donors.

The effect of substituents and molecular aggregation on the room temperature phosphorescence of a twisted π-system.

Considering the relevance of room temperature phosphorescent (RTP) materials, we discuss the influence of donor and acceptor groups substituted on to a twisted three-fold symmetric hydrocarbon homotruxene, which presents a persistent RTP, even in the absence of donor or acceptor moieties, under ambient conditions as a result of the twisted π-system. Compared to a fluorine acceptor, a donor methoxy group increases the phosphorescence decay rate in solution, while in the solid-state, molecular aggregation and packing yield a very persistent phosphorescence visible by the eye. The RTP of the intrinsically apolar homotruxene is found to be modulated by polar substituents, whose main impact on the solid-state emission is due to altered packing in the crystal.

Halogenation of a twisted non-polar π-system as a tool to modulate phosphorescence at room temperature.

Halogenation of a twisted three-fold symmetric hydrocarbon with F, Cl or Br leads to strong modulation of triplet-triplet annihilation and dual phosphorescence, one thermally activated and the other very persistent and visible by eye, with different relative contributions depending on the halide. The room temperature phosphorescence is highly unusual given the absence of lone-pair-contributing heteroatoms. The interplay between the spin-orbit coupling matrix elements and the spatial configuration of the triplet state induces efficient intersystem crossing and thus room temperature phosphorescence even without relying on heteroatomic electron lone pairs. A ninefold increase of the ISC rate after introduction of three bromine atoms is accompanied by a much higher 34-fold increase of phosphorescence rate.

Nematic Triphenyltriazine Triesters and the Induction of the Columnar Mesophase by Fluorine Substitution.

Whereas their para homologs are not mesogenic, the disk-shaped triphenyltriazine meta-trialkylesters obtained via trimerization of 3-cyanobenzoic alkylester, which are configurationally more flexible, exhibit a monotropic nematic mesophase. Introduction of fluorine atoms into the alkyl chains or into the phenyl moieties leads to the appearance of an enantiotropic columnar mesophase. If fluorine is introduced both in the chains and in the phenyl moieties, only a monotropic mesophase remains. Fluorination of either the alkyl chains or the aromatic core, but not both, appears thus as a simple means of inducing or stabilizing columnar self-assembly in disk-shaped systems. As the homeotropically alignable columnar mesophase can thus be made to persist at room temperature, as energies higher than 3 eV of the first excited triplet state are computed in agreement with the value reported for the parent arene, and as they are not fluorescent themselves, these compounds are of promise as aligning host matrices for blue-emitting TADF devices with improved light outcoupling. Dilution of a columnar with a nonmesogenic homolog induces the nematic state, indicating that the nanoscopic make-up of both mesophases is closely related.

Cyclobishelicenes: Shape-Persistent Figure-Eight Aromatic Molecules with Promising Chiroptical Properties.

Cyclobis[n]helicenes (n=3 or 5) are chiral D2 -symmetric π-conjugated macrocycles with stable lemniscular, or figure-eight, shapes. The conformational analysis of five different cyclobis[n]helicenes revealed that these molecules can only exist as their lemniscular conformers with high barriers to enantiomerization (>200 kJ mol-1 ). The enantiomers of a cyclobis[5]helicene were resolved by HPLC and their unusual chiroptical properties were attributed to the inherent chirality of their macrocyclic figure-eight.

Persistent Solid-State Phosphorescence and Delayed Fluorescence at Room Temperature by a Twisted Hydrocarbon.

The dehydrating cyclotrimerization of 1-tetralone in the presence of titanium tetrachloride at high temperatures leads to homotruxene, a nonplanar arene in which the twist angles between its three outer benzene rings and the central benzene are stabilized by ethylene bridges. This non-planar configuration allows for pronounced spin-orbit coupling and a high triplet energy, leading to room-temperature phosphorescence in air with a lifetime of 0.38 s and a quantum yield of 5.6 %, clearly visible to the human eye after switching off the excitation. Triplet-triplet annihilation is found to simultaneously lead to a substantial delayed fluorescence, unprecedented from a pure hydrocarbon at ambient conditions, with a lifetime of 0.11 s.

Cyclic tris-[5]helicenes with single and triple twisted Möbius topologies and Möbius aromaticity.

A number of singly (180°) twisted, largely single-stranded and thus conformationally rather fragile, Möbius molecules have been synthesized within the last 15 years, which are aromatic with 4n electrons, thus violating the Hückel rule. Annulenes with significantly higher twist (e.g. 540°) that retain a full cyclic conjugation path have been elusive, mainly because of the high strain and loss of orbital overlap. Recently, a topological strategy was devised to project the "twist" into "writhe", thus reducing the strain. However, orbital overlap was still severely reduced within the flexible building blocks. We now present a single and a triple twisted annulene with fully conjugated peripheries. They are unique in their pronounced band shape and conformational robustness as they are made up of three fully kata-condensed [5]helicene fragments. The triple twisted molecule exhibits a strong diatropic ring current in the outer periphery, even though the π system includes 4n electrons. The diatropic current is counterbalanced by a paratropic current in the σ system, resulting in no net manifestation of macrocyclic aromaticity. The key step of the synthesis of both Möbius compounds is a Perkin condensation of complementary bifunctional bismaleates leading to a flexible macrocycle containing alternating benzene and biphenyl fragments. Subsequent photocyclization yields a separable mixture of rigid diastereomeric tris-helicene macrocycles of the above topologies.

Isomeric Column-Forming Esters and Imides with Varying Curvatures of the Aromatic Plane.

Dibenzo[a,j]coronene-tetracarboxylic alkyl esters and imides with either a centrosymmetric bis-peri substitution pattern or a polar bis-ortho substitution pattern form hexagonal columnar mesophases, which in the case of the imides persist at room temperature. The bis-peri isomers are obtained via a two-fold oxidative photocyclization; the bis-ortho isomers are accessed via a glyoxylic Perkin reaction of triphenylene and naphthalene building blocks. Steric congestion between the substituents and the adjacent benzo protrusion in the bis-ortho esters and imides leads to bending of the aromatic plane, which thus avoids twisting. These isomers surprisingly show a more pronounced liquid crystalline behaviour than their non-bent bis-peri homologs, accommodating non-planarity with columnar order by slipped stacking. Whereas both types of ester and the bis-peri imide show an optical behaviour typical for perylene chromophores, the strongly bent bis-ortho imide distinguishes itself notably from them by its absorption spectrum. The electron acceptor strength of the isomeric diimides is found to differ, the hexagonal (peri) diimide having a 0.20 eV lower LUMO energy than the pentagonal (ortho) isomer.

Non-planar oligoarylene macrocycles from biphenyl.

Saddle- and propeller-shaped macrocycles are obtained by fourfold Perkin condensations in transient high dilution of 4,4'-bis(phenylglyoxylic acid) with either 4,4'-bis(phenylacetic acid) or p-phenylenediacetic acid, followed by four-fold oxidative photocyclizations. In the saddle-shaped tetraphenanthrylene, the angle between opposite phenanthrene planes is close to the value of 90° of an ideal saddle. In the two helicene fragments of the propeller-shaped double [5]helicene, the geometry of unsubstituted [5]helicene is preserved without major macrocycle-induced distortions.

A Naphtho-Fused Double [7]Helicene from a Maleate-Bridged Chrysene Trimer.

Perkin condensation of chrysenyl-6-acetic acid with chrysenylene-6,12-diglyoxylic acid followed by in situ esterification gives a bismaleate, whose conjugated stilbene moieties are efficiently shielded against intermolecular condensations and undergo iodine-catalyzed oxidative photocyclization in toluene without the need for high dilution. The concentration is limited by the low solubility of the flexible bismaleate at room temperature. The so-obtained double [7]helicene crystallizes in a nonchiral meso form. It is notably more soluble than its flexible precursor because it cannot fold to optimize π-π stacking.

From 1,4-Phenylenebis(phenylmaleate) to a Room-Temperature Liquid-Crystalline Benzo[ghi]perylene Diimide.

The photocyclization of tetraethyl 1,4-phenylenebis(phenylmaleate) in the presence of iodine and oxygen predominantly yields tetraethyl [5]helicene-5,6,9,10-tetracarboxylate, together with small amounts of tetraethyl dibenz[a,h]anthracene-5,6,12,13-tetracarboxylate and tetraethyl benzo[ghi]perylene-3,4,11,12-tetracarboxylate. The helicene tetraester is planarized to the benzoperylene tetraester by Scholl reaction with AlCl3 followed by reesterification of the partially hydrolyzed crude product. Subsequent treatment with a branched alkylamine yields a columnar liquid-crystalline benzoperylene diimide whose mesophase is stable at room temperature despite its limited and non-centrosymmetric alkyl periphery. Its absorption spectrum is markedly red-shifted compared to that of a similar benzoperylene triimide.

Fused Helicene Chains: Towards Twisted Graphene Nanoribbons.

By taking advantage of an unexpected regioselectivity of intramolecular Scholl reactions on pentaphenylene compounds that favors distorted [5]helicenes over their flat counterparts, a new synthetic approach to twisted graphene nanoribbons has been designed based on side-fused di-tert-butyl-[5]helicene fragments. Syntheses of both small monomers and dimers have been achieved and their structures have been studied. An iterative synthetic strategy has been developed for the formation of longer flexible precursors, which relies on the step-by-step elongation of mono-functionalized oligomeric chains. The flexible trimer and tetramer have, thus, been synthesized and submitted to intramolecular Scholl reactions, which revealed important purification and characterization issues.

Columnar Liquid-Crystalline Dibenzopentacenodithiophenes by Photocyclization.

The twofold glyoxylic Perkin reaction of perylene-3,9-diglyoxylic acid with thiophene-diacetic acid followed by oxidative photocylization and reaction with α-branched primary alkylamines yields columnar liquid-crystalline diimides with two sulfur atoms in the condensed arene system. A broad temperature range of the hexagonal columnar mesophase is induced by racemic doubly branched alkyl chains. The HOMO and LUMO energy levels of these thiophene-derived diimides qualify them as electron donors with respect to perylene diimides.