High performance p-type molecular electron donors for OPV applications via alkylthiophene catenation chromophore extension

• Paul B. Geraghty,
• Calvin Lee,
• Jegadesan Subbiah,
• Wallace W. H. Wong,
• James L. Banal,
• Mohammed A. Jameel,
• Trevor A. Smith and
• David J. Jones

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 2298–2314, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.223

• evident (Figure 5a). However, λmax is dependent on the degree of formation of π–π stacking and development of the lowest energy transition with two clear sharp peaks at 552 nm and 590 nm (λmax) for BMR, while for BPR λmax is at 594 nm with a shoulder at around 630 nm indicating poor formation of the

• cm−2. BPR shows promise with a high FF (74%), however a lower Voc (0.82 V) and a reduced Jsc (14.3 mA cm−2) reduce the PCE to 8.7%. UV–vis data indicate that under these SVA conditions the π–π stacking is not fully developed indicating that optimizing SVA conditions may lead to improved light

• architecture described above. The collected device data are summarized in Table 5, and the J–V curves are shown in Figure 13. Examination of the BTxR UV–vis data for as-cast films (Figure 5d) indicates that BT8R does not have a well-developed π–π stacking peak in as-cast films, unlike BTR. Also, both BT4R and

Synthesis and characterization of fluorinated azadipyrromethene complexes as acceptors for organic photovoltaics

• Forrest S. Etheridge,
• Roshan J. Fernando,
• Sandra Pejić,
• Matthias Zeller and
• Geneviève Sauvé

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1925–1938, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.182

• structure is distorted tetrahedral with favorable π–π stacking distances between the proximal phenyl and pyrrole rings of the two separate ligands (Figure 10a and 10b). The distance between centroids is 3.56 Å for Zn(L2)2, compared to 3.63 Å for Zn(ADP)2 [38]. The shorter distance found for Zn(L2)2 suggests

• a stronger interaction between the proximal phenyl and pyrrole rings than in Zn(ADP)2. Unfortunately, it cannot be determined whether the addition of fluorine or phenylacetylene contributed to the shorter π–π stacking distances without a crystal structure for Zn(WS3)2. Intermolecular favorable π–π

• distorted tetrahedral shape; b) Shows the π-stacking between the proximal phenyl group of one ligand and a pyrrole ring of the opposite ligand. Generic synthetic scheme for fluorinated free ligands, where L# corresponds to the desired ligand number. For instance, L3-ADP and L3-ADPI2 would lead to the

From supramolecular chemistry to the nucleosome: studies in biomolecular recognition

• Marcey L. Waters

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1863–1869, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.175

• -helices; aromatic interactions; β-hairpin peptides; cation–π interactions; dynamic combinatorial chemistry; histone; molecular recognition in water; nucleosome; π–π-stacking; post-translational modification; supramolecular chemistry; Review Childhood influences When thinking about how to start writing

• postdoc. Seminal work probing the electrostatic component of π–π stacking and edge-face aromatic interactions as well as cation–π interactions was being published at the time, as well as tantalizing suggestions about their relevance in biological structure and function. In particular, I was inspired by

• -Sanders Model for π–π stacking from 1990 [4]. (d) Kool’s nonpolar isostere of thymidine from 1995 [5].(e) Gellman’s model for π–π stacking in aqueous solution [6]. (a) Model β-hairpin for investigation of aromatic interactions. (b) Examples of noncovalent interactions studied, from weakest to strongest

Synthesis and properties of fluorescent 4′-azulenyl-functionalized 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridines

• Adrian E. Ion,
• Liliana Cristian,
• Mariana Voicescu,
• Masroor Bangesh,
• Augustin M. Madalan,
• Daniela Bala,
• Constantin Mihailciuc and
• Simona Nica

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1812–1825, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.171

• supramolecular interactions are observed in the crystal packing, via the azulene moieties and the terpyridine groups. In the crystal of 4a, the molecules are organized in columns running along the crystallographic a axis by π–π stacking interactions (3.39–3.64 Å). In the neighboring columns the molecular units

• structures, different twisting was observed that might be responsible for the observed fluorescent profile. The solid-state crystal packing showed π–π stacking interactions between the pyridine rings in face-to-face or T-shape orientation, completed by slipped-off π–π stacked azulenyl moieties according to

• ; found: C, 83.4; H, 5.2; N, 10.8; MS (ESI+, m/z): 402 (100, MH+), 403 (30%). Molecular structure and numbering scheme of 4′-(1-azulenyl)-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine (4a, left) and 4′-(1-(4,6,8-trimethyl-azulenyl)-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine (4b, right). Packing diagram for 4a showing the π–π stacking and CH–π

Effect of the π-conjugation length on the properties and photovoltaic performance of A–π–D–π–A type oligothiophenes with a 4,8-bis(thienyl)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene core

• Ni Yin,
• Lilei Wang,
• Yi Lin,
• Jinduo Yi,
• Lingpeng Yan,
• Junyan Dou,
• Hai-Bo Yang,
• Xin Zhao and
• Chang-Qi Ma

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1788–1797, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.169

• oligothiophene chains. In the solid state, absorption spectra of these compounds (see Figure 1b) are remarkably broadened and red-shifted relative to those in solutions, which is attributable to strong π–π stacking interaction between the molecular backbones in the solid films [31][32]. It is noticeable that

Synthesis and characterization of benzodithiophene and benzotriazole-based polymers for photovoltaic applications

• Desta Gedefaw,
• Marta Tessarolo,
• Margherita Bolognesi,
• Mario Prosa,
• Renee Kroon,
• Wenliu Zhuang,
• Patrik Henriksson,
• Kim Bini,
• Ergang Wang,
• Michele Muccini,
• Mirko Seri and
• Mats R. Andersson

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1629–1637, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.160

• interchain π–π stacking, BDT is a widely used electron-rich monomer. Moreover, alkyl or aryl groups can easily be introduced to BDT basic units as side groups to finely tune the properties of the resulting polymers, not only in terms of solubility but also contributing, for example, to extend the π

Experimental and theoretical insights in the alkene–arene intramolecular π-stacking interaction

• Valeria Corne,
• Ariel M. Sarotti,
• Carmen Ramirez de Arellano,
• Rolando A. Spanevello and
• Alejandra G. Suárez

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1616–1623, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.158

• , Universidad de Valencia, Valencia 46100, Spain 10.3762/bjoc.12.158 Abstract Chiral acrylic esters derived from biomass were developed as models to have a better insight in the aryl–vinyl π-stacking interactions. Quantum chemical calculations, NMR studies and experimental evidences demonstrated the presence

• affected by the electron density of the aromatic counterpart. Keywords: acrylic esters; asymmetric synthesis; biomass; conformational equilibrium; π-stacking interaction; Introduction Noncovalent interactions have demonstrated to have relevant importance in chemistry and biology [1][2][3][4]. Considering

• all noncovalent interactions, π-stacking is perhaps the less well understood, although its application in materials sciences, enzyme design and template-directed synthesis have had a dramatic growth, mainly for arene–arene interactions [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. In particular, the use of π–π overlap as

Creating molecular macrocycles for anion recognition

• Amar H. Flood

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 611–627, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.60

• triazole nitrogens but not past the pyridine with the steric protection provided by a CH group (see the red arrows in Figure 4c for the overlay of the two ligands). The ruthenium complex showed intermolecular π stacking of ligands on neighboring complexes in the solid state; yet terpyridine analogs did not

My maize and blue brick road to physical organic chemistry in materials

• Anne J. McNeil

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 229–238, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.24

• grateful for his time and advice. While on the academic interview circuit, I was fortunate to have Steven Wheeler (a postdoctoral researcher with Professor Ken Houk at the time) in the audience at one interview. He was developing computational methods to evaluate π-stacking interactions, and was intrigued

• explained by through-space interactions [15]. Steven, who is now an associate professor at Texas A&M University, is changing the way we understand π stacking, XH/π, and ion/π interactions in organic systems [16][17][18][19][20]. During my postdoctoral studies, I remained fascinated with gels and was

• structures, such as ribbons, fibers, and sheets. This self-aggregation is driven by noncovalent interactions, including hydrogen bonding, π stacking, van der Waals interactions, and halogen bonding. Physical interactions amongst these larger structures lead to gel formation. Because noncovalent interactions

Urethane tetrathiafulvalene derivatives: synthesis, self-assembly and electrochemical properties

• Xiang Sun,
• Guoqiao Lai,
• Zhifang Li,
• Yuwen Ma,
• Xiao Yuan,
• Yongjia Shen and
• Chengyun Wang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 2343–2349, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.255

• driving forces for self-assembly of TTF derivatives were mainly hydrogen bond interactions and π–π stacking interactions. The electronic conductivity of the T1 and T2 films was tested by a four-probe method. Keywords: hydrogen bond; nanoribbon; self-assembly; tetrathiafulvalene; urethane; Introduction

• nanomaterials is generally accepted to be the self-assembly of supermolecules, which is constructed through weak noncovalent interactions such as π–π stacking, van der Waals interactions, charge transfer and H-bonding interactions [3][4][5][6]. Generally speaking, H-bonding interactions are the key

• units and urethane groups (Figure 1). The combination of the urethane group (forming hydrogen bonds) and the TTF unit (forming π–π stacking) may promote the formation of nanostructures. To the best of our knowledge, urethane groups have been rarely introduced into the molecular structure of TTF

Supramolecular chemistry: from aromatic foldamers to solution-phase supramolecular organic frameworks

• Zhan-Ting Li

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 2057–2071, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.222

• : applications for molecular recognition and self-assembly Donor–acceptor interaction and π-stacking for folding. In January 2001, I returned to SIOC again. When I left SIOC for Urbana in 2000, I had built a small research group with two graduates. Thanks to the persistence of Professor Xi-Kui Jiang [19][20

Polythiophene and oligothiophene systems modified by TTF electroactive units for organic electronics

• Alexander L. Kanibolotsky,
• Neil J. Findlay and
• Peter J. Skabara

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 1749–1766, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.191

• dimensionality of charge carrier transport [1] by involving π–π stacking interactions. Varying the substituents of the conjugated backbone allows control over the polymer’s effective conjugation length and electronic properties, whilst also influencing the extent of inter-chain interactions. Two of the most

• the preparation of TTF mixed valance state materials, which showed superconducting properties [25]. Fusing the TTF unit with dithiin rings in bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene (BEDT-TTF) led to the extension of 1D π–π stacking intermolecular interactions in a donor sheet of a mixed valance state

• -acceptor into the conjugated backbone led to a polymer with a narrow optical band gap (Egopt = 1.32 eV in CH2Cl2 solution), with the expected lower value of Egopt = 1.26 eV in the film due to π–π stacking interactions. The value of the HOMO/LUMO levels (−5.13/−3.49 eV) in the film were noticeably different

Star-shaped tetrathiafulvalene oligomers towards the construction of conducting supramolecular assembly

• Masahiko Iyoda and
• Masashi Hasegawa

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 1596–1613, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.175

• interactions between molecules having one or more unpaired electrons [3][4], neutral TTF and its derivatives also easily form stacked columnar structures with face-to-face π···π stacking and side-by-side S···S interactions in the crystalline state. Furthermore, weak intermolecular interactions (hydrogen

• bonding, metal coordination, CT interaction, π···π stacking, van der Waals interaction, etc.) play an important role in the formation of the three-dimensional (3D) crystal structures [5]. For the construction of nanostructured objects, π···π, S···S, and other weak intermolecular interactions first

• formed by casting a solution of 48 on a glass surface (Figure 17c). XRD studies on the fiber and the film of 48 revealed that the fiber has a hexagonal alignment, whereas the film has a lamellar structure with lateral order and π···π stacking. It is worth noting that the film of 48 prepared by casting a

Thiazole-induced rigidification in substituted dithieno-tetrathiafulvalene: the effect of planarisation on charge transport properties

• Rupert G. D. Taylor,
• Joseph Cameron,
• Iain A. Wright,
• Neil Thomson,
• Olena Avramchenko,
• Alexander L. Kanibolotsky,
• Anto R. Inigo,
• Tell Tuttle and
• Peter J. Skabara

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 1148–1154, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.129

• resolved but there is a non-resolved peak caused by overlap of the cathodic peaks on the reverse scan. Compound 2 appears to show a first oxidation wave at 0.09 V, however, this is an artefact due to a minor degree of aggregation induced by π–π stacking between some of the molecules. This is followed by

Are D-manno-configured Amadori products ligands of the bacterial lectin FimH?

• Tobias-Elias Gloe,
• Insa Stamer,
• Cornelia Hojnik,
• Tanja M. Wrodnigg and
• Thisbe K. Lindhorst

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 1096–1104, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.123

• ]. Obviously, FimH binds α-D-mannosides such as simple methyl α-D-mannoside (MeMan, 1) but not β-mannosides. Mannosides with an aromatic aglycone, such as p-nitrophenyl α-D-mannoside (pNPMan) and 4-methylumbelliferyl α-D-mannoside (3) show an improved affinity to FimH due to π–π-stacking interactions of the

Synthesis of photoresponsive cholesterol-based azobenzene organogels: dependence on different spacer lengths

• Yuchun Ren,
• Bin Wang and
• Xiuqing Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 1089–1095, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.122

• ], etc. The driving force for the spontaneous formation of gel could be relatively non-covalent interactions such as π–π stacking [4][5][6][7], hydrogen bonding [7][8][9], dipole–dipole [10], and van der Waals interactions [11][12]. A series of cholesterol-based gelators were reported [13][14][15]. These

Indolizines and pyrrolo[1,2-c]pyrimidines decorated with a pyrimidine and a pyridine unit respectively

• Marcel Mirel Popa,
• Emilian Georgescu,
• Mino R. Caira,
• Florentina Georgescu,
• Constantin Draghici,
• Raluca Stan,
• Calin Deleanu and
• Florea Dumitrascu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 1079–1088, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.121

• π-stacking, with shortest ring centroid-to-centroid distances of 3.743 Å in 6 and 3.766 Å in 8. It was ascertained from a search of the Cambridge Structural Database [34] (CSD) that the crystal of 6 is isostructural with that of 4,4’-bipyrimidine as the trans-rotamer (CSD refcode SACPAN). This is

Mechanical stability of bivalent transition metal complexes analyzed by single-molecule force spectroscopy

• Manuel Gensler,
• Christian Eidamshaus,
• Maurice Taszarek,
• Hans-Ulrich Reissig and
• Jürgen P. Rabe

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 817–827, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.91

• partially due to the fact that the π–π-stacking of pyridines [50] was a competing interaction. The most probable rupture force, used in the KBE model, was due to the coordination complexes. Methods using the whole data set are strongly influenced by the stacking interaction and would have needed heavily

First principle investigation of the linker length effects on the thermodynamics of divalent pseudorotaxanes

• Andreas J. Achazi,
• Doreen Mollenhauer and
• Beate Paulus

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 687–692, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.78

• first principle calculations show clearly that this enhanced binding is due to electronic effects, namely the dispersion interaction of the two linkers. For the shortest linker this interaction results in a nearly ideal π–π stacking. For the two longer linkers ideal packing is not possible due to steric

• dispersive interaction of the linking unit (two phenyl rings and the linker), which in case of the n0 guest fits perfectly on top of the anthracene linker of the DiC8 host. The distance between the linker of the host and the linker of the n0 guest is around 3.7 Å, quite close to an ideal distance for the π–π

• stacking of two benzene rings. The n1 and n2 guest do not perfectly fit with the host (Figure 2). In the n1-case the linker is folded away from the anthracene bridge, and for the n2-case one phenyl ring is twisted away due to steric constraints. The Gibbs energy of association ΔG in the gas phase of the

C-5’-Triazolyl-2’-oxa-3’-aza-4’a-carbanucleosides: Synthesis and biological evaluation

• Roberto Romeo,
• Caterina Carnovale,
• Salvatore V. Giofrè,
• Maria A. Chiacchio,
• Adriana Garozzo,
• Emanuele Amata,
• Giovanni Romeo and
• Ugo Chiacchio

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 328–334, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.38

• , the 1,2,3-triazole motif is exceedingly stable to basic or acidic hydrolysis and interacts strongly with biological targets through hydrogen bonding to nitrogen atoms as well as through dipole–dipole and π-stacking interactions [39]. Recently, a synthetic approach towards 3-hydroxymethyl-5-(1H-1,2,3

Synthesis and characterization of pH responsive D-glucosamine based molecular gelators

• Navneet Goyal,
• Hari P. R. Mangunuru,
• Bargav Parikh,
• Sonu Shrestha and
• Guijun Wang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2014, 10, 3111–3121, doi:10.3762/bjoc.10.328

• referred to as supramolecular gelators or molecular gelators. They can form reversible gels in organic solvents, aqueous mixtures, and water. The gelation process is completely driven by weak intermolecular forces such as hydrogen bonding, π–π stacking, hydrophobic forces, and van der Waals forces. The

A one-pot multistep cyclization yielding thiadiazoloimidazole derivatives

• Debabrata Samanta,
• Anup Rana,
• Jan W. Bats and
• Michael Schmittel

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2014, 10, 2989–2996, doi:10.3762/bjoc.10.317

• by multiple π–π stacking (slighly displaced) at a distance of 3.36−3.40 Å (Figure 1c) while the iminophenyl groups are connected by weak intermolecular C(phenyl)-H···π(phenyl) contacts. Moreover, Figure 1a shows that the structure is planar except for the phenyl ring attached to the N4 atom (C2–N4–C5

• –C6 = 49.0°). The phenyl ring attached to the N3 atom is nearly coplanar (C1–N3–C3–C4 = 2.5°) with the thiadiazole ring allowing additional delocalization. This coplanar arrangement might help for intercalation into biological molecules using e.g., π–π stacking, C–H···π or ion–dipole interactions

• –π stacking. To take the solvent into consideration, the thermochemical analyses were performed in dichloromethane using the COSMO model with gas phase optimized geometries. Originally, DMAP should be hydrogen bonded to both amide protons in complex 8 increasing the nucleophilicity of both N-centers

A comparative study of the interactions of cationic hetarenes with quadruplex-DNA forming oligonucleotide sequences of the insulin-linked polymorphic region (ILPR)

• Darinka Dzubiel,
• Heiko Ihmels,
• Mohamed M. A. Mahmoud and
• Laura Thomas

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2014, 10, 2963–2974, doi:10.3762/bjoc.10.314

• terminal π-stacking [20], which is in agreement with the observed binding stoichiometry of 1:1 (Figure 7), the different composition of the loops in ILPR-quadruplex (ACA and TGT in ILPR versus TTA in telomeric quadruplex) may affect the binding affinity of ligands towards the ILPR-DNA. On the other hand

Synthesis and characterization of a new photoinduced switchable β-cyclodextrin dimer

• Florian Hamon,
• Claire Blaszkiewicz,
• Marie Buchotte,
• Estelle Banaszak-Léonard,
• Hervé Bricout,
• Sébastien Tilloy,
• Eric Monflier,
• Christine Cézard,
• Laurent Bouteiller,
• Christophe Len and
• Florence Djedaini-Pilard

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2014, 10, 2874–2885, doi:10.3762/bjoc.10.304

• cyclic polymers are aggregated into larger objects stabilized by hydrogen bonds between cyclodextrin moieties and by π-stacking interactions between azobenzene linkers. Finally, according to the computational data, the complexes of AZO-CDim 1 with ADAdim 4 are further stabilized by intramolecular

Solution processable diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) cored small molecules with BODIPY end groups as novel donors for organic solar cells

• Diego Cortizo-Lacalle,
• Calvyn T. Howells,
• Upendra K. Pandey,
• Joseph Cameron,
• Neil J. Findlay,
• Anto Regis Inigo,
• Tell Tuttle,
• Peter J. Skabara and
• Ifor D. W. Samuel

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2014, 10, 2683–2695, doi:10.3762/bjoc.10.283

• organic field-effect transistors [24][25]. The DPP-based conjugated polymers usually show good electron and hole mobility and promising PCE values in OPVs due to large intermolecular interactions through π–π stacking. Nguyen et al. have investigated the DPP core in small molecules for OPVs with excellent