Dynamic covalent chemistry relates to chemical reactions carried out reversibly under conditions of equilibrium control. The reversible nature of the reactions introduces the prospects of "error checking" and "proof-reading" into synthetic processes where dynamic covalent chemistry operates. Since the formation of products occurs under thermodynamic control, product distributions depend only on the relative stabilities of the final products. In kinetically controlled reactions, however, it is the free energy differences between the transition states leading to the products that determines their relative proportions. Supramolecular chemistry has had a huge impact on synthesis at two levels: one is noncovalent synthesis, or strict self-assembly, and the other is supramolecular assistance to molecular synthesis, also referred to as self-assembly followed by covalent modification. Noncovalent synthesis has given us access to finite supermolecules and infinite supramolecular arrays. Supramolecular assistance to covalent synthesis has been exploited in the construction of more-complex systems, such as interlocked molecular compounds (for example, catenanes and rotaxanes) as well as container molecules (molecular capsules). The appealing prospect of also synthesizing these types of compounds with complex molecular architectures using reversible covalent bond forming chemistry has led to the development of dynamic covalent chemistry. Historically, dynamic covalent chemistry has played a central role in the development of conformational analysis by opening up the possibility to be able to equilibrate configurational isomers, sometimes with base (for example, esters) and sometimes with acid (for example, acetals). These stereochemical "balancing acts" revealed another major advantage that dynamic covalent chemistry offers the chemist, which is not so easily accessible in the kinetically controlled regime: the ability to re-adjust the product distribution of a reaction, even once the initial products have been formed, by changing the reaction's environment (for example, concentration, temperature, presence or absence of a template). This highly transparent, yet tremendously subtle, characteristic of dynamic covalent chemistry has led to key discoveries in polymer chemistry. In this review, some recent examples where dynamic covalent chemistry has been demonstrated are shown to emphasise the basic concepts of this area of science.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/1521-3773%2820020503%2941%3A9%3C1460%3A%3AAID-ANIE11111460%3E3.0.CO%3B2-N

Dynamic covalent chemistry.

Regarding the activation of chemical reactions, today’s chemist is used to thinking in terms of thermochemistry, electrochemistry, and photochemistry, which is reflected in the organization and content of the standard physical chemistry textbooks. The fourth way of chemical activation, mechanochemistry, is usually less well-known. The purpose of the present review is to give a survey of the classical works in mechanochemistry and put the key mechanochemical phenomena into perspective with recent results from atomic force microscopy and quantum molecular dynamics simulations. A detailed historical account on the development of mechanochemistry, with an emphasis on the mechanochemistry of solids, was recently given by Boldyrev and Tkáčová.1 The first written document of a mechanochemical reaction is found in a book by Theophrastus of Ephesus (371-286 B.C.), a student of Aristotle, “De Lapidibus” or “On stones”. If native cinnabar is rubbed in a brass mortar with a brass pestle in the presence of vinegar, metallic mercury is obtained. The mechanochemical reduction probably follows the reaction:1-3 * To whom correspondence should be addressed. Telephone: ++49-89-289-13417. Fax: ++49-89-289-13416. E-mail: martin.beyer@ch.tum.de (M.K.B.); Telephone: ++49-89-12651417. Fax: ++49-89-1265-1480. E-mail: clausen-schaumann@ fhm.edu (H.C.-S.). † Technische Universität München. ‡ Institut für Strahlenschutz. § Current address: Munich University of Applied Sciences. HgS + Cu f Hg + CuS (1) Volume 105, Number 8

http://depa.fquim.unam.mx/amyd/archivero/MECANOQUIMICA_3426.pdf

Mechanochemistry: the mechanical activation of covalent bonds.

http://www.crystallography.ru/MA/articles/!Self-sustaining_Takacs2002.pdf

Self-sustaining reactions induced by ball milling

In spite of their importance in fundamental and applied studies, the preparation of endohedral fullerenes has relied on difficult-to-control physical methods. We report a four-step organic reaction that completely closes a 13-membered ring orifice of an open-cage fullerene. This process can be used to synthesize a fullerene C60 encapsulating molecular hydrogen, which can be isolated as a pure product. This molecular surgical method should make possible the preparation of a series of C60 fullerenes, encapsulating either small atoms or molecules, that are not accessible by conventional physical methods.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/307/5707/238.full.pdf

Encapsulation of Molecular Hydrogen in Fullerene C60 by Organic Synthesis

Mechanochemistry is becoming more widespread as a technique for molecular synthesis with new mechanochemical reactions being discovered at increasing frequency. Whilst mechanochemical methods are solvent free and can therefore lead to improved sustainability metrics, it is more likely that the significant differences between reaction outcomes, reaction selectivities and reduced reaction times will make it a technique of interest to synthetic chemists. Herein, we provide an overview of mechanochemistry reaction examples, with ‘direct’ comparators to solvent based reactions, which collectively seemingly show that solid state grinding can lead to reduced reaction times, different reaction outcomes in product selectivity and in some instances different reaction products, including products not accessible in solution.

/pdf/mechanochemistry-as-an-emerging-tool-for-molecular-synthesis-1fikz7tsl4.pdf

Mechanochemistry as an emerging tool for molecular synthesis: what can it offer?

The bulk synthesis of the [2 + 2] dimer of fullerene C60 was achieved by the solid-state mechanochemical reaction of C60 with KCN by the use of a high-speed vibration milling (HSVM) technique. This reaction took place also by the use of potassium salts such as K2CO3 and CH3CO2K, metals such as Li, Na, K, Mg, Al, and Zn, and organic bases such as 4-(dimethylamino)- and 4-aminopyridine. Under optimum conditions, the reaction afforded only the dimer C120 and unchanged C60 in a ratio of about 3:7 (by weight) regardless of the reagent used. The dimer C120 was fully characterized by IR, UV−vis, 13C NMR, and TOF MS spectroscopies, cyclic voltammetry, and differential scanning calorimetry. Comparison of the IR and 13C NMR spectral data of C120 with those reported for all-carbon C60 polymers implied that the [2 + 2] dimer C120 represents the essential subunit of these polymers. The dimer C120 underwent facile dissociation into two C60 molecules by heat, HSVM treatment, exposure to room light, or electrochemical re...

Mechanochemical Synthesis and Characterization of the Fullerene Dimer C120

The stable van der Waals molecule krypton inside C60 was isolated by HPLC from a mixture containing 99.9% empty C60. Four passes through a semipreparative PYE [2-(1-pyrenyl)ethylsilyl] column provided 140 μg of 90% pure Kr@C60, as confirmed by mass spectrometric analysis. The 13C NMR spectrum of Kr@C60 contains a single line shifted 0.39 ppm downfield from the C60 resonance. UV−visible spectroscopy shows that krypton incorporation causes a red shift of ca.. 45 cm-1 in the lowest singlet transition of C60. Three of the four allowed vibrational fundamentals are observed by infrared spectroscopy; each shows a small frequency increase in Kr@C60. A 12% acceleration in triplet state decay is measured at 77 K and attributed to an “endohedral heavy atom effect” induced by the krypton atom. It is concluded that coupling between the krypton atom and the π-electron system of the fullerene is small but significant.

Kazunori Yamamoto

Papers

Mechanochemical Synthesis and Characterization of the Fullerene Dimer C120

Isolation and Spectral Properties of Kr@C60, a Stable van der Waals Molecule