BODIPY-derived photoremovable protecting groups unmasked with green light.

Photoremovable protecting groups derived from meso-substituted BODIPY dyes release acetic acid with green wavelengths >500 nm. Photorelease is demonstrated in cultured S2 cells. The photocaging structures were identified by our previously proposed strategy of computationally searching for carbocations with low-energy diradical states as a possible indicator of a nearby productive conical intersection. The superior optical properties of these photocages make them promising alternatives to the popular o-nitrobenzyl photocage systems.

Inverted substrate preferences for photochemical heterolysis arise from conical intersection control.

Heterolytic bond scission is a staple of chemical reactions. While qualitative and quantitative models exist for understanding the thermal heterolysis of carbon-leaving group (C-LG) bonds, no general models connect structure to reactivity for heterolysis in the excited state. CASSCF conical intersection searches were performed to investigate representative systems that undergo photoheterolysis to generate carbocations. Certain classes of unstabilized cations are found to have structurally nearby, low-energy conical intersections, whereas stabilized cations are found to have high-energy, unfavorable conical intersections. The former systems are often favored from photochemical heterolysis, whereas the latter are favored from thermal heterolysis. These results suggest that the frequent inversion of the substrate preferences for nonadiabatic photoheterolysis reactions arises from switching from transition-state control in thermal heterolysis reactions to conical intersection control for photochemical heterolysis reactions. The elevated ground-state surfaces resulting from generating unstabilized or destabilized cations, in conjunction with stabilized excited-state surfaces, can lead to productive conical intersections along the heterolysis reaction coordinate.

Noncovalent catch and release of carboxylates in water.

Association constants of a bis-(acetylguanidinium)ferrocene dication to various (di)carboxylates were determined through UV-vis titrations. Association constant values greater than 10(4) M(-1) were determined for both phthalate and maleate carboxylates to the bis-(acetylguanidinium)ferrocene salt in pure water. Density functional theory computations of the binding enthalpy of the rigid carboxylates for these complexes agree well with the experimentally determined association constants. Catch and release competitive binding experiments were done by NMR for the cation-carboxylate ion-pair complexes with cucurbit[7]uril, and they show dissociation of the ion-pair complex upon addition of cucurbit[7]uril and release of the free (di)carboxylate.

A noncovalently reversible paramagnetic switch in water.

We report an organo-paramagnetic switch consisting of a linked bis(viologen) dication diradical that can be cycled reversibly between diamagnetic and paramagnetic states via noncovalent guest-host chemistry with cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) in room-temperature water. Computations suggest that the nature of the interaction between the viologen cation radical units is that of a pi dimer (pimer). Molecules with switchable magnetic properties have possible applications in spintronics, data storage devices, chemical sensors, building blocks for materials with switchable bulk magnetic properties, as well as magnetic resonance probes for biological applications.

Pincher ferrocene-derived cation carboxylate ion pairs in aqueous DMSO.

Pincher cationic ferrocene hosts for carboxylate ion guests were synthesized and the binding constants were determined by NMR or UV-Vis titrations. These (di)cationic hosts form tight complexes with benzoate or acetate even in competitive aqueous DMSO solvent. A bis(acylguanidinium) ferrocene dication achieves a remarkable Ka of ~10(6) M(-1) to acetate in 9 : 1 DMSO-H2O and a Ka of 850 M(-1) in neat D2O, one of the highest association constants known for a carboxylate complex exploiting only electrostatic interactions in neat water. DFT computations of the binding enthalpy are in good agreement with the experimentally determined association constants. The ferrocene backbone used in these pincher complexes may prove to be a useful semi-flexible scaffold for redox detectable/switchable self-assemblies in aqueous solutions.