Metal Acetylacetonates Research Articles

Facile Fabrication of Silica Glass Embedded with NiO Nanoparticles by 3D Printing Technology and its Optical Nonlinearity

Metal and metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) embedded in glass matrixes exhibit special optical, electrical, or magnetic properties. Despite various approaches of encapsulating NPs in different kinds of glasses to prepare functional composite materials, there still exist challenges in fabricating efficiency and performance for silica glass made by traditional methods, such as sol–gel or melt quenching. Herein, the authors report a facile way to fabricate metal oxide NP‐doped silica glass by digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing technology for the first time. Different from common ion doping in silica glass, metal acetylacetonates that can be thermally decomposed to corresponding metal oxides innocuously, are chosen as a general precursor. Then, the representative nickel(II) acetylacetonate is introduced during the 3D printing process. The subsequent heat treatment generates a homogeneous distribution of NiO NPs in silica glass and it also exhibits optical nonlinear effect. The results provide a facile method for developing functional metal oxide‐doped glasses as well as the freeform fabrication of optoelectronic devices based on them.

Green Alternatives to Zinc Dialkyldithiophosphates: Vanadium Oxide-Based Additives.

A functionalized vanadyl(IV) acetylacetonate (acac) complex has been found to be a superior and highly effective antiwear agent, affording remarkable wear protection, compared to the current industry standard, zinc dialkyldithiophosphates (ZDDPs). Analysis of vanadium speciation and the depth profile of the active tribofilms by a combination of X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) analyses indicated a mixed-valence oxide composite, comprising V(III), V(IV), and V(V) species. A marked difference in composition between the bulk and the surfaces of the tribofilms was found. The vanadyl(VI) acac precursor has the potential to reduce or even replace ZDDP, which would represent a paradigm shift in the antiwear agent design. A major benefit relative to ZDDPs is the absence of S and P moieties, eliminating the potential for forming noxious and environmentally harmful byproducts of these elements.

Preparation, Aromaticity, and Bromination of Spiro Iridafurans.

Iridium centers of [Ir(μ-Cl)(C8H14)2]2 (1) activate the Cβ(sp2)-H bond of benzylideneacetone to give [Ir(μ-Cl){κ2-C,O-[C(Ph)CHC(Me)O]}2]2 (2), which is the starting point for the preparation of the spiro iridafurans IrCl{κ2-C,O-[C(Ph)CHC(Me)O]}2(PiPr3) (3), [Ir{κ2-C,O-[C(Ph)CHC(Me)O]}2(MeCN)2]BF4 (4), [Ir(μ-OH){κ2-C,O-[C(Ph)CHC(Me)O]}2]2 (5), Ir{κ2-C,O-[C(Ph)CHC(Me)O]}2{κ2-C,N-[C6MeH3-py]} (6), and Ir{κ2-C,O-[C(Ph)CHC(Me)O]}2{κ2-O,O-[acac]} (7). The five-membered rings are orthogonally arranged with the oxygen atoms in trans in an octahedral environment of the iridium atom. Spiro iridafurans are aromatic. The degree of aromaticity and the negative charge of the CH-carbon of the rings depend on ligand trans to the carbon directly attached to the metal. Aromaticity has been experimentally confirmed by bromination of iridafurans with N-bromosuccinimide (NBS). Reactions are sensitive to the degree of aromaticity of the ring and the negative charge of the attacked CH-carbon. Iridafurans can be selectively brominated, when different ligands lie trans to metalated carbons. Bromination of 3 occurs in the ring with the metalated carbon trans to chloride, whereas the bromination of 6 takes place in the ring with the metalated carbon trans to pyridyl. The first gives IrCl{κ2-C,O-[C(Ph)CBrC(Me)O]}{κ2-C,O-[C(Ph)CHC(Me)O]}(PiPr3) (8), which reacts with more NBS to form IrCl{κ2-C,O-[C(Ph)CBrC(Me)O]}2(PiPr3) (9). The second yields Ir{κ2-C,O-[C(Ph)CBrC(Me)O]}{κ2-C,O-[C(Ph)CHC(Me)O]}{κ2-C,N-[C6MeH3-py]} (10). The origin of the selectivity is kinetic, with the rate-determining step of the reaction being the NBS attack. The activation energy depends on the negative charge of the attacked atom; a higher negative charge allows for a lower activation energy. Accordingly, complex 7 undergoes bromination in the acetylacetonate ligand, giving Ir{κ2-C,O-[C(Ph)CHC(Me)O]}2{κ2-O,O-[acacBr]} (11).

A Platinum(II) Boron-dipyrromethene Complex for Cellular Imaging and Mitochondria-targeted Photodynamic Therapy in Red Light.

Cisplatin-derived platinum(II) complexes [Pt(NH3 )2 (pacac)](NO3 ) (1, DPP-Pt) and [Pt(NH3 )2 (Acac-RB)](NO3 ) (2, Acacplatin-RB), where Hpacac is 1,3-diphenyl-1,3-propanedione and HAcac-RB is a red-light active distyryl-BODIPY-appended acetylacetone ligand, are prepared, characterized and their photodynamic therapy (PDT) activity studied (RB abbreviated for red-light BODIPY). Complex 2 displayed an intense absorption band at λ=652 nm (ϵ=7.3×104 M-1 cm-1 ) and 601 nm (ϵ=3.1×104 M-1 cm-1 ) in 1 : 1 DMSO-DPBS (Dulbecco's Phosphate Buffered Saline). Its emission profile includes a broad maximum at ~673 nm (λex =630 nm). The fluorescence quantum yield (ΦF ) of HAcac-RB and 2 are 0.19 and 0.07, respectively. Dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate and 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran assay of complex 2 indicated photogeneration of singlet oxygen (ΦΔ : 0.36) as reactive oxygen species (ROS). Light irradiation caused only minor extent of ligand release forming chemo-active cisplatin analogue. The complex showed ~70-100 fold enhancement in cytotoxicity on light exposure in A549 lung cancer cells and MDA-MB-231 multidrug resistant breast cancer cells, giving half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50 ) of 0.9-1.8 μM. Confocal imaging showed its mitochondrial localization and complex 2 exhibited anti-metastasis properties. Immunostaining of β-tubulin and Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide staining displayed complex 2 induced photo-selective microtubule rupture and cellular apoptosis, respectively.

Fragmentation of metal(II) bis(acetylacetonate) complexes induced by slow electrons.

Nowadays, organometallic complexes receive particular attention because of their use in the design of pure nanoscale metal structures. In the present work, we present results obtained from a series of studies on the degradation of metal(II) bis(acetylacetonate)s induced by low-energy electrons. These slow particles induce the formation of the acetylacetonate anion, [acac]-, and the parent anion as the most dominant species at incident electron energies near 0 eV. They also fragment the organometallic compounds via various competitive reaction channels that occur at higher energies via dissociative electron attachment. The reported data may contribute to a better understanding of the physical chemistry underlying the electron-molecule interactions, which is crucial for potential applications of these molecular systems in the deposition of nanoscale structures.

Magnetic behavior of in-situ synthesized iron oxides in mesoporous graphite matrix

Microwave irradiation-induced synthesis of nanomaterials offers large-scale fabrication by in-situ decomposition of organo-metallic complexes through a variety of solvents. But there are limited attempts to fabricate them using a solvent-free environment. In the present work, we have reported successfully pyrolysis of ferric acetylacetonate complex to produce iron oxide using mesoporous graphite (MG) under microwave irradiation without assistance of solvent. The two-step synthesis consists of the preparation of mesoporous graphite using mild conditions of Hummer’s method and its composite with ferric oxides was done by heating mesoporous graphite with ferric acetylacetonate in a domestic microwave oven. The preliminary magnetic behavior of in-situ synthesized mesoporous graphite (MG) composite with mixed ferric oxides was studied. The room temperature magnetic behavior of the as-prepared composite exhibited saturation magnetization of 11.27 emu-g-1. The Formation of α-Fe2O3 and γ-Fe2O3 along with particle size distribution and dispersion was evaluated through detailed structural characterization. Our study shows mesoporous graphite acts not only as a substrate but also as a microwave receptor. This can extend the avenues of existing carbonaceous materials in converting microwave energy into thermal energy.

Block Copolymer-Templated, Single-Step Synthesis of Transition Metal Oxide Nanostructures for Sensing Applications.

The synthesis of transition metal oxide nanostructures, thanks to their high surface-to-volume ratio and the resulting large fraction of surface atoms with high catalytic activity, is of prime importance for the development of new sensors and catalytic materials. Here, we report an economical, time-efficient, and easily scalable method of fabricating nanowires composed of vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, and cobalt oxides by employing simultaneous block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly and selective sequestration of metal-organic acetylacetonate complexes within one of the BCP blocks. We discuss the mechanism and the primary factors that are responsible for the sequestration and conformal replication of the BCP template by the inorganic material that is obtained after the polymer template is removed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) studies indicate that the metal oxidation state in the nanowires produced by plasma ashing the BCP template closely matches that of the precursor complex and that their structure is amorphous, thus requiring high-temperature annealing in order to sinter them into a crystalline form. Finally, we demonstrate how the developed nanowire array fabrication scheme can be used to rapidly pattern a multilayered iron oxide nanomesh, which we then used to construct a prototype volatile organic compound sensor.

A cyclometalated N-heterocyclic carbene and acetylacetonate ligands in a phosphorescent Pt(II) dye for sensing glucose

New β-diketonate platinum (II) complexes, containing a cyclometalated N-heterocyclic carbene [Pt(Naph^C*iPr)(acac)] (3A) (HNaph^C*-κC* = 3-isopropyl-1-(naphthalen-2-yl)-1H-imidazole-2-ylidene), or a cyclometalated pyrazole, [Pt(Naph^Npz)(acac)] (3B) (HC^Npz = 1-(naphthalen-2-yl)-1H-pyrazole) and [Pt(Naph^Ndmpz)(acac)] (3B') (HC^Ndmpz = 1-(naphthalen-2-yl)-1H-3,5-dimethylpyrazole) have been prepared and characterized. Their absorption and emission properties in films of ethyl cellulose (EC) were determined along with those of the already reported for complex [Pt(Naph^C*Me)(acac)] (3A'). They showed that all four β-diketonate complexes display a bright phosphorescent emission with maxima in the blue region (λmax ∼ 480 nm for 3A and 3A'; 490 nm 3B and 3B'). The higher quantum yield (QY), longer decay times and greater oxygen sensitivity were exhibited by the Naph^C* derivatives, compared to the Naph^N ones. Polyacrylamide membranes with entrapped 3A' as dye, and glucose oxidase (GOx) enzyme were used for monitoring glucose level. The RSD is about 5% and the detection limit is at ∼5·10−4 M, with a response time usually of 10–15 min working in stop-flow mode. These platinum-based membranes respond reversibly to glucose for, at least, 20 measures. 3A’ is the first Pt(II) complex bearing a cyclometalated N-heterocyclic carbene ever used as dye for sensing glucose.

Breaking through the Thermodynamics “Wilds” of Metal–Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition Precursors: Metal tris-Acetylacetonates

Metal acetylacetonates belong to the β-diketonate family and are considered as classics among precursors for metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The success of film preparation is crucially dependent on the volatilization thermodynamics of the precursors used. Data on the volatilization thermodynamics of metal acetylacetonates are in huge disarray. We amassed and analyzed experimental data on the vapor pressures and on the enthalpies and entropies of fusion, vaporization, and sublimation of acetylacetonate tris-complexes of metals(III) (Al, Sc, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ru, Rh, In, and Ir) available in the literary sources. In addition, saturated vapor pressures over crystalline Al(III), Cr(III), and In(III) acetylacetonates and corresponding thermodynamic sublimation properties were determined. New findings enabled us to arbitrate the conflict among literature data. The enthalpies and entropies of sublimation, vaporization, and fusion were adjusted to the reference temperature for a correct comparison using the empirically estimated differences in heat capacities. The heat capacity of the crystalline phase was shown to depend weakly on the metal atom. As a result, a reliable set of enthalpies and entropies of the mentioned processes of fundamental importance was derived for ten metal complexes. Relationships between volatility and structure were established depending on the central metal. The suggested algorithm can be fairly easily transferred to the acetylacetonate or other β-diketonate isoligand complexes with metals of different valence.

Electronic Structure of the Complete Series of Gas-Phase Manganese Acetylacetonates by X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy.

Metal centers in transition metal-ligand complexes occur in a variety of oxidation states causing their redox activity and therefore making them relevant for applications in physics and chemistry. The electronic state of these complexes can be studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy, which is, however, due to the complex spectral signature not always straightforward. Here, we study the electronic structure of gas-phase cationic manganese acetylacetonate complexes Mn(acac)1-3+ using X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the metal center and ligand constituents. The spectra are well reproduced by multiconfigurational wave function theory, time-dependent density functional theory as well as parameterized crystal field and charge transfer multiplet simulations. This enables us to get detailed insights into the electronic structure of ground-state Mn(acac)1-3+ and extract empirical parameters such as crystal field strength and exchange coupling from X-ray excitation at both the metal and ligand sites. By comparison to X-ray absorption spectra of neutral, solvated Mn(acac)2,3 complexes, we also show that the effect of coordination on the L3 excitation energy, routinely used to identify oxidation states, can contribute about 40-50% to the observed shift, which for the current study is 1.9 eV per oxidation state.

Application of the [WO2(C5H7O2)2] Complex in Hydrothermal Synthesis of WO3 Film and Study of Its Electrochromic Properties

The goal of this work was the synthesis study of the [WO2(C5H7O2)2] complex and its application as a precursor for the growth of WO3 films in hydrothermal conditions, as well as evaluating the microstructural features and electrochromic properties of the formed materials. Dioxotungsten acetylacetonate was synthesized in an aqueous medium and purified. It was found that during hydrothermal treatment of the alcohol solution of the complex, acetylacetonate ligands undergo partial destructive substitution by alkoxyl groups, intensifying at temperatures above 140 °C. Considering these data and using a [WO2(C5H7O2)2] solution, WO3 films were grown on glass and glass/ITO substrates. The resulting films had different microstructures according to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM): the former consisted of submicron spheres (~500 nm), distinct nanoparticles (60–160 nm), and submicron- and micron-sized ridges, while the latter consisted of 1D structures (length 350 ± 25 nm, width 110 ± 25 nm). Using Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), the electron work function was determined for the film on glass/ITO substrate (4.77 eV). It was found that the electrochemical coloration process of the obtained WO3 film can proceed in two stages, and the optical contrast is about 17.5% (at the wavelengths of 600–1100 nm). The results obtained show the prospects of applying the proposed approach to obtaining WO3 electrochromic films with a hierarchical microstructure with the hydrothermal method using the [WO2(C5H7O2)2] complex as a precursor.

Solubility of iron(III) and nickel(II) acetylacetonates in supercritical carbon dioxide

As a common precursor for supercritical CO2 (scCO2) deposition techniques, solubility data of organometallic complexes in scCO2 is crucial for the preparation of nanocomposites. Recently, metal acetylacetonates have shown great potential for the preparation of single-atom catalytic materials. In this study, the solubilities of iron(III) acetylacetonate (Fe(acac)3) and nickel(II) acetylacetonate (Ni(acac)2) were measured at the temperature from 313.15 to 333.15 K and in the pressure range of 9.5–25.2 MPa to accumulate new solubility data. Solubility was measured using a static weight loss method. The semi-empirical models proposed by Chrastil and Sung et al. were used to correlate the solubility data of Fe(acac)3 and Ni(acac)2. The equations obtained can be used to predict the solubility of the same system in the experimental range.

Crystal structure of selenium-substituted acetylacetonates of boron difluoride

The molecular and crystal structure of boron difluoride acetylacetonates containing selenophenyl (1), diselenide (2) and selenocyanate groups (3) at the central carbon atom (γ) has been determined. As a result of comparing the structure of selenium- and sulfur-substituted complexes, it is shown that the replacement of a sulfur atom with a selenium atom practically does not change the relative position of substituents and chelate cycles, as well as the values of the main angles. The packing of complexes 2 and 3 in crystals repeats the packing of sulfur-containing analogues. For phenyl-substituted selenide and sulfide, the crystals are not isostructural. In the diselenide complex 2 molecules crystallize in pairs with one chelate cycle of each molecule participating in pair formation. The pairs are linked by an interaction similar to the stacking interaction. The second chelate cycle of each molecule in the pair does not participate in intermolecular interactions. In the acetylacetonate complexes studied, the chelate rings are not planar. These cycles have a “boat” conformation. The magnitude of bending of the cycle is determined by intermolecular interactions.

Interaction of Polyphenylsilsesquioxane with Various β-Diketonate Complexes of Titanium by Mechanochemical Activation

In the present work, we studied the interaction of polyphenylsilsesquioxane with various β-diketonate complexes of titanium by mechanochemical activation. Polyphenylsilsesquioxane, bis-(2,4-pentanedionate) titanium dichloride, bis-(1-phenyl-1,3-butanedionate) titanium dichloride, and bis-(1,3-diphenyl-1,3-propanedionate) titanium dichloride were used as starting reagents. Various chemical and physicochemical methods of analysis were used to study the synthesis products. The composition of the obtained compounds has been determined. It is shown that under conditions of mechanochemical activation, high-molecular-weight products with a Si/Ti ratio different from the specified ones are formed. In addition, under the action of mechanical stresses, the initial titanium complexes (except for acetylacetonate complex) polymerize with the formation of coordination of high-molecular-weight compounds, which are destroyed by the addition of ethyl alcohol. It has been established that with an increase in the volume of the organic ligand, titanium atoms enter the polymer siloxane chain to a lesser extent. This work is aimed at finding efficient and environmentally friendly methods for the synthesis and modification of organometallic macromolecular compounds.

Novel Route to Cationic Palladium(II)-Cyclopentadienyl Complexes Containing Phosphine Ligands and Their Catalytic Activities.

The Pd(II) complexes [Pd(Cp)(L)n]m[BF4]m were synthesized via the reaction of cationic acetylacetonate complexes with cyclopentadiene in the presence of BF3∙OEt2 (n = 2, m = 1: L = PPh3 (1), P(p-Tol)3, tris(ortho-methoxyphenyl)phosphine (TOMPP), tri-2-furylphosphine, tri-2-thienylphosphine; n = 1, m = 1: L = dppf, dppp (2), dppb (3), 1,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)pentane; n = 1, m = 2 or 3: 1,6-bis(diphenylphosphino)hexane). Complexes 1-3 were characterized using X-ray diffractometry. The inspection of the crystal structures of the complexes enabled the recognition of (Cp-)⋯(Ph-group) and (Cp-)⋯(CH2-group) interactions, which are of C-H…π nature. The presence of these interactions was confirmed theoretically via DFT calculations using QTAIM analysis. The intermolecular interactions in the X-ray structures are non-covalent in origin with an estimated energy of 0.3-1.6 kcal/mol. The cationic palladium catalyst precursors with monophosphines were found to be active catalysts for the telomerization of 1,3-butadiene with methanol (TON up to 2.4∙104 mol 1,3-butadiene per mol Pd with chemoselectivity of 82%). Complex [Pd(Cp)(TOMPP)2]BF4 was found to be an efficient catalyst for the polymerization of phenylacetylene (PA) (catalyst activities up to 8.9 × 103 gPA·(molPd·h)-1 were observed).

Control of Al composition of mist chemical vapor deposition grown α-(AlGa)2O3 alloy thin films by acetylacetonation of Al ion

We investigated the dominant factors affecting the Al composition of α-(AlGa)2O3 alloy thin films in mist CVD, focusing on the acetylacetonation of the source solutions. The Al–acetylacetonate (acac) complex formation time was evaluated using Fourier-transform IR spectroscopy to examine the effectiveness of heating during stirring of the source solutions. Then, α-(AlGa)2O3 alloy thin films were grown in source solutions in which the state of the acac complex was changed by adding ammonia water and/or hydrochloric acid, and the Al composition increased with increasing the pH value due to the acceleration of acetylacetonation. The growth-temperature dependence of the Al composition was also experimentally investigated. The Al composition decreased with increasing growth temperature. The reasons are due to the strength of the Al–O bond or the dissociation of the Al–acac ligand.

Zero-Field Slow Magnetic Relaxation in Binuclear Dy Acetylacetonate Complex with Pyridine-N-Oxide

A new complex [Dy(C5H7O2)3(C5H5NO)]2·2CHCl3 (1) has been synthesized by the reaction of pyridine-N-oxide with dysprosium (III) acetylacetonate in an n-heptane/chloroform mixture (1/20). X-ray data show that each dysprosium atom is chelate-like coordinated by three acetylacetonate ligands and the oxygen atom from two bridging molecules of pyridine-N-oxide, which unite the dysprosium atoms into a binuclear complex. Static (constant current) and dynamic (alternating current) investigations and ab initio calculations of the magnetic properties of complex 1 were performed. The complex was shown to exhibit a frequency maximum under alternating current. At temperatures above 10 K, the maximum shifts to a higher frequency, which is characteristic of SMM behavior. It is established that the dependence of ln(τ) on 1/T for the relaxation process is nonlinear, which indicates the presence of Raman relaxation mechanisms, along with the Orbach mechanism.

Polypyridyl CoII -Curcumin Complexes as Photoactivated Anticancer and Antibacterial Agents.

Four new CoII complexes, [Co(bpy)2 (acac)]Cl (1), [Co(phen)2 (acac)]Cl (2), [Co(bpy)2 (cur)]Cl (3), [Co(phen)2 (cur)]Cl (4), where bpy=2,2'-bipyridine (1 and 3), phen=1,10-phenanthroline (2 and 4), acac=acetylacetonate (1 and 2), cur=curcumin monoanion (3 and 4) have been designed, synthesized and fully characterized. The X-ray crystal structures of 1 and 2 indicated that the CoN4 O2 core has a distorted octahedral geometry. The photoactivity of these complexes was tuned by varying the π conjugation in the ligands. Curcumin complexes 3 and 4 had an intense absorption band near 435 nm, which made them useful as visible-light photodynamic therapy agents; they also showed fluorescence with λem ≈565 nm. This fluorescence was useful for studying their intracellular uptake and localization in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The acetylacetonate complexes (1 and 2) were used as control complexes to understand the role of curcumin. The white-light-triggered anticancer profiles of the cytosol targeting complexes 3 and 4 were investigated in detail. These non-dark toxic complexes displayed significant apoptotic photo-cytotoxicity (under visible light) against MCF-7 cells through ROS generation. The control complexes 1 and 2 did not induce significant cell death in the light or dark. Interestingly, 1-4 produced a remarkable antibacterial response upon light exposure. Overall, the reported results here can increase the boundary of the CoII -based anticancer and antibacterial drug development.

Dynamic EPR Studies of the Formation of Catalytically Active Centres in Multicomponent Hydrogenation Systems

The formation of catalytically active nano-sized cobalt-containing structures in multicomponent hydrogenation systems based on Co(acac)2 complex and various cocatalysts, namely, AlEt3, AlEt2(OEt), Li-n-Bu, and (PhCH2)MgCl, has been studied for the first time in detail using dynamic EPR spectroscopy. It is shown that after mixing the initial components, paramagnetic structures are formed, which include a fragment containing Co(0) with the electronic configuration 3d9, as well as a fragment bearing an aluminium, lithium, or magnesium atom, depending on the nature of the used cocatalyst. Such bimetallic paramagnetic sites are stabilized by acetylacetonate ligands. In addition, the paramagnetic complex contains the arene molecule(s), and the cobalt atom is bonded with the atom of the corresponding non-transition through the alkyl group of the co-catalyst, in particular through the carbon atom in the α-position with respect to the atom of the non-transition element. Due to the high reactivity of the described intermediates, they, under the conditions of hydrogenation catalysis, are transformed into nano-sized cobalt-containing structures that act as carriers of the catalytically active sites. Furthermore, because of the high reactivity and paramagnetism, such intermediates can be detected only by the EPR technique. The paper describes the whole experimental way of interpreting the EPR signals corresponding to the intermediates, precursors of catalytically active structures. In addition, a possible mathematical model based on the obtained experimental EPR data is presented.

Synthesis of amylose and cellulose derivatives bearing bulky pendants for high-efficient chiral fluorescent sensing

Three novel amylose and cellulose phenylcarbamate derivatives bearing bulky para-substituted benzothienyl or benzofuranyl pendants were successfully synthesized as chiral fluorescent sensors through carbamoylation followed by Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reactions. The bulky derivatives showed good enantioselective fluorescent sensing properties toward a total of eight chiral quenchers in this study. Especially, a high enantiomeric fluorescence difference ratio (ef = 164.35) was achieved on amylose benzofuranylphenylcarbamates (Amy-2) to the 3-amino-3-phenylpropan-1-ol (Q5), an important chiral drug intermediate. It indicated that a favorable chiral environment was effectively constructed by arrangement of bulky π-conjugated benzothienyl or benzofuranyl pendants on the phenylcarbamate moieties surrounding the helical backbone, which is crucial for high-efficient chiral fluorescent sensing. As chiral stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography, the bulky benzothienylphenylcarbamates of amylose and cellulose also showed good resolution powers to thirteen racemates, including metal tris(acetylacetonate) complexes, chiral drugs, analytes with axial chirality and chiral aromatic amines, which were difficult to be efficiently separated even on the popular Chiralpak AD and Chiralcel OD. The excitation-dependent chiral fluorescent sensing probably followed different mechanisms from that for chromatographic enantioseparation relying on the dynamic collision of molecules in the ground state. The structure of the bulky derivatives was also investigated by CD spectra and POM microscopy.