Methoxy functionalisation: exerting synthetic control of the supramolecular and electronic structure of nitrogen-doped nanographenes.

We describe a series of functionalized N-containing heterosuperbenzenes, created with a view to investigating the strategic role of methoxy substituents in (i) promoting cyclodehydrogenation and (ii) tuning the electronic properties and (iii) the supramolecular order in the resultant fused products.

Intriguing Diels-Alder products: chiral centres with an added twist.

Two chiral fluoranthene-based polyaromatics were isolated from a Diels-Alder cycloaddition between two molecules of 7,9-diphenylcyclopenta[a]acenapthylene-8-one. The two highly coloured, novel compounds were characterized by a combination of spectroscopic techniques and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Structural differences between the unexpected products included the nature of their conjugated fluoranthene portions and the position, strain and handedness of their chiral centres.

Thienyl directed polyaromatic C-C bond fusions: S-doped hexabenzocoronenes.

With a view to combining the desirable electronic and photochemical properties of hexabenzocoronene (HBC) and the C-C bond forming capabilities of thiophenes, 1-(3-thienyl)-2,3,4,5,6-penta(4-tert-butyl-phenyl)benzene (1) was oxidised using FeCl(3). The resulting products, superaromatic thiophene (2) and its 5,5'-dimer (3), are S-HBC systems and provide a new pair of spectral comparators.

Rhodium and palladium complexes of a pyridyl-centred polyphenylene derivative.

2-(2'-Pyridyl)-3,4,5,6-tetraphenylpyridine 2 (HL), a ligand with both N,N-bidentate and N,N,C-terdentate coordination potential, was prepared in excellent yield by the Diels-Alder [2+4] cycloaddition of 2-cyanopyridine and tetraphenylcyclopentadien-1-one. Monometallic Pd(II) and Rh(III) complexes were formed which exhibit both types of ligand coordination (trans-[RhCl2(L)(NCMe)] 3, cis-[RhCl(L)(NCMe)2]PF6, cis-[RhCl2(HL)2]PF6 6, [RhCl(L)(HL)]PF6 7, [Rh(L)2]PF6 8, [Pd(OAc)(L)] 9 and [Pd(eta3-methallyl)(HL)]PF6) 10. The molecular structures of the ligand and six complexes, including the chloro-bridged dimer [RhCl(L)(micro-Cl)]2 5, were obtained by single crystal X-ray diffraction.

Macropolyhedral boron-containing cluster chemistry. The unique nido-five-vertex--nido-ten-vertex conjuncto structure of [(eta5-C5Me5)2Rh2B11H15] via an unexpected cluster-dismantling.

B16H20 and [RhCl2(eta5-C5Me5)]2 with tmnd give [(eta5-C5Me5)2Rh2B11H15], which has an unprecedented thirteen-vertex macropolyhedral cluster core based on a nido ten-vertex {MB9} subcluster and a nido five-vertex {MB4} subcluster fused with their open-face {B2} edges in common.

Macropolyhedral boron-containing cluster chemistry. Cluster opening and B-frame rearrangement in the reaction of B(16)H(20) with [{(IrCl(2)(eta(5)-C(5)Me(5))}(2)]. Synchrotron X-ray structures of [(eta(5)-C(5)Me(5))(2)Ir(2)B(16)H(17)Cl] and [(eta(5)-C(5)Me(5))(2)Ir(2)B(16)H(15)Cl].

Products from the reaction of + nido ten-vertex : nido eight-vertex, B(16)H(20) with [{(IrCl(2)(eta(5)-C(5)Me(5))}(2)] and tmnd show unanticipated rearrangement of the starting {B(16)} skeleton, as exhibited by + nido ten-vertex : nido ten-vertex, [(eta(5)-C(5)Me(5))(2)Ir(2)B(16)H(17)Cl] which has a {B(2)} edge conjunction and by + nido ten-vertex : nido eleven-vertex, [(eta(5)-C(5)Me(5))(2)Ir(2)B(16)H(15)Cl] which has a {B(3)} face conjunction.

Macropolyhedral boron-containing cluster chemistry. Ligand-induced two-electron variations of intercluster bonding intimacy. Structures of nineteen-vertex [(eta5-C5Me5)HIrB18H19(PMe2Ph)] and the related carbene complex [(eta5-C5Me5)HIrB18H19[C(NHMe)2]].

Addition of PMe2Ph to fused-cluster syn-[(eta5-C5Me5)IrB18H20] 1 to give [(eta5-C5Me5)HIrB18H19(PMe2Ph)] 3 entails a diminution in the degree of intimacy of the intercluster fusion, rather than retention of inter-subcluster binding intimacy and a nido-->arachno conversion of the character of either of the subclusters. Reaction with MeNC gives [(eta5-C5Me5)HIrB18H19[C(NHMe)2]] 4 which has a similar structure, but with the ligand now being the carbene [:C(NHMe)2], resulting from a reductive assembly reaction involving two MeNC residues and the loss of a carbon atom.