Tuning the Electronic Properties of Acetylenic Fluorenes by Phosphaalkene Incorporation.

Versatile synthetic protocols for 2,7- and 3,6-diacetylenic fluorene-9-ylidene phosphanes (F9Ps) were developed. Protodesilylation of trimethylsilyl-protected acetylenic F9Ps affords terminal acetylenes that can be employed in Sonogashira and Glaser-type C-C coupling reactions to give thienyl-decorated and butadiyne-bridged fluorene-9-ylidene phosphanes, respectively. As evidenced by UV/Vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry and corroborated by ab initio calculations, the presence of the P center in the F9Ps induces a significantly reduced HOMO-LUMO splitting that originates from stabilization of the LUMO levels. Variation of the acetylene substitution pattern is an additional tool to influence the optical and electronic properties. Whereas 3,6-disubstituted F9Ps have strong absorptions around 400 nm, mainly due to π-π* transitions, 2,7-diacetylenic F9Ps exhibit longest-wavelength absorptions that have significant charge-transfer character with an onset around 520 nm.

Electrocyclization of phosphahexatrienes: an approach to λ5-phosphinines.

We experimentally verified an assumption that the substitution of a carbon atom with a pentavalent phosphorus atom in 1-alkoxy (dialkylamino) hexatrienes will not hamper its ability to electrocyclize. A series of 1-, 3-, and 5-phosphahexatrienes were synthesized. It was shown that parent λ(5)-phosphinines could be synthesized by electrocyclization of the 3- and 5-phosphahexatrienes. The resultant electrocyclization is a convenient method for the synthesis of parent λ(5)-phosphinines bearing different substituents on the phosphorus atom.