Colour and constitution of conjugate bases of benzodifurantrione, its ring-opened derivatives and benzodifuranone dye analogues.

The observation of ready deprotonation of the phenylogous enol of benzodifurantrione (BDT) to give a bright violet conjugate base has led to two follow up explorations. Extension of BDT enol by insertion of a p-phenylene unit into the enol C-O bond gives the known bright red 4-hydroxylated benzodifuranone dyes. Their deprotonation results in previously unreported near infrared-absorbing conjugate bases. These appear to aggregate in solution, the more so in less polar solvents. Ring-opened derivatives of BDT containing α-dicarbonyl substituents also give coloured conjugate bases, but α-keto-ester and -anilide derivatives differ substantially (ester yellow; anilide intense red). Investigation of this nonintuitive difference leads to the conclusion that while the anilide is essentially planar the ester is nonplanar. The contrast in conformation impacts on the auxochromic effects of the otherwise closely related α-dicarbonyl substituents and thus the variation in colour. The latter observation has potential across colour chemistry in general. In contrast to the readily observed BDT enol, no evidence has been adduced for enol tautomers amongst the ring-opened analogues.

Nickel(II) and palladium(II) complexes of azobenzene-containing ligands as dichroic dyes.

A large series of complexes has been synthesized with two chelating, Schiff base azobenzene derivatives connected linearly by coordination to a central nickel(II) or palladium(II) ion. These compounds have the general formulas M(II)(OC(6)H(3)-2-CHNR-4-N═NC(6)H(4)-4-CO(2)Et)(2) [M = Ni; R = n-Bu (3c), n-C(6)H(13) (3d), n-C(8)H(17) (3e), n-C(12)H(25) (3f), Ph (3g), OH (3h), C(6)H(4)-4-CO(2)Et (3i). M = Pd; R = i-Pr (4a), t-Bu (4b), n-Bu (4c), n-C(6)H(13) (4d), n-C(8)H(17) (4e), n-C(12)H(25) (4f), Ph (4g)], M(II)[OC(6)H(3)-2-CHN(n-C(8)H(17))-4-N═NC(6)H(4)-4-CO(2)(n-C(8)H(17))](2) [M = Ni (9), Pd (10)], M(II)[OC(6)H(3)-2-CHN(n-C(8)H(17))-4-N═NC(6)H(4)-4-C(6)H(4)-4-O(n-C(7)H(15))](2) [M = Ni (14), Pd (15)], and M(II)[OC(6)H(3)-2-CHN(CMe(2))-4-N═NC(6)H(4)-4-CO(2)Et](2) [M = Ni (17), Pd (18); the CMe(2) groups are connected]. These compounds have been characterized by using various physical techniques including (1)H NMR spectroscopy and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry. Single-crystal X-ray structures have been obtained for two pro-ligands and five complexes (3e, 4e, 14, 15, and 17). The latter always show a strictly square planar arrangement about the metal center, except for the Ni(II) complex of a salen-like ligand (17). In solution, broadened (1)H NMR signals indicate distortions from square planar geometry for the bis-chelate Ni(II) complexes. Electronic absorption spectroscopy and ZINDO_S (Zerner's intermediate neglect of differential overlap) and TD-DFT (time-dependent density functional theory) calculations show that the lowest energy transition has metal-to-ligand charge-transfer character. The λ(max) of this band lies in the range of 409-434 nm in dichloromethane, and replacing Ni(II) with Pd(II) causes small blue-shifts. Dichroic ratios measured in various liquid crystal hosts show complexation-induced increases with Ni(II), but using Pd(II) has a detrimental effect.

Benzodifurantrione: a stable phenylogous enol.

The first example of a stable phenylogous enol, resulting from an extended keto-enol tautomerization across a benzene ring, is described. The enol has been isolated, and its structure was proven by X-ray crystallography. The equilibrium between the keto- and enol-tautomers has been extensively studied and quantified in solution by NMR and UV-vis spectroscopy. The position of equilibrium showed a linear correlation to the Kamlet-Taft solvatochromic scale for solvent H-bond acceptor strength (beta(OmicronEta)), and the equilibrium was proven to be fully dynamic, obeying first-order equilibrium kinetics. To attempt to explain why enolization occurs, at what surprisingly appears to be the expense of aromatic resonance stabilization, various structural features have been considered and explored further with the aid of MO calculations. Nucleus independent chemical shift (NICS) index of aromaticity calculations for each of the rings comprising both tautomers showed that while the central benzene ring loses aromaticity on enolization, the alpha-keto-lactone ring showed an unexpected and significant antiaromaticity in the keto-tautomer, which is by no means intuitive. The loss of stabilization energy associated with the central benzene ring is, therefore, to a certain degree compensated by removal of the antiaromatic destabilization of the alpha-keto-lactone ring rendering the two structures much closer in energy than would otherwise be expected.

Direct synthesis of sulfonated azacalixarenes in water.

Successive treatment of cyanuric chloride with two aromatic diamines, at least one of them sulfonated, yields water-soluble sulfonated azacalix[4]arenes which may be isolated by crystallisation. Functionalised azacalixarenes may be made by first displacing two chloro substituents from the cyclisation precursor. Attempted formation of an azacalix[6]arene led to a dimeric species for which two structures may be proposed, one of them an azacalixarene catenane.

Structural characterisation of the photoisomers of reactive sulfonated azo dyes by NMR spectroscopy and DFT calculations.

1H NMR spectroscopy coupled with in situ laser irradiation has been used together with density functional theory (DFT) computation to examine the structures of the photoisomers of a series of sulfonated reactive azo dyes. Assignment of 1H NMR spectra acquired at the photostationary state has allowed, for the first time, NMR characterisation of unstable cis isomers of commercially relevant water-soluble azo dyes. Structural features of the two isomeric forms predicted by DFT calculations are clearly reflected in the experimental NMR data. The trans-cis photoisomerisation process could be unambiguously identified in each case, based on the large chemical shift change observed for resonances associated with aromatic protons adjacent to the azo linkage.

Solvatochromism of Mono- and Dimolybdenum Coordination Compounds of Dipyridyloctatetraene and Linear Solvation Energy Relationship Models Based on the Kamlet-Taft and Drago Scales of Solvent Polarity.

The heteroleptic molybdenum complexes [{Mo(NO)TpX}(n)()(L-L)] [Tp = HB(3,5-Me(2)C(3)HN(2))(3); X = Cl, I; L-L = 4-NC(5)H(4)(CH=CH)(4)C(5)H(4)N-4', n = 1, 2; X = Cl; L-L = {4,4'-NC(5)H(4)CH=CHC(Me)=CHCH=}(2), n = 2] have a low energy absorbance in their electronic spectra which exhibits solvatochromic shifts. These have been analyzed quantitatively by means of linear solvation energy relationships based on Kamlet-Taft solvatochromism parameters, as well as on Drago's "unified scale of solvent polarity". Each of these approaches leads to satisfactory linear models, in qualitative agreement with one another. The solvatochromism is due to a combination of increased solvent dipolarity/polarizability and solvent-to-solute hydrogen bonding, each preferentially stabilizing polar ground states compared with less polar excited states. The latter originate from metal-to-ligand charge transfer. Quantitatively, the Drago and Kamlet-Taft models differ somewhat. The former are statistically slightly better than those based on Kamlet-Taft parameters.