Synthesis and Self‐Assembled Helical Supramolecular Polymer of Ethyl 7,8‐dihydro‐3‐hydroxy‐9‐methyl‐7‐(4′‐nitrophenyl)‐6H‐dibenzo[c]‐ pyran‐6‐one‐8‐carboxylate

Abstract

ABSTRACTA structurally novel compound was isolated as the main product of tandem Pechmann–dehydration between diethyl 4‐hydroxy‐4‐methyl‐2‐(4′‐nitrophenyl)‐6‐oxocyclohexane‐1,3‐dicarboxylate (1) and resorcinol in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid. The structure of the product was determined as a racemate of (7R,8R)‐ and (7S,8S)‐ethyl 7,8‐dihydro‐3‐hydroxy‐9‐methyl‐7‐(4′‐nitrophenyl)‐6H‐dibenzo[c]‐pyran‐6‐one‐8‐carboxylate (3a) enantiomers by single crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. The X‐ray crystal structure revealed that 3a possesses an extended and more stable conjugated aromatic system as a consequence of the stereoselectivity of intramolecular dehydration behavior of Pechmann condensation product 2. In the crystal superstructure, the (7R,8R)‐ and (7S,8S)‐isomers of 3a respectively self‐assembled into left‐ and right‐handed supramolecular helical chains with a channel size of 3.70 Å × 10.20 Å in virtue of intermolecular hydrogen bonding together with dramatic twisting between carboxylate group at C8 and tricyclic ring framework of 3a, which are then arranged alternatively along the b‐axis direction with a pitch length of 7.894 Å.