Speed Tuning of the Formation/Dissociation of a Metallorotaxane.

Switching between the formation/dissociation of rotaxanes is important to control the function of various types of rotaxane-based materials. We have developed a convenient and simple strategy, the so-called "accelerator addition", to make a static rotaxane dynamic without apparently affecting the chemical structure. As an interlocked molecule that enables tuning of the formation/dissociation speed, a metallorotaxane was quantitatively generated by the complexation of a triptycene-based dumbbell-shaped mononuclear complex, [PdL2 ]2+ (L=2,3-diaminotriptycene), with 27C9. As a result of the inertness of the Pd2+ -based coordination structure, the metallorotaxane was slowly formed (the static state). This rotaxane formation was accelerated 27 times simply by adding Br- as an accelerator (the dynamic state). A similar drastic acceleration was also demonstrated during the dissociation process when Cs+ was added to the metallorotaxane to form the free axle [PdL2 ]2+ and the 27C9-Cs+ complex.

[Development of External Stimuli-responsive Organic π Molecules and the Creation of Novel Photo-functions].

We have found that the spiro form of aminobenzopyranoxanthene (ABPX) exhibits dual solvatochromic and nanoaggregate fluorescence in organic solvents by spectrophotometric and theoretical analyses. The dual fluorescence properties of ABPX were adjustable in response to water content, and served as a new detection principal for naked-eye visualization (above 0.5 wt%) and quantification (0.010-0.125 wt%) of water in tetrahydrofuran. In investigating the optical properties of a dicationic form of ABPX, ABPX containing linear n-alkyl chains at amino groups were then synthesized. These ABPX exhibited fluorescence emission in the far-red and NIR wavelength regions, and we noted an increased fluorescence quantum efficiency with increasing n-alkyl chain length. To further improve the fluorescence quantum yields, we have designed and synthesized ABPX with different nitrogen-containing fused rings. It was kinetically demonstrated that the structurally rigid conjugation of the xanthene moiety is an effective molecular design for the drastic enhancement of fluorescence emission efficiency.