Zheng
Zhou
a,
Zheng
Wei
a,
Tobias A.
Schaub
b,
Ramesh
Jasti
*b and
Marina A.
Petrukhina
*a
aDepartment of Chemistry, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222, USA. E-mail: mpetrukhina@albany.edu
bDepartment of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Materials Science Institute, Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA. E-mail: rjasti@uoregon.edu
First published on 10th August 2020
Chemical reduction of several cycloparaphenylenes (CPPs) ranging in size from [8]CPP to [12]CPP has been investigated with potassium metal in THF. The X-ray diffraction characterization of the resulting doubly-reduced [n]CPPs provided a unique series of carbon nanohoops with increasing dimensions and core flexibility for the first comprehensive structural analysis. The consequences of electron acquisition by a [n]CPP core have been analyzed in comparison with the neutral parents. The addition of two electrons to the cyclic carbon framework of [n]CPPs leads to the characteristic elliptic core distortion and facilitates the internal encapsulation of sizable cationic guests. Molecular and solid-state structure changes, alkali metal binding and unique size-dependent host abilities of the [n]CPP2− series with n = 6–12 are discussed. This in-depth analysis opens new perspectives in supramolecular chemistry of [n]CPPs and promotes their applications in size-selective guest encapsulation and chemical separation.
In conjunction with the work of the Jasti group, the selective syntheses of numerous [n]CPPs have also been successfully accomplished by the groups of Itami,9–12 Yamago,13–19 and others.20 Notably, the largest cycloparaphenylene to date, [36]CPP, has been prepared very recently by Müllen's group.20 Some latest works have been focused on the preparation of new CPP-based nanocarbons with different framework topologies, such as heteroatom-doped CPPs,21–23 π-surface extended CPPs,24–26 polymeric CPPs,27,28 catenanes and trefoil knots.29–31 Meanwhile, more extensive studies of [n]CPPs aimed at their structure–property relationships revealed their unique size-dependent optoelectronic properties and interesting supramolecular behavior.32–37
While the syntheses of [n]CPPs have been well developed,5,6 their solid-state structures remained unknown until the first X-ray diffraction characterization of [12]CPP was accomplished by Itami and coworkers in 2011.9 Single crystals of [12]CPP were grown from CHCl3/cyclohexane as [12]CPP·2(C6H12) and exhibited a herringbone packing in the solid state.9 Over the next year, [6]CPP,6 [8]CPP,5 and [10]CPP5 were structurally characterized by Jasti's group. While large cycloparaphenylenes, [8]CPP and [10]CPP, preserve a herringbone packing pattern,5 the smaller [6]CPP was shown to exhibit a linear column alignment in the crystalline state. It should be noted that none of these crystal structures are solvent-free; the interstitial and often disordered solvent molecules have been removed during the structure refinement and not accounted in the above solid-state structures. Interestingly, Itami's group in 2017 has found that [6]CPP can also form a herringbone packing under elevated temperature (70 °C) in the presence of CH2Cl2 molecules.38 In 2018, the only solvent-free crystal structure of [6]CPP obtained by Petrukhina's group was shown to exhibit unusual and very tight packing that minimizes the internal space of the nanohoop.22
One of the unique features of [n]CPPs is their large central void that may provide selective host–guest binding interactions for different encapsulated moieties, such as smaller π-systems. Thus, [n]CPPs can be potentially used as molecular π-hosts to trap or separate specific molecules based on size and shape complementarity. The host–guest complexation of CPPs was initially investigated by Yamago's group with UV-Vis and NMR spectroscopic techniques to reveal high selectivity of [10]CPP towards C60.39 In 2012, Jasti et al. reported the first crystal structure of the host–guest complex, C60⊂[10]CPP,5 demonstrating the perfect π–π concave–convex interaction between the host and guest. A few years later, Itami's group prepared an interesting ionic complex Li+@C60⊂[10]CPP·X−,40 where [10]CPP was capable of holding a charged {Li+@C60} moiety. In 2017, according to the NMR spectroscopy study, Yamago's group found that [n]CPPs can selectively interact with [n + 5]CPPs to afford the [n]CPP⊂[n + 5]CPP inclusion complexes, that can be viewed as the shortest double-walled carbon nanotubes.41 In the same year, Itami et al. prepared I2⊂[n]CPP, which exhibits turn-on electronic conductivity and white light luminescence upon voltage bias application.42 All these seminal works illustrate the outstanding host abilities of macrocyclic CPPs that can find unique applications in fundamental chemistry and materials science.
Overall, the size-dependent physical and chemical properties of [n]CPPs attract significant attention to this intriguing class of strained and cyclic PAHs.8,43–46 Surprisingly, the HOMO–LUMO gaps of CPPs become narrow with decreasing size, which contrasts the open-chain linear paraphenylenes and most other PAHs that show narrowing HOMO–LUMO gaps with an increased number of aromatic rings.47,48 Thus, the redox chemistry of [n]CPPs should be of special interest for a variety of applications, including new organic electroconductive or energy storage materials.36,45,48,49 However, these investigations have been mainly limited to oxidation of several [n]CPPs reported by Yamago and coworkers.48 While various spectroscopic and computational tools have been used for investigation of the oxidized cationic species,35,47–49 multi-electron reduction properties of CPPs remained largely unexplored.50 The X-ray crystallographic characterization of the only highly-reduced [8]CPP tetraanion dates back to 2013.51 More recently, the accessibility of the first and second reduction steps for a small and rigid [6]CPP has been demonstrated, along with the successful crystallographic characterization of both carbanions.52 This has opened a broad investigation of chemical reduction properties and host abilities of larger and more flexible cycloparaphenylenes.
Herein, we report the controlled chemical reduction study of [8]CPP, [10]CPP, and [12]CPP (Scheme 1) that allowed the first successful isolation and X-ray diffraction characterization of the doubly-reduced states of these carbon nanohoops. Structural analysis of the resulting products and comparison with a smaller [6]CPP dianion revealed systematic structural deformation trends upon two-electron charging, as well as the unique size-dependent ability of the doubly-reduced hoop-shaped hosts, [n]CPPs2− (n = 6–12), for selective guest binding.
In the solid-state structure of 1, the {K+(18-crown-6)(THF)} moieties from adjacent units are interacting with the internal surface of the neighboring [8]CPP2− dianions (Fig. S8†) with the C–H⋯π contacts ranging over 2.679(4)–2.785(4) Å. Specifically, two cationic {K+(18-crown-6)} moieties embed in the internal cavity of one [8]CPP2− host from opposite directions, forming the stepped 1D columns with a slip distance of 7.97 Å (Fig. 1b). In contrast to the highly-reduced [8]CPP4−,51 only partial insertions of the crown ether groups are observed in this case. No strong interactions are found between the adjacent 1D columns.
In the crystal structure of 2 (Fig. 2a), the K+ ions bind to the six-membered rings of the [10]CPP2− exterior at the opposite positions in a η6-mode, with the K⋯C distances ranging over 3.227(3)–3.422(3) Å. The K⋯Ccentroid distance of 3.013(3) Å is shorter than that in 1 and in [{K+(18-crown-6)(THF)}2([6]CPP2−)].52 These short K⋯C contacts in 2 result in asymmetric coordination of 18-crown-6 ether that could prevent additional THF binding to the K+ ion observed in the above cases. The K⋯Ocrown distances of 2.788(2)–2.832(2) Å are comparable to those previously reported.51–55 Two interstitial THF molecules were found in the crystal structure of 2·2THF, filling the structural voids with no close contacts.
In the solid-state structure of 2, the internal surface of the [10]CPP2− anions accommodates two {K+(18-crown-6)} moieties from the adjacent units to form a 2D layer (Fig. 2b and S9†), with the shortest C–H⋯π contacts of 2.632(5)–2.755(5) Å. No significant interactions are found between the adjacent layers.
In the crystal structure of 3 (Fig. 3a), there are two external {K+(benzo-15-crown-5)2} moieties that are solvent-separated from the [12]CPP2− core. Each K+ ion is fully wrapped by two benzo-15-crown-5 ether molecules with the K⋯Ocrown distances (2.752(2)–2.945(2) Å) being comparable to those previously reported.51–53,55–58 Seven interstitial THF molecules are found to fill the structural voids with no close contacts.
![]() | ||
Fig. 3 (a) Crystal structure of [K+(benzo-15-crown-5)2]2([12]CPP2−) (3), ball-and-stick and space-filling models, (b) solid-state packing of 3, mixed models. |
In the solid-state structure of 3, the internal cavities of the [12]CPP2− anions are occupied by {K+(benzo-15-crown-5)2} cations from the adjacent molecules, with C–H⋯π interactions ranging over 2.621(8)–2.735(8) Å. Notably, the C–H⋯π contacts as short as 2.559(8) Å are also found between the two encapsulated {K+(benzo-15-crown-5)2} moieties (Fig. S10†). In addition, the C–H⋯π contacts of 2.655(8)–2.740(8) Å can be identified between the external surface of [12]CPP2− and four adjacent {K+(benzo-15-crown-5)2} moieties, resulting in the formation of an extended 3D network in the solid state (Fig. 3b).
![]() | ||
Fig. 4 Average C–C bond distances (Å) in [6]CPP2−,52 [8]CPP2−, [10]CPP2−, and [12]CPP2− in comparison to neutral parents, along with their space-filling models. |
The structural changes of [n]CPPs upon reduction can also be analyzed by comparison of the inner diameters and selected dihedral angles of the dianions vs. their neutral parents. In the doubly-reduced CPPs (n = 6–10), the D.P. (deformation parameter) values are increased by 0.06–0.10 (Table 1), indicating that the cyclic core becomes only slightly elongated along the dmax axis (the longest inner diameter, Fig. S12†) upon two-electron acquisition. Interestingly, the largest deformation is observed in the [12]CPP2− macrocycle (D.P. = 1.22) that shows an increased elliptical distortion by 18% along the dmax direction upon two-electron addition. Notably, the D.P. of [8]CPP2− (1.19) could be further increased to 1.45 upon further reduction, as observed in its tetrareduced form, [8]CPP4−.51
Distance | [6]CPPa | [6]CPP2−a | [8]CPPb | [8]CPP2− | [10]CPPb | [10]CPP2− | [12]CPPc | [12]CPP2− | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
a Ref. 52. b Ref. 5. c Ref. 9. d D.P. = dmax/dmin. | |||||||||
d A | 8.049 | 7.848 | 10.364 | 9.958 | 13.742 | 14.197 | 16.557 | 18.155 |
![]() |
d B | 8.050 | 8.156 | 10.376 | 10.678 | 13.471 | 13.830 | 16.554 | 17.413 | |
d C | 8.117 | 8.374 | 11.281 | 11.856 | 13.436 | 13.148 | 16.331 | 15.511 | |
d D | — | — | 11.351 | 10.098 | 13.720 | 13.279 | 16.353 | 14.285 | |
d E | — | — | — | — | 13.702 | 13.943 | 16.349 | 14.929 | |
d F | — | — | — | — | — | — | 16.078 | 16.910 | |
D.P.d | 1.01 | 1.07 | 1.09 | 1.19 | 1.02 | 1.08 | 1.03 | 1.22 |
Compared to the neutral CPPs, the average dihedral angles (Fig. S11†) of the six-membered rings in [6]CPP2−, [8]CPP2−, [10]CPP2−, and [12]CPP2− are notably increased by about 8–15° (Table 2), indicating that the rings become more vertically oriented in respect to the central plane R (See scheme in Table 2). This structural change is consistent with the coplanarization of the phenyl rings expected for the increased quinoidal character of the doubly-reduced CPPs. The observed ring re-orientation also increases an internal open space of the [n]CPP2− macrocycles, thus enhancing their host–guest binding abilities.
Angle | [6]CPPa | [6]CPP2−a | [8]CPPb | [8]CPP2− | [10]CPPb | [10]CPP2− | [12]CPPc | [12]CPP2− | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
a Ref. 52. b Ref. 5. c Ref. 9. | |||||||||
a A/R | 73.6 | 89.4 | 64.6 | 84.1 | 88.3 | 89.0 | 89.1 | 86.3 |
![]() |
a B/R | 71.1 | 88.7 | 70.1 | 85.0 | 61.6 | 89.9 | 61.1 | 85.1 | |
a C/R | 75.6 | 87.5 | 83.0 | 88.7 | 65.0 | 82.2 | 83.1 | 78.9 | |
a D/R | — | — | 81.5 | 83.4 | 88.6 | 81.2 | 74.0 | 71.8 | |
a E/R | — | — | — | — | 68.0 | 86.0 | 85.8 | 87.8 | |
a F/R | — | — | — | — | — | — | 57.3 | 89.1 | |
a avg. | 73.4 | 88.5 | 74.8 | 85.3 | 74.5 | 85.7 | 75.1 | 83.2 |
[6]CPP2−a | [8]CPP2− | [10]CPP2− | [12]CPP2− | |
---|---|---|---|---|
a
Ref. 52.
b
V
void ≈ 4/3 × π × (dmin/2 × cos![]() ![]() |
||||
V void | 233 | 608 | 1261 | 1928 |
Moiety | THF ×2 | ½{K+(18-crown-6)} ×2 | {K+(18-crown-6)} ×2 | {K+(benzo-15-crown-5)2} ×2 |
V moiety | 200 | 380 | 760 | 1760 |
Host–guest formula | {THF}2⊂[6]CPP2− | ½{K+(18-crown-6)}2⊂[8]CPP2− | {K+(18-crown-6)}2⊂[10]CPP2− | {K+(benzo-15-crown-5)2}2⊂[12]CPP2− |
For the series of [n]CPP (n = 6, 8, 10, 12) hosts, due to a significant internal volume increase (233 Å3,52 493 Å3,5 1021 Å3,5 and 1587 Å3,9 respectively) the encapsulation of larger guests can be expected. The host ability is further enhanced in the doubly-reduced [n]CPP species. For example, the measured internal volume of [6]CPP2− is about 233 Å3, thus matching the size of two THF molecules that filled the void, as found in the X-ray crystal structure of [{K+(18-crown-6)(THF)}2([6]CPP2−)] (Table 3 and Fig. 6a).52 Consistent with the size increase of the [n]CPP series, the estimated internal space of [8]CPP2− is expanded to 608 Å3, allowing the dianion to trap larger guests than THF (Fig. 6b). In the crystal structure of 1, two cationic {K+(18-crown-6)} moieties (ca. 380 Å3) from the neighboring units are partially inserted into the internal cavity of [8]CPP2−, thus forming the 1D stepped columns in the solid-state (Fig. 1b). Taking advantage of the larger size, the internal volume of [10]CPP2− is doubled (1261 Å3) compared to that of [8]CPP2−, with the void being capable of accommodating two cationic moieties from the adjacent units (Fig. 6c). Two {K+(18-crown-6)} cations show perfect parallel alignment inside the [10]CPP2− cavity with a slip distance of 2.82 Å. Due to some space restriction, the cationic guest moiety is tilted in respect to the central plane of the [10]CPP2− host with an approximate tilt angle of 25.0°. This head-to-head encapsulation of two {K+(18-crown-6)} moieties inside the [10]CPP2− host is responsible for the formation of a 2D layered structure in 2. For the largest [12]CPP2−, the internal volume is significantly increased to 1928 Å3, allowing the encapsulation of two {K+(benzo-15-crown-5)2} moieties from the adjacent units (Fig. 6d) in the solid-state structure of 3.
Overall, the increased internal volume along the series of [n]CPP2− (n = 6, 8, 10, and 12) allows the accommodation of larger guests with enhanced host–guest interactions. This affects the intermolecular interactions between the neighboring cationic and anionic units and results in different solid-state packing arrangements, as revealed crystallographically.
Footnote |
† Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Details of preparation and X-ray diffraction study. CCDC 2005328–2005330. For ESI and crystallographic data in CIF or other electronic format see DOI: 10.1039/d0sc03072d |
This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2020 |