Fluorenyl Cation Research Articles

Infrared Spectroscopy of Fluorenyl Cations at Cryogenic Temperatures.

The notion of (anti)aromaticity is a successful concept in chemistry to explain the structure and stability of polycyclic hydrocarbons. Cyclopentadienyl and fluorenyl cations are among the most studied classical antiaromatic systems. In this work, fluorenyl cations are investigated by high-resolution gas-phase infrared spectroscopy in helium droplets. Bare fluorenyl cations are generated in the gas phase by electrospray ionization. After mass-to-charge selection, ions are captured in ultracold helium nanodroplets and probed by infrared spectroscopy using a widely tunable free-electron laser in the 600-1700 cm-1 range. The highly resolved cryogenic infrared spectra confirm, in combination with DFT computations, that all cations are present in their singlet states.

C–C Coupling of Carbene Molecules on a Metal Surface in the Presence of Water

A novel surface-confined C-C coupling reaction involving two carbene molecules and a water molecule was studied by scanning tunneling microscopy in real space. Carbene fluorenylidene was generated from diazofluorene in the presence of water on a silver surface. While in the absence of water, fluorenylidene covalently binds to the surface to form a surface metal carbene, and water can effectively compete with the silver surface in reacting with the carbene. Water molecules in direct contact with fluorenylidene protonate the carbene to form the fluorenyl cation before the carbene can bind to the surface. In contrast, the surface metal carbene does not react with water. The fluorenyl cation is highly electrophilic and draws electrons from the metal surface to generate the fluorenyl radical which is mobile on the surface at cryogenic temperatures. The final step in this reaction sequence is the reaction of the radical with a remaining fluorenylidene molecule or with diazofluorene to produce the C-C coupling product. Both a water molecule and the metal surface are essential for the consecutive proton and electron transfer followed by C-C coupling. This C-C coupling reaction is unprecedented in solution chemistry.

A cationic gold-fluorenyl complex with a dative Au → C+ bond: synthesis, structure, and carbophilic reactivity.

Aiming to study the interaction of gold with the highly Lewis acidic fluorenyl cation, we synthesised (o-[Ph2P(C6H4)Flu)AuCl(tht)][BF4] ([2][BF4]) and (o-Ph2P(C6H4)Flu)AuCl2 (3) (Flu = 9-fluorenyl) and found that the latter could be converted into [(o-Ph2P(C6H4)Flu)AuCl]+ ([4]+) upon treatment with NaBArF24 (BArF24 = B(3,5-C6H3(CF3)2)4). [4]+, which has been isolated as a chloride-bridged dimer, readily catalyses the cycloisomerisation of 2-allyl-2-(2-propynyl)malonate. Computational results show that [4]+ possesses a strong Au → C+ bond and readily activates enynes.

A long-lived fluorenyl cation: efficiency booster for uncaging and photobase properties.

The photochemistry of fluorenols has been of special interest for many years. This is because both the fluorenol and the fluorenyl cation are antiaromatic in the ground state due to their 4n π-electrons according to the Hückel rule. The photolysis reaction of various fluorene derivatives takes place via a cation intermediate and is preferred due to its excited state aromaticity. Here we present an extremely long-lived fluorenyl cation and its effects on the uncaging of various leaving groups. We analyze the relationship between uncaging quantum yields of fluorene-based cages and the longevity of their fluorenyl cations with different spectroscopic methods in the steady state and on an ultrafast time scale and find that the uncaging quantum yield rises with the stability of the cation. In contrast to previous reports, the cation can be observed on a time scale of minutes, even in moderately protic solvents as methanol and ethanol. The stability of this cation depends on the dimethylamino-substituents on the fluorene scaffold and the properties of the solvent. In addition, with bis-dimethylamino fluorenol, a photobase is introduced that expands the small group of known photoinduced hydroxide emitters.

Isolation of an Antiaromatic 9-Hydroxy Fluorenyl Cation.

Fluorenyl cations are textbook examples of 4π electron antiaromatic five‐membered ring systems. So far, they were reported only as short‐lived intermediates generated under superacidic conditions or by flash photolysis. Attempts to prepare a m‐terphenyl acylium cation by fluoride abstraction from a benzoyl fluoride gave rise to an isolable 9‐hydroxy fluorenyl cation that formed by an intramolecular electrophilic attack at a flanking mesityl group prior to a 1,2‐methyl shift and proton transfer to oxygen.

Functionalized fluorenes via dicationic electrophiles

Dicationic fluorenyl cations are shown to react with nitriles to provide amide-functionalized fluorenes. A similar reaction with alcohols gives ether derivatives. The chemistry is initiated by the reactions of N-heterocyclic ketones in a superacidic solution. This leads to cyclizations involving 2-biphenyl groups and formation of the reactive fluorenyl cations.

Synthesis of Heterocycle-Containing 9,9-Diarylfluorenes Using Superelectrophiles.

A superacid-promoted method for the synthesis of 9,9-diarylfluorenes is described. The chemistry involves cyclizations and arylations with biphenyl-substituted heterocyclic ketones and a mechanism is proposed involving superelectrophilic intermediates. The key reactive intermediates-dicationic and trication fluorenyl cations have been observed by low-temperature NMR and the mechanism has been further studied using DFT calculations.

Analysis of fluorene and 9,9-dialkylfluorenes by electrospray droplet impact (EDI)/SIMS

Fluorene and 9,9-dialkyl fluorenes were examined by electrospray droplet impact/secondary ion mass spectrometry (EDI/SIMS). From the major peaks: M+, [M+H]+, [M−R]+, and [M−R−(R−H)]+detected by EDI/SIMS, information on the molecular masses (M) and the side chains (R) could be obtainedfor dioctyl-, dihexyltri-, dioctyltri- and dihexylheptafluorenes. Despite the different alkyl substituents, dihexyltrifluorene (C75H98) and dioctyltrifluorene (C87H122) gave similar fragment-ion distribution patterns with the common peak values at m/z 339 and 517 in the two envelopes. This suggests that the fragmentation paths are similar for these two compounds. The ions with m/z 339 and 517 were tentatively assigned asC27H15+ and C41H25+in which all the alkyl substituents (R) were eliminated. Fragmentation paths of protonated fluorenes were examined by DFT calculations.The reaction paths of the elimination of side two alkyl chains to give fluorenyl cations as the final products were postulated for 9,9-dimethylfluorene and 9,9-dioctylfluorene.

Use of Charge-Charge Repulsion to Enhance π-Electron Delocalization into Anti-Aromatic and Aromatic Systems.

A series of 9-fluorenyl cations has been studied and it is shown that increasing charge on a heterocyclic substituent group enhances the anti-aromatic character of the carbocation system. Similarly, a series of dibenzosuberenyl cations has been studied and increasing charge on a substituent group is shown to enhance aromatic character in the carbocation system. These studies include the direct observations of dicationic and tricationic species using stable-ion conditions and low temperature NMR. The structures of these ions were further characterized using DFT calculations, confirming that highly charged organic ions may exhibit unusual distributions of π-electrons and delocalization of electrons in 4n or 4n+2 π-systems.

BREAKDOWN PRODUCTS OF GASEOUS POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS INVESTIGATED WITH INFRARED ION SPECTROSCOPY

ABSTRACT We report on a common fragment ion formed during the electron-ionization-induced fragmentation of three different three-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), fluorene (C13H10), 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene (C14H12), and 9,10-dihydroanthracene (C14H12). The infrared spectra of the mass-isolated product ions with m/z = 165 were obtained in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer whose cell was placed inside the optical cavity of an infrared free-electron laser, thus providing the high photon fluence required for efficient infrared multiple-photon dissociation. The infrared spectra of the m/z = 165 species generated from the three different precursors were found to be similar, suggesting the formation of a single isomer. Theoretical calculations using density functional theory (DFT) revealed the fragment's identity as the closed-shell fluorenyl cation. Decomposition pathways from each parent precursor to the fluorenyl ion are proposed on the basis of DFT calculations. The identification of a single fragmentation product from three different PAHs supports the notion of the existence of common decomposition pathways of PAHs in general and can aid in understanding the fragmentation chemistry of astronomical PAH species.

Physical Organic Chemistry – A Personal Perspective

AbstractPhysical organic chemistry plays a unifying role in chemistry by combining a large variety of experimental and theoretical techniques to create simplified, intuitively understandable concepts of chemical processes. The concept of “antiaromaticity” is used to demonstrate how complex experiments may result in general models that allow chemists to predict the chemical and physical properties of difficult to access molecules and even of transition states. Cyclooctatetraene and the fluorenyl cation are used as examples to illustrate some working methods of physical organic chemistry.

Computational Predictions of the Beryllium Analogue of Borole, Cp(+), and the Fluorenyl Cation: Highly Stabilized, non-Lewis Acidic Antiaromatic Ring Systems.

A computational study of a set of synthetically unknown beryllium-containing rings, anionic analogues of antiaromatic boroles, has been carried out to investigate their structure, stability, and potential reactivity. The results indicate that these compounds should be electronically viable (as assessed from HOMO-LUMO and singlet-triplet gaps) and therefore potential targets for synthesis. In strong contrast with boroles, these beryllium species are predicted to be not Lewis acidic but rather Lewis basic, with reactivity centered on the endocyclic Be-C bond.

The Fluorenyl Cation

AbstractThe fluorenyl cation is a textbook example for a 4π antiaromatic cation. However, contrasting results have been published on how the annelated benzene rings compensate the destabilizing effect of the 4π antiaromatic five‐membered ring in its core. Whereas previous attempts to synthesize this cation in superacidic media resulted in undefined polymeric material only, we herein report that it can be generated and isolated in amorphous water ice at temperatures below 30 K by photolysis of diazofluorene. Under these conditions, the fluorenylidene is protonated by water to give the fluorenyl cation, which could be characterized spectroscopically. Its absorption in the visible‐light range matches that previously obtained by ultrafast absorption spectroscopy, and furthermore, its IR spectrum could be recorded. The IR bands in amorphous ice very nicely match predictions from DFT and DFT/MM calculations, suggesting the absence of strong interactions between the cation and surrounding water molecules.

The fluorenyl cation.

The fluorenyl cation is a textbook example for a 4π antiaromatic cation. However, contrasting results have been published on how the annelated benzene rings compensate the destabilizing effect of the 4π antiaromatic five-membered ring in its core. Whereas previous attempts to synthesize this cation in superacidic media resulted in undefined polymeric material only, we herein report that it can be generated and isolated in amorphous water ice at temperatures below 30 K by photolysis of diazofluorene. Under these conditions, the fluorenylidene is protonated by water to give the fluorenyl cation, which could be characterized spectroscopically. Its absorption in the visible-light range matches that previously obtained by ultrafast absorption spectroscopy, and furthermore, its IR spectrum could be recorded. The IR bands in amorphous ice very nicely match predictions from DFT and DFT/MM calculations, suggesting the absence of strong interactions between the cation and surrounding water molecules.

Direct observation of a doubly destabilized cation

The 9-fluorenyl cation is a member of the 4N Huckel antiaromatic series of intermediates, first observed by time-resolved spectroscopy on UV photo-excitation of 9-fluorenol. [1] 9Trifluoromethyl-9-fluorenol incorporating an electron-withdrawing substituent was subjected to preparative and laser flash photolysis. Photoproduct studies in methanol indicated products derived from the corresponding fluorenyl cation and radical intermediates. Time-resolved spectroscopy in hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) showed a transient which was assigned to the corresponding cation as evident from methanol quenching. The lifetimes and methanol quenching rates of this transient was compared with that of 9-methylfluorenyl cation. The kinetic stabilities of these ions were compared to thermodynamic parameters obtained from theoretical calculations.

Relationship of charge to antiaromaticity in bis-fluorenyl dications and fluorenyl monocations: experimental support for theoretical calculations

The antiaromaticity of fluorenyl cations is dependent on the magnitude of the charge of the system. Theoretical assessments of antiaromaticity and charge were supported by experimental NMR chemical shifts. Delocalization was related to antiaromaticity, and evaluated through the standard deviation of the charges on carbons of the fluorenyl systems.

Photochemical generation of thiophene analogs of 9‐fluorenyl cations

AbstractThe 9‐fluorenyl cation is a member of the 4N Hückel antiaromatic series of intermediates, first observed by time‐resolved spectroscopy on UV photo‐excitation of 9‐fluorenol. Thiophene analogs of 9‐fluorenol in which one of the annelated benzene rings is replaced by a thiophene were prepared in three regioisomeric forms, and subjected to preparative and laser flash photolysis. Photoproduct studies in methanol indicated products derived from the corresponding fluorenyl cations and radical intermediates. Time‐resolved spectroscopy showed transients which were assigned to the corresponding cations as evident from methanol quenching. The lifetimes and methanol quenching rates of these transients were compared with those of parent fluorenyl cation, and were found to be about two orders of magnitude more stable than the latter. On the other hand thermodynamic stabilities obtained from theoretical calculations based on isodesmic reactions of the open form cations, and NICS indicate that two of these ions (2 and 4) are less stable than 9‐fluorenyl cation, whereas the “side” isomer 3 is slightly more stable. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Electrophilicity of a 9-aryl-9-fluorenyl cation in water — Kinetic evidence for antiaromaticity

The 9-(4-methoxyphenyl)-9-fluorenyl cation (2) has been generated in 100% water by laser flash photolysis of 9-(4-methoxyphenyl)-9-fluorenol (3), representing the first observation of a 9-fluorenyl cation in this solvent with lifetimes in the microsecond timescale. The relatively long lifetime permitted quenching studies with a number of anionic nucleophiles, and bimolecular rate constants for each were determined. For both bromide and iodide, rate data suggest that an equilibrium between the cation and trapped product is rapidly established, followed by slower, irreversible trapping of the cation by water. The bimolecular rate constants obtained show that the generated 9-fluorenyl cation is significantly more reactive towards nucleophilic attack, by two orders of magnitude, than related triarylmethyl cations that lack the 4n π-system, lending support to the characterization of fluorenyl cations as antiaromatic.

Theoretical Notions of Aromaticity and Antiaromaticity: Phenalenyl Ions versus Fluorenyl Ions

The dications 6, 7, and 8 and dianions 9, 10, and 11 of the bistricyclic aromatic enes bifluorenylidene (1), 1,1'-biphenalenylidene (2), and 9-(9H-fluoren-9-ylidene)-1H-phenalene (4), as well as monocations 12a and 13a and monoanions 14a and 15a of phenalene (3) and fluorene (5), were subjected to a systematic DFT and ab initio study. B3LYP and MP2 methods were employed to estimate the relative aromaticity/antiaromaticity of these ions, using energetic, magnetic, and structural criteria. The couplings of monoions 12a-15a to give the respective diions 6-11 result in a similar destabilization in both the fluorene and phenalene series. The interactions between the C13H8 units in diions 6-11 are weak and are not expected to result in a significant loss of aromaticity/gain of antiaromaticity, as compared with the respective monoions. The antiaromaticity of bifluorenylidene dication (6), relative to that of two fluorenyl cations (12a), is only slightly enhanced as compared with the aromaticity of biphenalenylidene dication ((E)-7)) relative to that of two phenalenyl cations (13a). In particular, the homodesmotic reaction 6 + 2.13a = (E)-7 + 2.12a is only slightly exothermic, DeltaE(Tot) = -6.0 kJ/mol. The energetic effect of the analogous reaction involving anions 9 + 2.15a = (E)-10 + 2.14a is even smaller, DeltaE(Tot) = -3.4 kJ/mol. Bifluorenylidene dianion (9) and 1,1'-biphenalenylidene dianion ((E)-10) are aromatic, but the employed criteria disagree about their relative aromaticity. The electronic and structural properties of heteromerous dication 8 and dianion 11 lie between those of the homomerous diions. Thus, dications 6-8 and dianions 9-11 form a continuum of aromaticity/antiaromaticity.

Ultrafast Study of 9-Diazofluorene: Direct Observation of the First Two Singlet States of Fluorenylidene

Ultrafast photolysis of 9-diazofluorene (DAF) produces a broadly absorbing transient within the instrument time resolution (300 fs), which is assigned to an excited state of the diazo compound. The diazo excited state fragments to form fluorenylidene (Fl) in both its lowest energy singlet state (1Fl, 405-430 nm, depending on the solvent) and a higher energy singlet state (370 nm, 1Fl*). The excited singlet carbene has a lifetime of 20.9 ps in acetonitrile and decays to the lower energy singlet state (1Fl), which relaxes to the triplet ground state (3Fl) in acetonitrile, cyclohexane, benzene, and hexafluorobenzene. The equilibrium mixture of singlet and triplet fluorenylidene reacts with these solvents. Singlet fluorenylidene reacts with methanol and cyclohexene in competition with relaxation to 3Fl. One of the reaction products in methanol is the 9-fluorenyl cation. The rate of intersystem crossing (ISC) in hexafluorobenzene and other halogenated solvents is remarkably slow given that carbene ISC rates are generally fastest in nonpolar solvents. An explanation of this effect is advanced.