Photo-induced metal-free dehydrogenative N-N homo-coupling.

We report a photo-induced dehydrogenative N-N coupling of diarylimines, diarylamines, carbazoles, and anilines. These homo-coupling reactions require only the combination of readily available di-tert-butyl peroxide (DTBP) and light irradition. The operationally simple protocol works under catalyst- and metal-free conditions and exhibits a good substrate scope. Preliminary mechanistic studies indicate that the reaction proceeds via photo-induced homolytic cleavage of the peroxide followed by hydrogen atom transfer leading to the formation of N-centered radicals.

Dynamic Covalent Formation of Concave Disulfide Macrocycles Mechanically Interlocked with Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes.

The formation of discrete macrocycles wrapped around single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) has recently emerged as an appealing strategy to functionalize these carbon nanomaterials and modify their properties. Here, we demonstrate that the reversible disulfide exchange reaction, which proceeds under mild conditions, can install relatively large amounts of mechanically interlocked disulfide macrocycles on the one-dimensional nanotubes. Size-selective functionalization of a mixture of SWCNTs of different diameters were observed, presumably arising from error correction and the presence of relatively rigid, curved π-systems in the key building blocks. A combination of UV/Vis/NIR, Raman, photoluminescence excitation, and transient absorption spectroscopy indicated that the small (6,4)-SWCNTs were predominantly functionalized by the small macrocycles 12 , whereas the larger (6,5)-SWCNTs were an ideal match for the larger macrocycles 22 . This size selectivity, which was rationalized computationally, could prove useful for the purification of nanotube mixtures, since the disulfide macrocycles can be removed quantitatively under mild reductive conditions.

Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Seven-Membered C=N-containing Heterocycles and Rationalization of the Enantioselectivity.

Iridium(I) complexes with phosphine-phosphite ligands efficiently catalyze the enantioselective hydrogenation of diverse seven-membered C=N-containing heterocyclic compounds (eleven examples; up to 97 % ee). The P-OP ligand L3, which incorporates an ortho-diphenyl substituted octahydrobinol phosphite fragment, provided the highest enantioselectivities in the hydrogenation of most of the heterocyclic compounds studied. The observed stereoselection was rationalized by means of DFT calculations.

A Zn2+-specific fluorescent molecular probe for the selective detection of endogenous cyanide in biorelevant samples.

A Zn(2+)-specific molecular probe 3 was developed for the selective detection of CN(-) under aqueous conditions. The fluorescent Zn(2+) complex of 3 upon CN(-) addition generates a bright blue fluorescence that allows the detection of the latter and is useful for the screening of natural products with and without endogenous cyanide content.