Bridged triarylamines: A new class of heterohelicenes

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo026883p

A series of bridged triarylamines, which constitute a new class of heterohelicenes, have been synthesized using a simple three-step procedure. These compounds are shown to be highly luminescent chromophores and are capable of being oxidized. The solid-sta

Full text of DOI:10.1021/jo026883p

VOLUME 68, NUMBER 16
AUGUST 8, 2003
© Copyright 2003 by the American Chemical Society
Br id ged Tr ia r yla m in es: A New Cla ss of Heter oh elicen es
J ason E. Field, Thomas J . Hill, and D. Venkataraman*
Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, 710 N. Pleasant Street,
Amherst, Massachusetts 01003
dv@chem.umass.edu
Received December 19, 2002
A series of bridged triarylamines, which constitute a new class of heterohelicenes, have been
synthesized using a simple three-step procedure. These compounds are shown to be highly
luminescent chromophores and are capable of being oxidized. The solid-state structures of these
helicenes show a tendency for π-stacking interactions into an overall zigzag motif.
Since the pioneering work by Newman and Lednicer
in 1955 on hexahelicene,1 there have been numerous
carbo- and heterohelicenes2 developed in order to exploit
the unique properties of these inherently helical mol-
ecules. A few potential applications of these compounds
include asymmetric molecular recognition,3 nonlinear
optics,4 liquid crystals,5 and circularly polarized lumi-
nescence (CPL)6 for back-lighting in LCD displays.7
Recent advances in the area of helicenes have been made
by Katz and co-workers,4-6,8 Tanaka,9 Rajca,10 Branda,11
Caronna,12 and Rozen.13 Despite the popularity of heli-
cenes and their many potential applications, there has
been little effort devoted to the design of an electroactive
heterohelicene in which the heteroatom can be oxidized
to a radical cation. Such a helicene would allow further
study into how molecular helicity effects bulk electronic
properties such as charge transport and conductance.14
As a first step toward this goal, we set out to synthesize
a heterohelicene based on triarylamine, a moiety that has
been widely exploited in hole-transport materials for
organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) due to its elec-
tronic, photochemical, and physical properties.15 Here we
report a series of novel helical molecules 1-3 that
constitute a new class of electroactive heterohelicenes
based on bridged triarylamines.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Fax: (413) 545-
4490.
(1) (a) Newman, M. S.; Lutz, W. B.; Lednicer, D. J . Am. Chem. Soc.
1955, 77, 3420-3421. (b) Newman, M. S.; Lednicer, D. J . Am. Chem.
Soc. 1956, 78, 4765-4770.
(2) For reviews, see: (a) Laarhoven, W. H.; Prinsen, W. J . C. Top.
Curr. Chem. 1984, 125, 63-130. (b) Meurer, K. P.; Vo¨gtle, F. Top. Curr.
Chem. 1985, 127, 1-76. (c) Rowan, A. E.; Nolte, J . M. Angew. Chem.,
Int. Ed. 1998, 37, 63-68. (d) Katz, T. J . Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2000,
39, 1921-1923.
(3) (a) Weix, D. J .; Spencer, D. D.; Katz, T. J . J . Am. Chem. Soc.
2000, 122, 10027-10032. (b) Murguly, E.; McDonald, R.; Branda, N.
R. Org. Lett. 2000, 2, 3169-3172. (c) Owens, L.; Thilgen, C.; Diederich,
F.; Knobler, C. B. Helv. Chim. Acta 1993, 76, 2757-2774.
(4) Verbiest, T.; Van Elshocht, S.; Kauranen, M.; Hellemans, L.;
Snauwaert, J .; Nuckolls, C.; Katz, T. J .; Persoons, A. Science 1998,
282, 913-915.
(5) Nuckolls, C.; Katz, T. J . J . Am. Chem. Soc. 1998, 120, 9541-
9544.
(6) Phillips, K. E. S.; Katz, T. J .; J ockusch, S.; Lovinger, A. J .; Turro,
N. J . J . Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 11899-11907.
The synthesis of an unfunctionalized derivative of the
bridged triarlyamine 1 from an ortho-functionalized
(7) (a) Grell, M.; Bradley, D. D. C. Adv. Mater. 1999, 11, 895-905.
(b) Montali, A.; Bastiaansen, C.; Smith, P.; Weder, C. Nature 1988,
392, 261-264. (c) Dyreklev, P.; Berggren, M.; Ingana¨s, O.; Andersson,
M. R.; Wennerstro¨m, O.; Hjertberg, T. Adv. Mater. 1995, 7, 43-45. (d)
Bolognesi, A.; Botta, C.; Facchinetti, D.; J andke, M.; Kreger, K.;
Strohriegl, P.; Relini, A.; Rolandi, R.; Blumstengel, S. Adv. Mater. 2001,
13, 1072-1075.
(10) Rajca, A.; Wang, H.; Pink, M.; Rajca, S. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed.
2000, 39, 4481-4483.
(11) Norsten, T. B.; Peters, A.; McDonald, R.; Wang, M.; Branda,
N. R. J . Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 7447-7448.
(12) (a) Caronna, T.; Sinisi, R.; Catellani, M.; Malpezzi, L.; Meille,
S. V.; Mele, A. Chem. Commun. 2000, 1139-1140. (b) Caronna, T.;
Gabbiadini, S.; Mele, A.; Recupero, F. Helv. Chim. Acta. 2002, 85, 1-7.
(13) Rozen, S.; Dayan, S. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 1999, 38, 3472-
3473.
(8) Nuckolls, C.; Katz, T. J .; Katz, G.; Collings, P. J .; Castellanos,
L. J . Am. Chem. Soc. 1999, 121, 79-88 and references therein.
(9) (a) Tanaka, K.; Kitahara, Y. Chem. Commun. 1998, 1141-1142.
(b) Kitahara, Y.; Tanaka, K. Chem. Commun. 2002, 932-933. (c)
Tanaka, K.; Osuga, H.; Kitahara, Y. J . Org. Chem. 2002, 67, 1795-
1801.
(14) Treboux, G.; Lapstum, P.; Wu, Z.; Silverbrook, K. Chem. Phys.
Lett. 1999, 301, 493-497.
10.1021/jo026883p CCC: $25.00 © 2003 American Chemical Society
Published on Web 03/13/2003
J . Org. Chem. 2003, 68, 6071-6078
6071

Field et al.
SCHEME 1. Syn th esis of Mixed Sym m etr ic a n d Un sym m etr ic Br id ged Tr ia r yla m in esa
a
Reagents and conditions: (i) Cu/CuI, K2CO3, n-Bu2O, 170 °C, 24 h; (ii) NaOH, H2O/EtOH (1:1), reflux for 3 h and then HCl; (iii)
(COCl)2, CH2Cl2, DMF (cat.), reflux for 3 h and then FeCl3, reflux 12 h.
SCHEME 2. Syn th esis of 2-Br om o-5-ter t-bu tyl-isop h th a lic Acid Dim eth yl Ester 9a
a
Reagents and conditions: (i) Br2, Fe (cat.), CH2Cl2, 0-20 °C, 2 h; (ii) KMnO4, t-BuOH/H2O (1:1), reflux 19 h; (iii) MeOH, H2SO4 (cat.),
reflux 18 h.
F IGURE 1. Synthetic strategy for the exclusive formation of the symmetric bridged triarylamine 1.
triphenylamine was first developed by Hellwinkel and
Melan16 and later modified by our research group.17 It
was our goal to place a substituent at the top of the
helicene, which would help to stabilize the radical
cation.18 To this end, we coupled p-toluidine to 2 equiv
of methyl 2-iodobenzoate to make the functionalized
triarylamine 4 in 70% yield (Scheme 1). Subsequent
hydrolysis and cyclization gave a 1:1 mixture of the
symmetric isomer 5 and the unsymmetric isomer 6,
which were inseparable by chromatography.19 The forma-
tion of this unsymmetric isomer is problematic not only
for isolation and purification but also for synthetic
efficiency, decreasing the theoretical yield of our product
by half.
To solve this problem, we devised a strategy to syn-
thesize a triarylamine in which the two carboxyl moieties
to be cyclized would be on the same ring (Figure 1), thus
ensuring only one mode of cyclization, that of the desired
symmetric heterohelicene. There were two major con-
cerns to this strategy: first, the functionalized aryl halide
must be synthesized and, second, the added steric bulk
of two ortho-esters may hinder the coupling reaction.
By using a combination of literature procedures,20 we
prepared a large quantity of 2-bromo-5-tert-butyl-iso-
phthalic acid dimethyl ester (9) in high yield and without
(15) (a) Selby, T. D.; Kim, K.-Y.; Blackstock, S. C. Chem. Mater.
2002, 14, 1685-1690. (b) Shirota, Y. J . Mater. Chem. 2000, 10, 1-25.
(c) Bellmann, E.; Shaheen, S. E.; Thayumanavan, S.; Barlow, S.;
Grubbs, R. H.; Marder, S. R.; Kippelen, B.; Peyghambarian, N. Chem.
Mater. 1998, 10, 1668-1676 and references therein.
(16) (a) Hellwinkel, D.; Melan, M. Chem. Ber. 1971, 104, 1001-1016.
(b) Hellwinkel, D.; Schmidt, W. Chem. Ber. 1980, 113, 358-384.
(17) Field, J . E.; Venkataraman, D. Chem. Mater. 2002, 14, 962-
964.
(18) (a) Seo, E. T.; Nelson, R. F.; Fritsch, J . M.; Marcoux, L. S.;
Leedy, D. W.; Adams, R. N. J . Am. Chem. Soc. 1966, 88, 3498-3503.
(b) Fa´ber, R.; Mielke, G. F.; Rapta, P.; Stasˇko, A.; Nuyken, O. Collect.
Czech. Chem. Commun. 2000, 65, 1403-1418.
(19) See Supporting Information for details.
6072 J . Org. Chem., Vol. 68, No. 16, 2003

Bridged Triarylamines
SCHEME 3. Th r ee-Step Syn th esis of Br id ged Tr ia r yla m in e Heter oh elicen esa
a
Reagents and conditions: (i) Cu or CuI, K2CO3, Ph2O or nBu2O, 150-190 °C, 2-5 days; (ii) NaOH, H2O/EtOH (1:1), reflux for 1-3
days and then HCl; (iii) (COCl)2, CH2Cl2, reflux for 0.5 h and then SnCl4, reflux for 2-3 h.
the need for column chromatography (Scheme 2). We
initially attempted to couple 9 to diphenylamine using
the palladium(0)-catalyzed reactions reported by Buch-
wald21 and Hartwig;22 however, we were unable to obtain
the desired product using these methodologies. The
coupling of 9 to diphenylamine was eventually obtained
using the copper-catalyzed Ullmann conditions (Scheme
3a). The yield (85%) was remarkably high considering
the bulky reactants. We hypothesize that although the
ortho-esters introduce some steric hindrance, the carbon-
bromine bond may be activated by the electron-with-
drawing effect of these substituents. It is not until the
size of the diarylamine is increased that we see a
significant reduction in the yield of the Ullman coupling.
For example, N-phenyl-1-naphthylamine (Scheme 3b)
and dinaphthylamine23 (Scheme 3c) are coupled to 9 in
63 and 24% yields, respectively.
cyclization with SnCl4 to yield 1, 2, and 3 in 80, 78, and
60% yields, respectively. In our previously reported
cyclization,17 we employed thionyl chloride with FeCl3 as
the Lewis acid; however, the functionalized helicenes are
susceptible to chlorination under these conditions. Our
overall yields of 1, 2, and 3 are 66, 47, and 14%,
respectively, and unlike many helicene syntheses,11,12a,24
our method requires no photochemical or radical reac-
tions.
Figure 2 shows the proton spectra of racemic 1-3. The
characteristic effect of the increasing helical overlap from
molecules 1 to 2 is an upfield shift of proton “e”. Similarly,
the chemical shifts of protons “g′/g” and “f′/f” are also
shifted upfield from molecules 2 to 3. Such a shielding
effect by ring-current on the increasingly overlapping
aromatic rings is a common phenomenon observed in
carbohelicenes.2a
Single-crystal X-ray diffraction of 1-3 shows that the
helical twist of these compounds is indeed sterically
driven by the increasing overlap of the terminal aryl rings
(Figure 3). Looking at the packing motif (Figure 4), it
can be seen these molecules exist as racemic mixtures of
atropisomers that π-stack in a zigzag motif, similar to
that observed in hydrogen-bonded ortho-substituted di-
phenylamines.26 This is yet another example of helically
Each coupled product was hydrolyzed to the respective
carboxylic acid derivative in near quantitative (95-97%)
yield. We then converted the acids to the acid chlorides
with oxalyl chloride in CH2Cl2, followed by an in situ
(20) (a) Tashiro, M.; Yamato, T. J . Chem. Soc. Perkin Trans. 1 1979,
176-179. (b) Benin, V. A.; Martin, J . C.; Willcott, M. R. Tetrahedron
1997, 53, 10133-10154. (c) Yoshifuji, M.; Nakazawa, M.; Sato, T.;
Toyota, K. Tetrahedron 2000, 57, 43-55.
(21) (a) Muci, A. R.; Buchwald, S. L. Top. Curr. Chem. 2002, 219,
131-209. (b) Yang, B. H.; Buchwald, S. L. J . Organomet. Chem. 1999,
576, 125-146.
(22) (a) Hartwig, J . F. Acc. Chem. Res. 1998, 31, 852-860. (b)
Hartwig, J . F. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 1998, 37, 2046-2067.
(23) Not commercially available. See Supporting Information for
preparation.
(24) (a) Harrowven, D. C.; Nunn, M. I. T.; Fenwick, D. R. Tetrahe-
dron Lett. 2002, 43, 3189-3191. (b) Laarhoven, W. H. Recl. Trav. Chim.
Pays-Bas 1983, 102, 185-204. (c) Dopper, J . H.; Oudman, D.; Wynberg,
H. J . Am. Chem. Soc. 1973, 95, 3692-3698. (d) Eskildsen, J .; Krebs,
F. C.; Faldt, A.; Sommer-Larsen, P.; Bechgaard, K. J . Org. Chem. 2001,
66, 200-205.
J . Org. Chem, Vol. 68, No. 16, 2003 6073

Field et al.
F IGURE 2. Aromatic region of the 1H NMR spectra of 1-3. The CDCl3 solvent peaks are denoted by “x”. Chemical shift
assignments are supported by two-dimensional COSY experiments.
biased molecules that prefer to adopt the zigzag su-
pramolecular structure over a helical one, at least when
present as a racemic mixture. The interplanar angles (θ)
between the terminal rings of 1, 2, and 3 are 43.4, 58.8,
and 60.1°, respectively. In comparison, this angle is 58.5°
in hexahelicene and ∼70° in binaphthyl. The slope (φ) of
the zigzag in 1, 2, and 3 is 21.6, 79.0, and 61.0°. The
repeat distances (d1) for 1, 2, and 3 are 12.0, 14.5, and
14.1 Å with the distance between atropisomers (d2) being
6.0, 4.7, and 7.1 Å. It should be noted that for 2, d2 is not
half of d1, which denotes a dimeric-type stacking in which
terminal phenyl-phenyl and naphthyl-naphthyl π-in-
teractions preferentially form between the unsymmetri-
cal atropisomers.
The absorption and emission spectra (Figure 5) of these
molecules were obtained from chloroform solutions at
concentrations of 2 × 10-5 and ∼1 × 10-6 M, respectively.
The absorption maxima (λmax) of 1, 2, and 3 are 442, 446,
and 460 nm, with extinction coefficients (ꢀ) of 22.6 × 103,
17.7 × 103, and 14.4 × 103 cm-1 M-1, respectively. These
absorption maxima are much higher than those observed
for carbo- and thiahelicenes of the same size.2a When
excited at these wavelengths, 1, 2, and 3 emit at 460,
468, and 486 nm, respectively. The observed red shift in
the absorption and emission spectra are consistent with
increasing conjugation of the chromophore. It is interest-
ing to note that the absorption maxima of 3 coincides
with the emission maxima of 1, suggesting that energy
transfer between these molecules may be possible. No
phosphorescence was visually noted for any of these
molecules; however, no experiments were conducted to
confirm the complete absence of phosphorescence.
Cyclic voltametry of 1-3 was conducted in dichlo-
romethane solutions at concentrations of 1 × 10-3
M
(Figure 6). Compound 1 shows a quasireversible, one-
electron oxidation at E1/2 ) 1.57 V (vs SCE), which is
similar to some substituted phenyl acridones.27 Com-
pounds 2 and 3 show oxidation potentials at E1/2 ) 1.44
V and ) 1.49 V, respectively. In comparison, triphenyl-
amine forms an unstable monocation radical at ∼0.98 V,
which rapidly dimerizes to form tetraphenylbenzidine.18
There is no evidence of a dimerization or any other
chemical process taking place when these bridged tri-
arylamines are oxidized. This is a good indication of the
stability of the radical cation formed upon oxidation. This
stabilization may in part be attributed to the presence
of the tert-butyl substituent that blocks the top para
position where dimerization would be most likely to
occur. Also, the carbonyl bridges may stabilize the radical
cation by contributing additional resonance pathways.
In summary, we have reported the synthesis, solid-
state structure, and photochemical and electrochemical
(25) See Supporting Information for two-dimensional COSY experi-
ments.
(26) Field, J . E.; Venkataraman, D. Chem. Commun. 2002, 306-
307.
(27) Dapperheld, S.; Steckhan, E.; Brinkhaus, G. K.-H.; Esch, T.
Chem. Ber. 1991, 124, 2557-2567.
6074 J . Org. Chem., Vol. 68, No. 16, 2003

Bridged Triarylamines
F IGURE 3. Space-filling renderings from the single-crystal X-ray diffraction data of 1-3 (from left to right) as viewed from
above (top) and side (bottom).
0.1307 (on 2638, I > 2σ(I) observed data); R1 ) 0.0798, wR2 )
0.1685 (all data), residual electron density ) 0.480 e/Å3.
2-Br om o-5-ter t-bu tyl-1,3-d im eth ylben zen e (7).20a In a
250 mL round-bottom flask equipped with a magnetic stir bar
and an addition funnel were added 5-tert-butyl-m-xylene (91.0
mL, 0.48 mol) and 1 large spatula scoop (∼1 g) of iron powder
to 75 mL of chloroform. The solution was cooled to 0 °C. A
solution of bromine (27.3 mL, 0.53 mol) in 22.7 mL of
chloroform was added dropwise via the addition funnel. The
reaction was stirred for 2 h at room temperature and then
poured into a cold solution of dilute aqueous NaOH (∼1 M).
The mixture was separated, and the aqueous layer was washed
several times with ether. The combined organic layers were
dried with sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated to a clear
oil, which became a white solid upon standing. The crude solid
was recrystallized from ethanol (several crops) to give 104.52
g (90% yield,) of the title compound: 1H NMR (300 MHz,
CDCl3) δ 7.08 (s, 2H), 2.41 (s, 6H), 1.29 (s, 9H). Crystal data:
properties of 1-3. These molecules constitute a new class
of electroactive heterohelicenes based on bridged triaryl-
amines. Our efforts are now focused on the resolution of
the atropisomers of these compounds in order to study
the barriers of racemization28 and other properties of the
enantiomerically pure electroactive helicenes. These
results will be reported in due course.
Exp er im en ta l Section
2,2′-[(4-Meth ylp h en yl)im in o]bisben zoica cid -d im eth yl-
ester (4). p-Toluidine (5.36 g, 50 mmol) was coupled with
methyl 2-iodobenzoate (22.4 mL, 105 mmol) in 50 mL of
n-butyl ether, with K2CO3 (14.51 g, 105 mmol), Cu (0.75 g, 12
mmol), and CuI (0.50 g, 2.6 mmol), heated to 170 °C for 120
h. The reaction was filtered and the solvent removed by
vacuum distillation. The crude product was purified by flash
chromatography using 3:1 hexane/ethyl acetate as the eluent
and then recrystallized from ethanol to give 12.99 g (70% yield)
of 4: 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) δ 7.62 (dd, J ) 1.7, 7.7 Hz,
2H), 7.38 (dt, J ) 1.7, 8.1 Hz, 2H), 7.12 (m, 4H), 6.98 (d, J )
8.1, 2H), 6.71 (d, J ) 8.7, 2H), 3.39 (s, 6H), 2.24 (s, 3H). Anal.
Calcd for C23H21NO4: C, 73.58; H, 5.64; N, 3.73. Found: C,
73.29; H, 5.55; N, 3.69. Crystal data: C23H21NO4, M ) 375.42,
triclinic, P-1, a ) 10.1343(2) Å, b ) 10.1351(2) Å, c ) 11.8738-
(3) Å, R ) 111.00(10)°, â ) 113.43(10)°, γ ) 96.55(9)°, V )
996.63(4) Å3, Z ) 2, m ) 0.086 mm-1, T ) 298 K, data/
C
12H17Br, M ) 241.177, 0rthorhombic, Pnma, a ) 9.6439(4)
Å, b ) 7.3388(2) Å, c ) 16.8992(8) Å, R ) 90.00°, â ) 90.00°,
γ ) 90.00°, V ) 1196.04(8) Å3, Z ) 4, m ) 3.394 mm-1, T )
298 K, data/parameters ) 1127/77, converging to R1 ) 0.0427,
wR2 ) 0.1137 (on 912, I > 2σ(I) observed data); R1 ) 0.0550,
wR2 ) 0.1247 (all data), residual electron density ) 0.542 e/Å3.
2-Br om o-5-ter t-bu tyl-isop h th a lic Acid (8).20b In a 2 L
three-necked round-bottom flask equipped with a mechanical
stirrer and a reflux condenser was added 2-bromo-5-tert-butyl-
1,3-dimethylbenzene 7 (104.5 g, 0.43 mol), dispersed in 800
mL of a 1:1 mixture of tert-butyl alcohol and water. KMnO4
(143.8 g, 0.91 mol) was added, and the reaction mixture was
heated to reflux for 1 h. After the mixture was cooled to room
temperature, more KMnO4 (143.8 g, 0.91 mol) was added and
parameters ) 3470/254, converging to R1 ) 0.0547, wR2
)
(28) J anke, R. H.; Haufe, G.; Wu¨rthwein, E.-U.; Borkent, J . H. J .
Am. Chem. Soc. 1996, 118, 6031-6035.
J . Org. Chem, Vol. 68, No. 16, 2003 6075

Field et al.
F IGURE 4. Schematic of the zigzag packing motif observed in 1-3 (top left) as seen from the side and rotated 90°. The analogous
image from the single-crystal X-ray diffraction of 3 is shown (bottom left) with the π-stacking interactions magnified (top right).
P-isomers (blue) and M-isomers (red) are shown with the methyl groups of the tert-butyl moiety removed for clarity. A summary
of the packing distances and angles is given as a table (bottom right).
the reaction mixture was refluxed for an additional 18 h. After
the mixture was cooled to to room temperature, the reaction
was filtered through Celite and the filtrate was reduced by
1/3. The solution was acidified with concentrated HCl. The
resulting white precipitate was collected by vacuum filtration
and dissolved in aqueous NaHCO3. The aqueous layer was
washed with ether to remove any residual organics. The
aqueous layer was then acidified with concentrated HCl and
the precipitate collected and oven-dried (∼80 °C) overnight to
give 125.8 g (97% yield) of the title compound: 1H NMR (300
MHz, CD3OD) δ 8.61 (s, 2H), 2.19 (s, 9H); 13C NMR (300 MHz,
CD3OD) δ 170.30, 152.22, 137.53, 129.81, 115.37, 35.66, 31.29.
2-Br om o-5-ter t-bu tyl-isop h th a lic Acid Dim eth yl Ester
(9).20c In a 2 L round-bottom flask equipped with a magnetic
stir bar and a reflux condenser was added 2-bromo-5-tert-butyl-
isophthalic acid 8 (104.6 g, 0.35 mol), in 750 mL of methanol
and 80 mL of H2SO4. The reaction mixture was heated to reflux
for 18 h and poured into water (∼500 mL). The reaction was
neutralized with NaHCO3, and the aqueous solution was
washed several times with ether. The combined organic layers
were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated.
Recrystallization from hexane gave 93.8 g (81% yield) of the
title compound: 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) δ 7.70 (s, 2H),
3.95 (s, 6H), 1.33 (s, 9H); 13C NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) δ 167.32,
150.67, 134.91, 129.42, 115.56, 52.65, 34.70, 30.84. Anal. Calcd
for C14H17BrO4: C, 51.08; H, 5.21; Found: C, 50.58; H, 5.27.
Gen er a l P r oced u r e for Ullm a n n Cou p lin g. The diaryl-
amine (1.0 equiv), 2-bromo-5-tert-butyl-isophthalic acid di-
methyl ester 9 (1.1 equiv), potassium carbonate (1.2 equiv),
and copper bronze (15 mol %) were combined with diphenyl
ether in a round-bottom flask equipped with a magnetic stir
bar and reflux condenser. The reaction was heated to ∼190
°C for 48-96 h under argon. The reaction was filtered, the
solvent removed by vacuum distillation, and the residue
purified by column chromatography.
5-ter t-Bu t yl-2-d ip h en yla m in o-isop h t h a lic Acid Di-
m eth yl Ester (10). Diphenylamine (0.85 g, 5.0 mmol) was
coupled with 2-bromo-5-tert-butyl-isophthalic acid dimethyl
ester 9 (1.81 g, 5.5 mmol) according to the above Ullmann
procedure for 48 h. The crude product was purified by flash
chromatography using a 5:1 solution of hexane/ethyl acetate
as the eluent to give 1.77 g (85% yield) of the title compound
as a yellow crystalline solid: 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) δ
7.76 (s, 2H), 7.18 (m, 4H), 6.95 (m, 6H), 3.47 (s, 6H), 1.35 (s,
9H); 13C NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) δ 168.4, 148.9, 147.4, 142.0,
132.3, 131.1, 129.1, 122.5, 122.3, 52.5, 31.4. Anal. Calcd for
C
26H27NO4: C, 74.80; H, 6.52; N, 3.35. Found: C, 74.60; H,
6.73; N, 3.34. Crystal data: C26H27NO4, M ) 417.505, mono-
clinic, P21/ c, a ) 12.1636(4) Å, b ) 17.4913(6) Å, c ) 11.8633-
(3) Å, R ) 90.00°, â ) 110.62(13)°, γ ) 90.00°, V ) 2362.26(13)
Å3, Z ) 4, m ) 0.079 mm-1, T ) 298 K, data/parameters )
4082/280, converging to R1 ) 0.0788, wR2 ) 0.1896 (on 2395,
I > 2σ(I) observed data); R1 ) 0.1397, wR2 ) 0.2252 (all data),
residual electron density ) 0.423 e/Å3.
5-t er t -Bu t yl-2-(n a p h t h a le n -1-yl-p h e n yl-a m in o)-iso-
p h th a lic Acid Dim eth yl Ester (11). N-Phenyl-1-naphthyl-
amine (1.10 g, 5.0 mmol) was coupled with 2-bromo-5-tert-
butyl-isophthalic acid dimethyl ester 9 (1.81 g, 5.5 mmol)
according to the above Ullmann procedure for 96 h. The crude
product was purified by flash chromatography using a 3:1
solution of dichloromethane/hexane as the eluent to give 1.48
g (63% yield) of the title compound: 1H NMR (300 MHz,
CDCl3) δ 7.83 (d, J ) 8.2 Hz, 1H), 7.72 (d, J ) 8.3 Hz, 1H),
7.63 (s, 2H), 7.63 (d, J ) 8.1 Hz, 1H), 7.38 (t, J ) 8.1 Hz, 2H),
7.25 (dt, J ) 7.4, 1.0 Hz, 2H), 7.12 (t, J ) 8.3 Hz, 2H), 6.87
(dt, J ) 7.4, 1.0 Hz, 1H), 6.74 (br d, J ) 8.2 Hz, 2H), 3.14 (br
6076 J . Org. Chem., Vol. 68, No. 16, 2003

Bridged Triarylamines
F IGURE 5. Absorption (solid) spectra of 2 × 10-5 M and emission (dashed) spectra of ∼1 × 10-6 M solutions of 1 (blue), 2
(green), and 3 (red) in CHCl3. For each sample, the emission spectrum was normalized with respect to the absorption spectrum.
F IGURE 6. Cyclic voltammograms of (a) 1, (b) 2, and (c) 3 in CH2Cl2.
s, 6H), 1.35 (s, 9H); 13C NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) δ 168.3, 148.6,
147.8, 142.7, 142.7, 134.8, 131.7, 129.8, 128.6, 128.2, 126.1,
125.9, 125.5, 125.3, 125.0, 124.9, 121.21, 120.64, 52.0, 34.6,
31.08; HRMS calcd for C30H29NO4 467.2097, found 467.2061;
mp ) 220-222 °C.
5-ter t-Bu t yl-2-(d i-n a p h t h a len -1-yl-a m in o)-isop h t h a l-
ic Acid Dim eth yl Ester (12). Dinaphthylamine (1.34 g, 5.0
mmol) was coupled with 2-bromo-5-tert-butyl-isophthalic acid
dimethyl ester 9 (6.0 g, 17.93 mmol) in 25 mL of n-butyl ether,
with K2CO3 (1.382 g, 10 mmol) and CuI (1.143 g, 6.0 mmol),
J . Org. Chem, Vol. 68, No. 16, 2003 6077

Field et al.
heated to 150 °C for 120 h. The reaction was filtered and the
solvent removed by vacuum distillation. The crude product was
purified by flash chromatography using 3:1 dichloromethane/
hexane as the eluent to give 0.61 g (24% yield) of the title
compound. NMR spectra were difficult to interpret precisely
due to large peak broadening; however, further conformation
of structure can be made by HRMS and X-ray crystal-
lography: 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) δ 8.10 (br s), 7.80 (d, J
) 8.1 Hz), 7.59 (br s), 7.36 (br s), 6.75 (br s), {aromatic region
6.6-8.4, 16H}, 2.6-3.3 (br d, 6H), 1.30 (s, 9H); 13C NMR (300
MHz, CDCl3) δ 31.0, 34.5, 51.7, 125.5, 125.6, 128.1, 128.2,
135.0, 143.6, 144.6, 146.5, 168.6; HRMS calcd for C34H31NO4
517.2253, found 517.2252. mp ) 194-196 °C. Crystal data:
Com p ou n d 2. Following the above general cyclization
procedure, 5-tert-butyl-2-(naphthalen-1-yl-phenyl-amino)iso-
phthalic acid (1.34 g, 3.26 mmol) was cyclized and then purified
by flash chromatography (using 5:1 dichlormethane/hexane as
the eluent) to give 0.95 g (78% yield) of 2: 1H NMR (300 MHz,
CDCl3) δ 8.77 (dd, J ) 2.4, 9.2 Hz 2H), 8.48 (d, J ) 8.7 Hz,
1H), 8.43 (dd, J ) 2.1, 7.5 Hz, 1H), 7.98 (d, J ) 8.1 Hz, 1H),
7.93 (d, J ) 8.5 Hz, 1H), 7.59 (dt, J ) 1.1, 8.1 Hz, 1H), 7.53 (d,
J ) 8.7 Hz, 1H), 7.37 (m, 3H), 7.07 (d, J ) 9.2 Hz, 1H), 1.50
(s, 9H); 13C NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) δ 179.76, 178.89, 147.56,
142.08, 138.76, 137.70, 136.35, 131.84, 129.53, 129.06, 128.95,
128.54, 127.49, 127.11, 126.60, 125.60, 125.56, 124.79, 124.73,
124.71, 124.04, 123.66, 122.16, 121.30, 35.10, 31.34; HRMS
calcd for C28H21NO2 403.1572, found 403.1597; mp ) 319-
321 °C. Crystal data: C28H21NO2, M ) 403.481, monoclinic,
P21/ c (no. 14), a ) 8.8628(2) Å, b ) 11.4131(3) Å, c ) 20.4548-
(7) Å, R ) 90.00°, â ) 93.29 (1)°, γ ) 90.00°, V ) 2065.63(10)
Å3, Z ) 4, µ ) 0.081 mm-1, T ) 298 K, data/parameters )
3608/280, converging to R1 ) 0.0680, wR2 ) 0.1927 (on 2484,
I > 2σ(I) observed data); R1 ) 0.1004, wR2 ) 0.2092 (all data),
residual electron density ) 0.479 e/Å3.
Com p ou n d 3. Following the above general cyclization
procedure, 5-tert-butyl-2-(di-naphthalen-1-yl-amino)isophthalic
acid (0.98 g, 2.0 mmol) was cyclized and then purified by flash
chromatography using dichloromethane as the eluent to give
0.55 g (60% yield) of 3: 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) δ 8.80 (s,
2H), 8.48 (d, J ) 8.6 Hz, 2H), 7.86 (d, J ) 8.6 Hz, 2H), 7.78 (d,
J ) 8.1 Hz, 2H), 7.26 (t, J ) 8.1 Hz, 2H), 6.87 (d, J ) 8.6 Hz,
2H), 6.76 (t, J ) 8.6, 2H), 1.52 (s, 9H); 13C NMR (300 MHz,
CDCl3) δ 179.51, 147.95, 141.01, 138.91, 135.86, 128.83, 128.50,
128.10, 126.26, 125.71, 125.48, 124.83, 124.34, 124.05, 122.00,
35.18, 31.39; HRMS calcd for C32H23NO2 453.1729; found
453.1718. Crystal data: C32H23NO2, M ) 453.541, monoclinic,
C2/ c, a ) 17.986(2) Å, b ) 13.832(2 ) Å, c ) 11.967(2) Å, R )
90.00°, â ) 128.57(6)°, γ ) 90.00°, V ) 2327.7(5) Å3, Z ) 4, m
) 0.080 mm-1, T ) 298 K, data/parameters ) 1156/165,
converging to R1 ) 0.1242, wR2 ) 0.3322 (on 696, I > 2σ(I)
observed data); R1 ) 0.1827, wR2 ) 0.3715 (all data), residual
electron density ) 0.580 e/Å3.
C
34H31NO4, M ) 517.652, triclinic, P-1, a ) 10.9431(3) Å, b )
11.7705(3) Å, c ) 12.3238(3) Å, R ) 99.21(14)°, â ) 92.74(13)°,
γ ) 115.08(11)°, V ) 1407.17(6) Å3, Z ) 2, m ) 0.080 mm-1, T
) 298 K, data/parameters ) 4892/352, converging to R1
)
0.0498, wR2 ) 0.1119 (on 3474, I > 2σ(I) observed data); R1 )
0.0788, wR2 ) 0.1282 (all data), residual electron density )
0.184 e/Å3.
Gen er a l P r oced u r e for Cycliza tion w ith Sn Cl4. The
triarylamine diester derivative was hydrolyzed with sodium
hydroxide (10 equiv) in a solution of 1:1 ethanol/water heated
to reflux for 12-72 h. Acidification with concentrated hydro-
chloric acid precipitated the triarylamine diacid, which was
collected by vacuum filtration and oven-dried (∼80 °C) over-
night. Yields were nearly quantitative (95-97%), and the
material was used in the next step without further purifica-
tion. The triarylamine diacid (1 equiv) was dispersed in dry
dichloromethane in a three-neck round-bottom flask equipped
with a magnetic stir bar and reflux condenser with a drying
tube. A few drops of N,N-dimethylformamide was added
followed by oxalyl chloride (2.2 equiv). The reaction was heated
to reflux for 0.5 h. Tin(IV) chloride (2.2 equiv) was added and
the reaction refluxed for an additional 2-3 h. The reaction
mixture was added dropwise to an aqueous solution of sodium
hydroxide (∼1 M) and extracted with dichloromethane. The
organic layer was collected and dried over sodium sulfate,
filtered, and concentrated. The crude product was then purified
by flash chromatography.
7-ter t-Bu tyl-13b-a za -n a p h th o[3,2,1-d e]a n th r a cen e-5,9-
d ion e (1). Following the above general cyclization procedure,
5-tert-butyl-2-diphenylamino-isophthalic acid (0.20 g, 0.5 mmol)
was cyclized and then purified by flash chromatography (using
3:1 hexane/ethyl acetate as the eluent) to give 0.14 g (80%
yield) of 1: 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) δ 8.78 (s, 2H), 8.48 (dd,
J ) 1.7, 7.9 Hz, 2H), 8.12 (d, J ) 8.6 Hz, 2H), 7.67 (dt, J )
1.7, 8.6 Hz, 2H), 7.46 (dt, J ) 0.9, 7.9 Hz, 2H), 1.48 (s, 9H);
13C NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) δ 178.75, 147.09, 139.62, 137.43,
132.53, 129.84, 127.80, 126.35, 124.95, 123.16, 120.03, 35.00,
31.30; HRMS calcd for C24H19NO2 353.1416, found 353.1411;
mp ) 247-249 °C. Crystal data: C20H11NO2, M ) 353.1416,
orthorhombic, Pbcn, a ) 12.2443(13) Å, b ) 12.454(2) Å, c )
11.9541(13) Å, R ) 90.00°, â ) 90.00°, γ ) 90.00°, V ) 1822.9-
(4) Å3, Z ) 4, m ) 0.080 mm-1, T ) 298 K, data/parameters )
1571/138, converging to R1 ) 0.1638, wR2 ) 0.3901 (on 1043,
I > 2σ(I) observed data); R1 ) 0.2089, wR2 ) 0.4183 (all data),
residual electron density ) 0.493 e/Å3.
Ack n ow led gm en t. D.V. gratefully acknowledges
the financial support of the National Science Foundation
CAREER grant CHE-0134287, Bristol-Myers Squibb,
and the Camille and Henry Dreyfus New Faculty
Award. We thank Prof. Michael J . Maroney and Paul
Carrington for their assistance with CV experiments.
We thank Prof. Rotello for use of his spectrophotometer
and fluorimeter.
Su p p or tin g In for m a tion Ava ila ble: Experimental pro-
cedures and characterization data for 5, 6, and dinaphthy-
lamine, crystallographic information files (CIF) for 1-5, 7, 10,
12, and dinaphthylamine, and two-dimensional NMR spectra
for 1-3. This material is available free of charge via the
Internet at http://pubs.acs.org.
J O026883P
6078 J . Org. Chem., Vol. 68, No. 16, 2003