Syntheses, characterizations, and redox behavior of optically active viologens and bisviologens

Article abstract of DOI:10.1246/bcsj.72.139

Optically active viologens, containing [1-(1-naphthyl)-, 1-phenyl-, and 1-cyclohexylethyl]carbamoylmethyl groups, have been synthesized and characterized. The redox behavior of the chiral viologens was studied compared with achiral viologens. The monoviologens containing naphthyl groups show an intermolecular charge-transfer interaction between the bipyridinium and naphthyl groups in aqueous solution. The association constants are dependent on the chirality of the viologens and larger in the (S,S)- and (R,R)-isomers than in the (R,S)-one. Chiral bisviologens, in which two viologen units are linked with a trimethylene chain, have also been synthesized and characterized. Although the intermolecular charge-transfer interaction between the bipyridinium and viologen units of bisviologens was very weak in solution, such an interaction was appreciably observed in a solid state, which was confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Monoradical trications produced by a one-electron reduction of bisviologens disproportionate more easily in the (R,S)-isomers than in the (S,S)- and (R,R)-ones. The disproportionation is controlled by the steric bulk of the chiral substituents in intramolecular association between two viologen radical units of diradical dications.