ABSTRACT
Despite the outstanding relevance of proton transfer reactions, investigations of the solvent dependence on the elementary step are scarce. We present here a probe system of a pyrene-based photoacid and a phosphine oxide, which forms stable hydrogen-bonded complexes in aprotic solvents of a broad polarity range. By using a photoacid, an excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) along the hydrogen bond can be triggered by a photon and observed via fluorescence spectroscopy. Two emission bands could be identified and assigned to the complexed photoacid (CPX) and the hydrogen-bonded ion pair (HBIP) by a solvatochromism analysis based on the Lippert-Mataga model. The latter indicates that the difference in the change of the permanent dipole moment of the two species upon excitation is â¼3 D. This implies a displacement of the acidic hydrogen by â¼65 pm, which is in quantitative agreement with a change of the hydrogen bond configuration from O-H···O to -O···H-O+.
ABSTRACT
Photoacids are the most convenient way to deliver protons on demand. So far, their photoacidity allows for studying excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) only to protic or strongly basic solvent molecules. The strongest superphotoacids known so far exhibit excited-state lifetimes of their conjugate base on the order of 100 ps before recapturing the proton again. Here, we describe how we developed a new aminopyrene-based superphotoacid with an excited-state lifetime of its conjugate base of several nanoseconds. It will be shown by fluorescence titration and via Förster cycle that the excited-state acidity is as high as concentrated sulfuric acid and thus exceeding any previous photoacidity by several orders of magnitude. Its outstanding chemical stability and fluorescent properties make it suitable for time-resolved proton-transfer studies in concentrated mineral acids and organic solvents of low basicity.
ABSTRACT
A series of aryl disilenes Tip2Si[double bond, length as m-dash]Si(Tip)Ar (2a-c) and para-arylene bridged tetrasiladienes, Tip2Si[double bond, length as m-dash]Si(Tip)-LU-Si(Tip)[double bond, length as m-dash]SiTip2 (3a-d) are synthesized by the transfer of the Tip2Si[double bond, length as m-dash]SiTip unit to aryl halides and dihalides by nucleophilic disilenides Tip2Si[double bond, length as m-dash]SiTipLi (Tip = 2,4,6-iPr3C6H2, Ar = aryl substituent, LU = para-arylene linking unit). The scope of the nucleophilic Si[double bond, length as m-dash]Si transfer reaction is demonstrated to also include substrates of considerable steric bulk such as mesityl or duryl halides Ar-X (Ar = Mes = 2,4,6-Me3C6H2; Ar = Dur = 2,3,5,6-Me4C6H, X = Br or I). Bridged tetrasiladienes Tip2Si[double bond, length as m-dash]Si(Tip)-LU-Si(Tip)[double bond, length as m-dash]SiTip2 with more extended linking units surprisingly exhibit fluorescence at room temperature, albeit weak. DFT calculations suggest that partial charge transfer character of the excited state is a possible explanation.
