Chiral Distorted Hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronenes Bearing a Nonagon-Embedded Carbohelicene.

A new family of chiral saddle-helix hybrid nanographenes is reported. The first hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene (HBC) analogues bearing a nine-membered carbocycle are presented. Furthermore, for the first time, π-extended carbo[n]helicenes containing a nine-membered ring as part of the helical moiety have been synthesized. The combination of a [5]helicene moiety and a nonagon ring in a single chiral motif induces a tremendous distortion from planarity into the nanographenic structures compared to other saddle-helix hybrids such as heptagon- and octagon-containing π-extended carbo[5]helicenes. In fact, the interplanar angle of the two terminal rings reaches the largest angle (134.8°) of a carbohelicene reported to date, thus being by far the most twisted helicene yet prepared. Photophysical properties evaluation showed improved absorption dissymmetry factors (|gabs |=4.2×10-3 ) in the new family of nonagon-containing π-extended carbo[5]helicenes.

Octagon-Embedded Carbohelicene as a Chiral Motif for Circularly Polarized Luminescence Emission of Saddle-Helix Nanographenes.

We report a new family of hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene (HBC)-based helical nanographenes incorporating π-extended carbo[5]helicenes bearing an octagonal carbocycle. This family represents a new kind of highly distorted saddle-helix hybrid nanographenes. For the first time, the eight-membered ring becomes a constituent of both a carbo[5]helicene and a HBC and thus, the negative curvature is responsible for twisting both units. This novel chiral motif, namely, oct-[5]helicene results in the largest torsion angle recorded so far for a carbo[5]helicene (θ=79.5°), as it has been suggested by DFT-calculations and confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Consequently, the barriers of isomerization become exceptionally high for a [5]helicene unsubstituted in the fjord region since neither racemization nor decomposition were observed at 200 °C for 1 or 3 during 5 h. Therefore, racemic resolutions allowed subsequent chiroptical studies showing the ECD and CPL responses of this novel family of chiral nanographenes.

Radical-Promoted C-C Bond Cleavage: A Deconstructive Approach for Selective Functionalization.

Just as "Deconstructivism" appeared as a novel movement in architecture in the 1980s, deconstructive approaches have recently emerged as excellent strategies for scaffold hopping modifications in chemistry. The deconstruction and functionalization of cyclic molecules mainly involves the cleavage of the carbon-carbon (C-C) bond followed by the construction of new bonds. The cleavage of inert C-C single bonds, especially in unstrained cycles, and their subsequent functionalization is still one of the most sought-after challenges in chemistry. In this vein, radical-mediated strategies provide an excellent approach for achieving this aim. This minireview is an outline of the history of homolytic cleavage and highlights the recent advances in exploring new chemical space by deconstructive functionalization.

Photoinduced Remote Functionalization of Amides and Amines Using Electrophilic Nitrogen Radicals.

The selective functionalization of C(sp3 )-H bonds at distal positions to functional groups is a challenging task in synthetic chemistry. Reported here is a photoinduced radical cascade strategy for the divergent functionalization of amides and protected amines. The process is based on the oxidative generation of electrophilic amidyl radicals and their subsequent transposition by 1,5-H-atom transfer, resulting in remote fluorination, chlorination and, for the first time, thioetherification, cyanation, and alkynylation. The process is tolerant of most common functional groups and delivers useful building blocks that can be further elaborated. The utility of this strategy is demonstrated through the late-stage functionalization of amino acids and a dipeptide.

Hydroxylamine Derivatives as Nitrogen-Radical Precursors in Visible-Light Photochemistry.

In recent years, hydroxylamines derivatives have been exploited as nitrogen-radical precursors in visible-light photochemistry. Their ability to serve as electrophores in redox chemistry has propelled the development of many novel transformations. Fundamental mechanistic aspects as well as the importance in the preparation of nitrogen-containing molecules will be highlighted.

Pyrene-Containing ortho-Oligo(phenylene)ethynylene Foldamer as a Ratiometric Probe Based on Circularly Polarized Luminescence.

In this manuscript, we report the first synthesis of an organic monomolecular emitter, which behaves as a circularly polarized luminescence (CPL)-based ratiometric probe. The enantiopure helical ortho-oligo(phenylene)ethynylene ( o-OPE) core has been prepared by a new and efficient macrocyclization reaction. The combination of such o-OPE helical skeleton and a pyrene couple leads to two different CPL emission features in a single structure whose ratio linearly responds to silver(I) concentration.

Iron-Catalyzed Reductive Ethylation of Imines with Ethanol.

The borrowing hydrogen strategy has been applied to the ethylation of imines with an air-stable iron complex as precatalyst. This approach opens new perspectives in this area as it enables the synthesis of unsymmetric tertiary amines from readily available substrates and ethanol as a C2 building block. A variety of imines bearing electron-rich aryl or alkyl groups at the nitrogen atom could be efficiently reductively alkylated without the need for molecular hydrogen. The mechanism of this reaction, which shows complete selectivity for ethanol over other alcohols, has been studied experimentally and by means of DFT computations.

Exploring potentialities and limitations of stapled o-oligo(phenyleneethynylene)s (o-OPEs) as efficient circularly polarized luminescence emitters.

In this paper, we have studied the chiroptical properties of a family of o-oligo(phenyleneethynylene) (o-OPE) derivatives with different steric hindrance. Experimental results show high dissymmetry factors (gabs and glum up to 1.1 × 10-2 ) and very similar electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) for all the derivatives that make this basic o-OPE scaffold a robust pure organic emitter. Vibrational circular dichroism spectra are used to characterize conformational properties in solution. Density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory calculations support experimental results also proving that ECD and CPL are almost exclusively linked to helical moiety and not to size or conformation of substituents. As chiroptical properties of these emitters are independent of substituents, this OPE scaffold can be used as basic skeleton for the design of sensing probes with high CPL efficiencies.

Photoinduced Remote Functionalisations by Iminyl Radical Promoted C-C and C-H Bond Cleavage Cascades.

A photoinduced cascade strategy leading to a variety of differentially functionalised nitriles and ketones has been developed. These reactions rely on the oxidative generation of iminyl radicals from simple oximes. Radical transposition by C(sp3 )-(sp3 ) and C(sp3 )-H bond cleavage gives access to distal carbon radicals that undergo SH 2 functionalisations. These mild, visible-light-mediated procedures can be used for remote fluorination, chlorination, and azidation, and were applied to the modification of bioactive and structurally complex molecules.

Calcium-Catalyzed Synthesis of Polysubstituted 2-Alkenylfurans from ß-Keto Esters Tethered to Propargyl Alcohols.

An efficient synthesis of polysubstituted 2-alkenylfurans using Ca(NTf2 )2 /KPF6 as a catalytic mixture is described. It is based on the cycloelimination of readily available propargyl alcohols tethered to ß-keto esters under dry conditions to avoid competitive Meyer-Schuster rearrangement. The furan can be further functionalized in situ by a calcium-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts-type reaction with secondary and tertiary alcohols. The title reaction allows for the high-yielding preparation of di-, tri-, and tetrasubstituted 2-alkenylfurans, which are important subunits of bioactive compounds.

Stapled helical o-OPE foldamers as new circularly polarized luminescence emitters based on carbophilic interactions with Ag(i)-sensitivity.

ortho-Oligo(phenylene)ethynylenes (o-OPEs) stapled with enantiopure 2,3-dihydroxybutane diethers have highly intense circular dichroism (CD) spectra and excellent circular polarized luminescence (CPL) responses (glum values up to 1.1 × 10-2), which are consistent with homochiral helically folded structures. In the presence of Ag(i), a change in the CPL emission is observed, representing the first example of CPL active small organic molecular emitters, which can be modulated by carbophilic interactions in a reversible manner.

Toward Multiple Conductance Pathways with Heterocycle-Based Oligo(phenyleneethynylene) Derivatives.

In this paper, we have systematically studied how the replacement of a benzene ring by a heterocyclic compound in oligo(phenyleneethynylene) (OPE) derivatives affects the conductance of a molecular wire using the scanning tunneling microscope-based break junction technique. We describe for the first time how OPE derivatives with a central pyrimidine ring can efficiently link to the gold electrode by two pathways presenting two different conductance G values. We have demonstrated that this effect is associated with the presence of two efficient conductive pathways of different length: the conventional end-to-end configuration, and another with one of the electrodes linked directly to the central ring. This represents one of the few examples in which two defined conductive states can be set up in a single molecule without the aid of an external stimulus. Moreover, we have observed that the conductance through the full length of the heterocycle-based OPEs is basically unaffected by the presence of the heterocycle. All these results and the simplicity of the proposed molecules push forward the development of compounds with multiple conductance pathways, which would be a breakthrough in the field of molecular electronics.

Development of a new dual polarity and viscosity probe based on the foldamer concept.

Small molecular probes able to act as sensors are of enormous interest thanks to their multiple applications. Here, we report on the development of a novel supramolecular dual viscosity and polarity probe based on the foldamer concept, which increases the resolution limits of traditional probes at low viscosity values (0-4 mPa·s). The applicability of this new probe has been tested with a supramolecular organogel.

Ti(III)-catalyzed cyclizations of ketoepoxypolyprenes: control over the number of rings and unexpected stereoselectivities.

We describe a new strategy to control the number of cyclization steps in bioinspired radical (poly)cyclizations involving epoxypolyenes containing keto units positioned along the polyene chain. This approach provides an unprecedentedly straightforward access to natural terpenoids with pendant unsaturated side chains. Additionally, in the case of bi- and tricyclizations, decalins with cis stereochemistry have been obtained as a consequence of the presence of the ketone. The preferential formation of cis-fused adducts was rationalized using DFT calculations. This result is completely unprecedented in biomimetic cyclizations and permits the access to natural terpenoids with this stereochemistry, as well as to non-natural analogues.

Highly regioselective and chemoselective titanocene mediated Barbier-type allylation reactions.

Titanocene carboxylate 1 is an excellent chemoselective reagent for unprecedented α-regioselective Barbier-type reactions. It constitutes the first titanocene(III) able to tolerate epoxides and readily reduced carbonyl compounds, such as aromatic and α,ß-unsaturated aldehydes.

Thermally driven nanofuses based on organometallic rotors.

Molecular design of chromium arenes are theoretically studied as a model for the development of novel thermally-driven molecular fuses. This study correlates the switching event with a partial disconnection of the molecule from the metallic electrode mediated by changes in the conformational states of the molecule directed by external stimuli. Moreover, the reversibility of the process (the reconnection to the metallic electrode) is also considered for these systems when a reversal voltage pulse (reset) is applied. The energetic requirements of the on and off states are correlated with temperature through the Arrhenius equation. To carry out this study we performed density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Combining the power of Ti(III)-mediated processes for easy access to hydroxylated polycyclic terpenoids: synthesis of sesterstatin 1 and C-D rings of aspergilloxide.

A straightforward access to polyhydroxylated terpenoids based on two key titanocene(III)-mediated reactions is presented: the "head-to-tail" Barbier-type addition of prenyl chlorides to α,ß-unsaturated aldehydes, which allows the introduction of hydroxy groups at desirable positions of the acyclic precursor, and the subsequent bioinspired radical cyclisation. This methodology has been also used in the first total synthesis of pentacyclic sesterstatin 1 and a model compound of the C-D rings of aspergilloxide.

Mild method for the selective esterification of carboxylic acids based on the Garegg-Samuelsson reaction.

A mild method for the selective esterification of primary alcohols is described. The use of different phosphines, I(2), and imidazole allows the selective esterification of a wide variety of acids with excellent results. The generation of a bulky phosphonium-carboxylate salt as intermediate could justify the selectivity observed in this process. Additionally, amides also can be synthesized with use of this method.