Showing papers in "Accounts of Chemical Research in 2010"

Synthesis, Structure, and Carbon Dioxide Capture Properties of Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks

Abstract: Zeolites are one of humanity’s most important synthetic products. These aluminosilicate-based materials represent a large segment of the global economy. Indeed, the value of zeolites used in petroleum refining as catalysts and in detergents as water softeners is estimated at $350 billion per year. A major current goal in zeolite chemistry is to create a structure in which metal ions and functionalizable organic units make up an integral part of the framework. Such a structure, by virtue of the flexibility with which metal ions and organic moieties can be varied, is viewed as a key to further improving zeolite properties and accessing new applications. Recently, it was recognized that the Si−O−Si preferred angle in zeolites (145°) is coincident with that of the bridging angle in the M−Im−M fragment (where M is Zn or Co and Im is imidazolate), and therefore it should be possible to make new zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) with topologies based on those of tetrahedral zeolites. This idea was successfu...

Metal−Organic Frameworks with Functional Pores for Recognition of Small Molecules

Abstract: Molecular recognition, an important process in biological and chemical systems, governs the diverse functions of a variety of enzymes and unique properties of some synthetic receptors. Because molecular recognition is based on weak interactions between receptors and substrates, the design and assembly of synthetic receptors to mimic biological systems and the development of novel materials to discriminate different substrates for selective recognition of specific molecules has proved challenging. The extensive research on synthetic receptors for molecular recognition, particularly on noncovalent complexes self-assembled by hydrogen bonding and metal−organic coordination, has revealed some underlying principles. In particular, these studies have demonstrated that the shapes of the supramolecular receptors play significant roles in their specific and selective recognition of substrates: receptors can offer concave surfaces that complement their convex targets. This Account describes our research to develop ...

Semiconductor Nanocrystals: Structure, Properties, and Band Gap Engineering

Abstract: Semiconductor nanocrystals are tiny light-emitting particles on the nanometer scale. Researchers have studied these particles intensely and have developed them for broad applications in solar energy conversion, optoelectronic devices, molecular and cellular imaging, and ultrasensitive detection. A major feature of semiconductor nanocrystals is the quantum confinement effect, which leads to spatial enclosure of the electronic charge carriers within the nanocrystal. Because of this effect, researchers can use the size and shape of these “artificial atoms” to widely and precisely tune the energy of discrete electronic energy states and optical transitions. As a result, researchers can tune the light emission from these particles throughout the ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared spectral ranges. These particles also span the transition between small molecules and bulk crystals, instilling novel optical properties such as carrier multiplication, single-particle blinking, and spectral diffusi...

The spectral signatures of Frenkel polarons in H- and J-aggregates.

Abstract: Electronic excitations in small aggregates, thin films, and crystals of conjugated organic molecules play a fundamental role in the operation of a wide array of organic-based devices including solar cells, transistors, and light-emitting diodes. Such excitations, or excitons, are generally spread out over several molecules: a balance between the delocalizing influence of resonant intermolecular coupling and the localizing influence of static and dynamic disorder determines the coherence range of the exciton. Because of the "soft" nature of organic materials, significant nuclear relaxation in the participating molecules also accompanies the electronic excitations. To properly understand energy or charge transport, one must treat intermolecular (excitonic) coupling, electron-vibrational coupling, and disorder on equal footing. In this Account, we review the key elements of a theoretical approach based on a multiparticle representation that describes electronic excitations in organic materials as vibronic excitations surrounded by a field of vibrational excitations. Such composite excitations are appropriately called Frenkel excitonic polarons. For many conjugated molecules, the bulk of the nuclear reorganization energy following electronic excitation arises from the elongation of a symmetric vinyl stretching mode with energy approximately 1400 cm(-1). To appreciate the impact of aggregation, we study how the vibronic progression of this mode, which dominates the isolated (solvated) molecule absorption and emission spectra, is distorted when molecules are close enough to interact with each other. As we demonstrate in this Account, the nature of the distortion provides a wealth of information about how the molecules are packed, the strength of the excitonic interactions between molecules, the number of molecules that are coherently coupled, and the nature of the disorder. We show that the aggregation-induced deviations from the Poissonian distribution of vibronic peak intensities take on two extremes identified with ideal H- and J-aggregates. The sign of the nearest neighbor electronic coupling, positive for H and negative for J, distinguishes the two basic aggregate forms. For several decades, researchers have known that H-aggregates exhibit blue-shifted absorption spectra and are subradiant while J-aggregates exhibit the opposite behavior (red-shifted absorption and superradiance). However, the exact inclusion of exciton-vibrational coupling reveals several more distinguishing traits between the two aggregate types: in H(J)-aggregates the ratio of the first two vibronic peak intensities in the absorption spectrum decreases (increases) with increasing excitonic coupling, while the ratio of the 0-0 to 0-1 emission intensities increases (decreases) with disorder and increases (decreases) with increasing temperature. These two extreme behaviors provide the framework for understanding absorption and emission in more complex morphologies, such as herringbone packing in oligo(phenylene vinylene)s, oligothiophenes and polyacene crystals, as well as the polymorphic packing arrangements observed in carotenoids.

Rational Design, Synthesis, Purification, and Activation of Metal-Organic Framework Materials

Abstract: The emergence of metal−organic frameworks (MOFs) as functional ultrahigh surface area materials is one of the most exciting recent developments in solid-state chemistry. Now constituting thousands of distinct examples, MOFs are an intriguing class of hybrid materials that exist as infinite crystalline lattices with inorganic vertices and molecular-scale organic connectors. Useful properties such as large internal surface areas, ultralow densities, and the availability of uniformly structured cavities and portals of molecular dimensions characterize functional MOFs. Researchers have effectively exploited these unusual properties in applications such as hydrogen and methane storage, chemical separations, and selective chemical catalysis. In principle, one of the most attractive features of MOFs is the simplicity of their synthesis. Typically they are obtained via one-pot solvothermal preparations. However, with the simplicity come challenges. In particular, MOF materials, especially more complex ones, can b...

Target-responsive structural switching for nucleic acid-based sensors

Abstract: Interest in the development of sensitive, selective, rapid, and cost-effective biosensors for biomedical analysis, environmental monitoring, and the detection of bioterrorism agents is rapidly increasing. A classic biosensor directly transduces ligand−target binding events into a measurable physical readout. More recently, researchers have proposed novel biosensing strategies that couple ligand-induced structural switching of biomolecules with advanced optical and electronic transducers. This approach has proven to be a highly general platform for the development of new biosensors. In this Account, we describe a series of electrochemical and optical nucleic acid sensors that use target-responsive DNA structures. By employing surface-confined DNA structures with appropriate redox labels, we can monitor target-induced structural switching of DNA or aptamer-specific small molecule probes by measuring electrochemical currents that are directly associated with the distance between the redox label and the elect...

A New Class of Semiconducting Polymers for Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells with Exceptionally High Performance

Abstract: Solar cells based on the polymer−fullerene bulk heterojunction (BHJ) concept are an attractive class of low-cost solar energy harvesting devices. Because the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of these solar cells is still significantly lower than that of their inorganic counterparts, however, materials design and device engineering efforts are directed toward improving their output. A variety of factors limit the performance of BHJ solar cells, but the properties of the materials in the active layer are the primary determinant of their overall efficiency. The ideal polymer in a BHJ structure should exhibit the following set of physical properties: a broad absorption with high coefficient in the solar spectrum to efficiently harvest solar energy, a bicontinuous network with domain width within twice that of the exciton diffusion length, and high donor−acceptor interfacial area to favor exciton dissociation and efficient transport of separated charges to the respective electrodes. To facilitate exciton diss...

Aptamers generated from cell-SELEX for molecular medicine: a chemical biology approach.

Abstract: Molecular medicine is an emerging field focused on understanding the molecular basis of diseases and translating this information into strategies for diagnosis and therapy. This approach could lead to personalized medical treatments. Currently, our ability to understand human diseases at the molecular level is limited by the lack of molecular tools to identify and characterize the distinct molecular features of the disease state, especially for diseases such as cancer. Among the new tools being developed by researchers including chemists, engineers, and other scientists is a new class of nucleic acid probes called aptamers, which are ssDNA/RNA molecules selected to target a wide range of molecules and even cells. In this Account, we will focus on the use of aptamers, generated from cell-based selections, as a novel molecular tool for cancer research. Cancers originate from mutations of human genes. These genetic alterations result in molecular changes to diseased cells, which, in turn, lead to changes in ...

Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids and Composite Materials: Platform Technologies for CO2 Capture

Abstract: Clean energy production has become one of the most prominent global issues of the early 21st century, prompting social, economic, and scientific debates regarding energy usage, energy sources, and sustainable energy strategies. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, specifically carbon dioxide (CO2), figures prominently in the discussions on the future of global energy policy. Billions of tons of annual CO2 emissions are the direct result of fossil fuel combustion to generate electricity. Producing clean energy from abundant sources such as coal will require a massive infrastructure and highly efficient capture technologies to curb CO2 emissions. Current technologies for CO2 removal from other gases, such as those used in natural gas sweetening, are also capable of capturing CO2 from power plant emissions. Aqueous amine processes are found in the vast majority of natural gas sweetening operations in the United States. However, conventional aqueous amine processes are highly energy intensive; their imp...

Spectral engineering in π-conjugated polymers with intramolecular donor-acceptor interactions.

Abstract: With the development of light-harvesting organic materials for solar cell applications and molecular systems with fine-tuned colors for nonemissive electrochromic devices (e.g., smart windows, e-papers), a number of technical challenges remain to be overcome. Over the years, the concept of “spectral engineering” (tailoring the complex interplay between molecular physics and the various optical phenomena occurring across the electromagnetic spectrum) has become increasingly relevant in the field of π-conjugated organic polymers. Within the spectral engineering toolbox, the “donor−acceptor” approach uses alternating electron-rich and electron-deficient moieties along a π-conjugated backbone. This approach has proved especially valuable in the synthesis of dual-band and broadly absorbing chromophores with useful photovoltaic and electrochromic properties. In this Account, we highlight and provide insight into a present controversy surrounding the origin of the dual band of absorption sometimes encountered in...

Bioinspired super-antiwetting interfaces with special liquid-solid adhesion.

Abstract: Super-antiwetting interfaces, such as superhydrophobic and superamphiphobic surfaces in air and superoleophobic interfaces in water, with special liquid-solid adhesion have recently attracted worldwide attention. Through tuning surface microstructures and compositions to achieve certain solid/liquid contact modes, we can effectively control the liquid-solid adhesion in a super-antiwetting state. In this Account, we review our recent progress in the design and fabrication of these bioinspired super-antiwetting interfaces with special liquid-solid adhesion. Low-adhesion superhydrophobic surfaces are biologically inspired, typically by the lotus leaf. Wettability investigated at micro- and nanoscale reveals that the low adhesion of the lotus surface originates from the composite contact mode, a microdroplet bridging several contacts, within the hierarchical structures. Recently high-adhesion superhydrophobic surfaces have also attracted research attention. These surfaces are inspired by the surfaces of gecko feet and rose petals. Accordingly, we propose two biomimetic approaches for the fabrication of high-adhesion superhydrophobic surfaces. First, to mimic a sticky gecko's foot, we designed structures with nanoscale pores that could trap air isolated from the atmosphere. In this case, the negative pressure induced by the volume change of sealed air as the droplet is pulled away from surface can produce a normal adhesive force. Second, we constructed microstructures with size and topography similar to that of a rose petal. The resulting materials hold air gaps in their nanoscale folds, controlling the superhydrophobicity in a Wenzel state on the microscale. Furthermore, we can tune the liquid-solid adhesion on the same superhydrophobic surface by dynamically controlling the orientations of microstructures without altering the surface composition. The superhydrophobic wings of the butterfly (Morpho aega) show directional adhesion: a droplet easily rolls off the surface of wings along one direction but is pinned tightly against rolling in the opposite direction. Through coordinating the stimuli-responsive materials and appropriate surface-geometry structures, we developed materials with reversible transitions between a low-adhesive rolling state and a high-adhesive pinning state for water droplets on the superhydrophobic surfaces, which were controlled by temperature and magnetic and electric fields. In addition to the experiments done in air, we also demonstrated bioinspired superoleophobic water/solid interfaces with special adhesion to underwater oil droplets and platelets. In these experiments, the high content of water trapped in the micro- and nanostructures played a key role in reducing the adhesion of the oil droplets and platelets. These findings will offer innovative insights into the design of novel antibioadhesion materials.

Hyperbranched Polyglycerols: From the Controlled Synthesis of Biocompatible Polyether Polyols to Multipurpose Applications

Abstract: Dendritic macromolecules with random branch-on-branch topology, termed hyperbranched polymers in the late 1980s, have a decided advantage over symmetrical dendrimers by virtue of typically being accessible in a one-step synthesis. Saving this synthetic effort once had an unfortunate consequence, though: hyperbranching polymerization used to result in a broad distribution of molecular weights (that is, very high polydispersities, often Mw/Mn > 5). By contrast, a typical dendrimer synthesis yields a single molecule (in other words, Mw/Mn = 1.0), albeit by a labor-intensive, multistep process. But 10 years ago, Sunder and colleagues reported the controlled synthesis of well-defined hyperbranched polyglycerol (PG) via ring-opening multibranching polymerization (ROMBP) of glycidol. Since then, hyperbranched and polyfunctional polyethers with controlled molar mass and low polydispersities (Mw/Mn = 1.2−1.9) have been prepared, through various monomer addition protocols, by ROMBP. In this Account, we review the p...

Exploration of new C-O electrophiles in cross-coupling reactions.

Abstract: Since their development in the 1970s, cross-coupling reactions catalyzed by transition metals have become one of the most important tools for constructing both carbon−carbon and carbon−heteroatom bonds. Traditionally, organohalides were widely studied and broadly used as the electrophile, both in the laboratory and in industry. Unfortunately, the high cost, environmental toxicity, and sluggish preparation often associated with aryl halides can make them undesirable for the large-scale syntheses of industrial applications. However, with the further development of catalytic systems, and particularly of the ligands contained therein, a variety of electrophiles have now been successfully applied to cross-coupling reactions. Oxygen-based electrophiles have attracted much attention due to their ready availability from phenol and carbonyl compounds. Initially, aryl and alkenyl triflates were used in cross-coupling reactions due to their high reactivity; however, low moisture stability and high cost hampered thei...

De Novo Design of Antimicrobial Polymers, Foldamers, and Small Molecules: From Discovery to Practical Applications

Abstract: Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) provide protection against a variety of pathogenic bacteria and are, therefore, an important part of the innate immune system. Over the past decade, there has been considerable interest in developing AMPs as intravenously administered antibiotics. However, despite extensive efforts in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, it has proven difficult to achieve this goal. While researchers have solved some relatively simple problems such as susceptibility to proteolysis, more severe problems have included the expense of the materials, toxicity, poor efficacy, and limited tissue distribution. In this Account, we describe our efforts to design and synthesize “foldamers”-- short sequence-specific oligomers based on arylamide and β-amino acid backbones, which fold into well-defined secondary structures-- that could act as antimicrobial agents. We reasoned that small “foldamers” would be less expensive to produce than peptides, and might have better tissue distribution. It sho...

Multifunctional Chiral Phosphine Organocatalysts in Catalytic Asymmetric Morita−Baylis−Hillman and Related Reactions

Abstract: Catalytic asymmetric synthesis has received considerable attention over the past few decades, becoming a highly dynamic area of chemical research with significant contributions to the field of organic synthesis. In the development of new catalysts, the concept of multifunctional catalysis described by Shibasaki and co-workers, namely, the combination of more than one functional group within a single molecule to activate the transformation, has proved a powerful strategy in the design of efficient transition metal-containing catalysts. A variety of reactions have since been addressed with multifunctional organocatalysts. One example is the Morita−Baylis−Hillman (MBH) reaction, in which a carbon−carbon bond is created between the α-position of an activated double-bond compound and a carbon electrophile. The seminal report on this reaction in 1972 described the prototypical couplings of (i) ethyl acrylate with acetaldehyde and (ii) acrylonitrile with acetaldehyde; the reaction is promoted by the conjugate ad...

Mechanistically Driven Development of Iridium Catalysts for Asymmetric Allylic Substitution

Abstract: Enantioselective allylic substitution reactions comprise some of the most versatile methods for preparing enantiomerically enriched materials. These reactions form products that contain multiple functionalities by creating carbon−nitrogen, carbon−oxygen, carbon−carbon, and carbon−sulfur bonds. For many years, the development of catalysts for allylic substitution focused on palladium complexes. However, studies of complexes of other metals have revealed selectivities that often complement those of palladium systems. Most striking is the observation that reactions with unsymmetrical allylic electrophiles that typically occur with palladium catalysts at the less hindered site of an allylic electrophile occur at the more hindered site with catalysts based on other metals. In this Account, we describe the combination of an iridium precursor and a phosphoramidite ligand that catalyzes enantioselective allylic substitution reactions with a particularly broad scope of nucleophiles. The active form of this iridium...

The story of a monodisperse gold nanoparticle: Au25L18.

Abstract: Au nanoparticles (NPs) with protecting organothiolate ligands and core diameters smaller than 2 nm are interesting materials because their size-dependent properties range from metal-like to molecule-like. This Account focuses on the most thoroughly investigated of these NPs, Au25L18. Future advances in nanocluster catalysis and electronic miniaturization and biological applications such as drug delivery will depend on a thorough understanding of nanoscale materials in which molecule-like characteristics appear. This Account tells the story of Au25L18 and its associated synthetic, structural, mass spectrometric, electron transfer, optical spectroscopy, and magnetic resonance results. We also reference other Au NP studies to introduce helpful synthetic and measurement tools. Historically, nanoparticle sizes have been described by their diameters. Recently, researchers have reported actual molecular formulas for very small NPs, which is chemically preferable to solely reporting their size. Au25L18 is a succe...

Functional mimics of glutathione peroxidase: bioinspired synthetic antioxidants.

Abstract: Oxidative stress is caused by an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the biological system's ability to detoxify these reactive intermediates. Mammalian cells have elaborate antioxidant defense mechanisms to control the damaging effects of ROS. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), a selenoenzyme, plays a key role in protecting the organism from oxidative damage by catalyzing the reduction of harmful hydroperoxides with thiol cofactors. The selenocysteine residue at the active site forms a "catalytic triad" with tryptophan and glutamine, which activates the selenium moiety for an efficient reduction of peroxides. After the discovery that ebselen, a synthetic organoselenium compound, mimics the catalytic activity of GPx both in vitro and in vivo, several research groups developed a number of small-molecule selenium compounds as functional mimics of GPx, either by modifying the basic structure of ebselen or by incorporating some structural features of the native enzyme. The synthetic mimics reported in the literature can be classified in three major categories: (i) cyclic selenenyl amides having a Se-N bond, (ii) diaryl diselenides, and (iii) aromatic or aliphatic monoselenides. Recent studies show that ebselen exhibits very poor GPx activity when aryl or benzylic thiols such as PhSH or BnSH are used as cosubstrates. Because the catalytic activity of each GPx mimic largely depends on the thiol cosubstrates used, the difference in the thiols causes the discrepancies observed in different studies. In this Account, we demonstrate the effect of amide and amine substituents on the GPx activity of various organoselenium compounds. The existence of strong Se···O/N interactions in the selenenyl sulfide intermediates significantly reduces the GPx activity. These interactions facilitate an attack of thiol at selenium rather than at sulfur, leading to thiol exchange reactions that hamper the formation of catalytically active selenol. Therefore, any substituent capable of enhancing the nucleophilic attack of thiol at sulfur in the selenenyl sulfide state would enhance the antioxidant potency of organoselenium compounds. Interestingly, replacement of the sec-amide substituent by a tert-amide group leads to a weakening of Se···O interactions in the selenenyl sulfide intermediates. This modification results in 10- to 20-fold enhancements in the catalytic activities. Another strategy involving the replacement of tert-amide moieties by tert-amino substituents further increases the activity by 3- to 4-fold. The most effective modification so far in benzylamine-based GPx mimics appears to be either the replacement of a tert-amino substituent by a sec-amino group or the introduction of an additional 6-methoxy group in the phenyl ring. These strategies can contribute to a remarkable enhancement in the GPx activity. In addition to enhancing catalytic activity, a change in the substituents near the selenium moiety alters the catalytic mechanisms. The mechanistic investigations of functional mimics are useful not only for understanding the complex chemistry at the active site of GPx but also for designing and synthesizing novel antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents.

The organometallic fluorine chemistry of palladium and rhodium: studies toward aromatic fluorination.

Abstract: Although springing from two established fields, organometallic chemistry and fluorine chemistry, organometallic fluorine chemistry is still in its early stages. However, developments in this area are expected to provide new tools for the synthesis of selectively fluorinated organic compounds that have been in high demand. Selectively fluorinated organic molecules currently account for up to 40% of all agrochemicals and 20% of all pharmaceuticals on the market. Our research efforts have been focused on the development of new organometallic and catalytic methods for the selective introduction of fluorine and the CF3 group into the aromatic ring. Monofluorinated and trifluoromethylated aromatic compounds are still made by the old technologies that employ stoichiometric quantities of hazardous and costly materials. In this Account, we describe our studies toward the development of safe, catalytic alternatives to these methods. We have synthesized, characterized, and studied the reactivity of the first aryl pa...

Folding-based electrochemical biosensors: the case for responsive nucleic acid architectures.

Abstract: Biomolecular recognition is versatile, specific, and high affinity, qualities that have motivated decades of research aimed at adapting biomolecules into a general platform for molecular sensing. Despite significant effort, however, so-called “biosensors” have almost entirely failed to achieve their potential as reagentless, real-time analytical devices; the only quantitative, reagentless biosensor to achieve commercial success so far is the home glucose monitor, employed by millions of diabetics. The fundamental stumbling block that has precluded more widespread success of biosensors is the failure of most biomolecules to produce an easily measured signal upon target binding. Antibodies, for example, do not change their shape or dynamics when they bind their recognition partners, nor do they emit light or electrons upon binding. It has thus proven difficult to transduce biomolecular binding events into a measurable output signal, particularly one that is not readily spoofed by the binding of any of the m...

Organometallic Photovoltaics: A New and Versatile Approach for Harvesting Solar Energy Using Conjugated Polymetallaynes

Abstract: Energy remains one of the world’s great challenges. Growing concerns about limited fossil fuel resources and the accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere from burning those fuels have stimulated tremendous academic and industrial interest. Researchers are focusing both on developing inexpensive renewable energy resources and on improving the technologies for energy conversion. Solar energy has the capacity to meet increasing global energy needs. Harvesting energy directly from sunlight using photovoltaic technology significantly reduces atmospheric emissions, avoiding the detrimental effects of these gases on the environment. Currently inorganic semiconductors dominate the solar cell production market, but these materials require high technology production and expensive materials, making electricity produced in this manner too costly to compete with conventional sources of electricity. Researchers have successfully fabricated efficient organic-based polymer solar cells (PSCs) as a lower cost alternative. Rec...

New Photovoltaic Devices Based on the Sensitization of p-type Semiconductors: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract: Because solar energy is the most abundant renewable energy resource, the clear connection between human activity and global warming has strengthened the interest in photovoltaic science. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) provide a promising low-cost technology for harnessing this energy source. Until recently, much of the research surrounding DSSCs had been focused on the sensitization of n-type semiconductors, such as titanium dioxide (Gratzel cells). In an n-type dye-sensitized solar cell (n-DSSC), an electron is injected into the conduction band of an n-type semiconductor (n-SC) from the excited state of the sensitizer. Comparatively few studies have examined the sensitization of wide bandgap p-type semiconductors. In a p-type DSSC (p-DSSC), the photoexcited sensitizer is reductively quenched by hole injection into the valence band of a p-type semiconductor (p-SC). The study of p-DSSCs is important both to understand the factors that control the rate of hole photoinjection and to aid the rational desi...

Mechanism of a Chemical Glycosylation Reaction

Abstract: Glycosylation is arguably the most important reaction in the field of glycochemistry, yet it involves one of the most empirically interpreted mechanisms in the science of organic chemistry. The β-mannopyranosides, long considered one of the more difficult classes of glycosidic bond to prepare, were no exception to this rule. A number of logical but circuitous routes for their preparation were described in the literature, but they were accompanied by an even greater number of mostly ineffective recipes with which to access them directly. This situation changed in 1996 with the discovery of the 4,6-O-benzylidene acetal as a control element permitting direct entry into the β-mannopyranosides, typically with high yield and selectivity. The unexpected nature of this phenomenon demanded study of the mechanism, leading first to the demonstration of the α-mannopyranosyl triflates as reaction intermediates and then to the development of α-deuterium kinetic isotope effect methods to probe their transformation into ...

Composition-Tunable Alloyed Semiconductor Nanocrystals

Abstract: The ability to engineer the band gap energy of semiconductor nanocrystals has led to the development of nanomaterials with many new exciting properties and applications. Band gap engineering has thus proven to be an effective tool in the design of new nanocrystal-based semiconductor devices. As reported in numerous publications over the last three decades, tuning the size of nanocrystalline semiconductors is one way of adjusting the band gap energy. On the other hand, research on band gap engineering via control of nanocrystal composition, which is achieved by adjusting the constituent stoichiometries of alloyed semiconductors, is still in its infancy. In this Account, we summarize recent research on colloidal alloyed semiconductor nanocrystals that exhibit novel composition-tunable properties. Alloying of two semiconductors at the nanometer scale produces materials that display properties distinct not only from the properties of their bulk counterparts but also from those of their parent semiconductors. ...

Construction and Optoelectronic Properties of Organic One-Dimensional Nanostructures

Abstract: In the last 10 years, nanomaterials based on small organic molecules have attracted increasing attention. Such materials have unique optical and electronic properties, which could lead to new applications in nanoscale devices. Zero-dimensional (0D) organic nanoparticles with amorphous structures have been widely studied; however, the systematic investigation of crystalline one-dimensional (1D) organic nanostructures has only emerged in recent years. Researchers have used inorganic 1D nanomaterials, such as wires, tubes, and belts, as building blocks in optoelectronic nanodevices. We expect that their organic counterparts will also play an important role in this field. Because organic nanomaterials are composed of molecular units with weaker intermolecular interactions, they allow for higher structural tunability, reactivity, and processability. In addition, organic materials usually possess higher luminescence efficiency and can be grown on almost any solid substrate. In this Account, we describe recent p...

Aggregate Nanostructures of Organic Molecular Materials

Abstract: Conjugated organic molecules are interesting materials because of their structures and their electronic, electrical, magnetic, optical, biological, and chemical properties. However, researchers continue to face great challenges in the construction of well-defined organic compounds that aggregate into larger molecular materials such as nanowires, tubes, rods, particles, walls, films, and other structural arrays. Such nanoscale materials could serve as direct device components. In this Account, we describe our recent progress in the construction of nanostructures formed through the aggregation of organic conjugated molecules and in the investigation of the optical, electrical, and electronic properties that depend on the size or morphology of these nanostructures. We have designed and synthesized functional conjugated organic molecules with structural features that favor assembly into aggregate nanostructures via weak intermolecular interactions. These large-area ordered molecular aggregate nanostructures are based on a variety of simpler structures such as fullerenes, perylenes, anthracenes, porphyrins, polydiacetylenes, and their derivatives. We have developed new methods to construct these larger structures including organic vapor-solid phase reaction, natural growth, association via self-polymerization and self-organization, and a combination of self-assembly and electrochemical growth. These methods are both facile and reliable, allowing us to produce ordered and aligned aggregate nanostructures, such as large-area arrays of nanowires, nanorods, and nanotubes. In addition, we can synthesize nanoscale materials with controlled properties. Large-area ordered aggregate nanostructures exhibit interesting electrical, optical, and optoelectronic properties. We also describe the preparation of large-area aggregate nanostructures of charge transfer (CT) complexes using an organic solid-phase reaction technique. By this process, we can finely control the morphologies and sizes of the organic nanostructures on wires, tubes, and rods. Through field emission studies, we demonstrate that the films made from arrays of CT complexes are a new kind of cathode materials, and we systematically investigate the effects of size and morphology on electrical properties. Low-dimension organic/inorganic hybrid nanostructures can be used to produce new classes of organic/inorganic solid materials with properties that are not observed in either the individual nanosize components or the larger bulk materials. We developed the combined self-assembly and templating technique to construct various nanostructured arrays of organic and inorganic semiconductors. The combination of hybrid aggregate nanostructures displays distinct optical and electrical properties compared with their individual components. Such hybrid structures show promise for applications in electronics, optics, photovoltaic cells, and biology. In this Account, we aim to provide an intuition for understanding the structure-function relationships in organic molecular materials. Such principles could lead to new design concepts for the development of new nonhazardous, high-performance molecular materials on aggregate nanostructures.

Micro- and nanocrystals of organic semiconductors.

Abstract: Organic semiconductors have attracted wide attention in recent decades, resulting in the rapid development of organic electronics. For example, the solution processibility of organic semiconductors allows researchers to use unconventional deposition methods (such as inkjet printing and stamping) to fabricate large area devices at low cost. The mechanical properties of organic semiconductors also allow for flexible electronics. However, the most distinguishing feature of organic semiconductors is their chemical versatility, which permits the incorporation of functionalities through molecular design. However, key scientific challenges remain before organic electronics technology can advance further, including both the materials’ low charge carrier mobility and researchers’ limited knowledge of structure−property relationships in organic semiconductors. We expect that high-quality organic single crystals could overcome these challenges: their purity and long-range ordered molecular packing ensure high device...

The Development of Catalytic Nucleophilic Additions of Terminal Alkynes in Water

Abstract: One of the major research endeavors in synthetic chemistry over the past two decades is the exploration of synthetic methods that work under ambient atmosphere with benign solvents, that maximize atom utilization, and that directly transform natural resources, such as renewable biomass, from their native states into useful chemical products, thus avoiding the need for protecting groups The nucleophilic addition of terminal alkynes to various unsaturated electrophiles is a classical (textbook) reaction in organic chemistry, allowing the formation of a C-C bond while simultaneously introducing the alkyne functionality A prerequisite of this classical reaction is the stoichiometric generation of highly reactive metal acetylides Over the past decade, our laboratory and others have been exploring an alternative, the catalytic and direct nucleophilic addition of terminal alkynes to unsaturated electrophiles in water We found that various terminal alkynes can react efficiently with a wide range of such electrophiles in water (or organic solvent) in the presence of simple and readily available catalysts, such as copper, silver, gold, iron, palladium, and others In this Account, we describe the development of these synthetic methods, focusing primarily on results from our laboratory Our studies include the following: (i) catalytic reaction of terminal alkynes with acid chloride, (ii) catalytic addition of terminal alkynes to aldehydes and ketones, (iii) catalytic addition of alkynes to C=N bonds, and (iv) catalytic conjugate additions Most importantly, these reactions can tolerate various functional groups and, in many cases, perform better in water than in organic solvents, clearly defying classical reactivities predicated on the relative acidities of water, alcohols, and terminal alkynes We further discuss multicomponent and enantioselective reactions that were developed These methods provide an alternative to the traditional requirement of separate steps in classical alkyne reactions, including the pregeneration of metal acetylides with stoichiometric, highly basic reagents and the preprotection of sensitive functional groups Accordingly, these techniques have greatly enhanced overall synthetic efficiencies and furthered our long-term objective of developing Grignard-type reactions in water

Recent Experimental Advances on Excited-State Intramolecular Proton Coupled Electron Transfer Reaction

Abstract: Proton-coupled electron transfer reactions form the basis of many important chemical processes including much of the energy conversion that occurs within living cells. However, much of the physical chemistry that underlies these reaction mechanisms remains poorly understood. In this Account, we report on recent progress in the understanding of excited-state intramolecular proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions. The strategic design and synthesis of various types of PCET molecules, along with steady-state and femtosecond time-resolved spectroscopy, have uncovered the mechanisms of several excited-state PCET reactions in solution. These experimental advancements correlate well with current theoretical models, in which the proton has quantum motion with a high probability of tunneling. In addition, the rate of proton transfer is commonly incorporated within the rate of rearrangement of solvent molecules. As a result, the reaction activation free energy is essentially governed by the solvent reorga...

Polymorphism in Molecular Solids: An Extraordinary System of Red, Orange, and Yellow Crystals

Abstract: Diamond and graphite are polymorphs of each other: they have the same composition but different structures and properties. Many other substances exhibit polymorphism: inorganic and organic, natural and manmade. Polymorphs are encountered in studies of crystallization, phase transition, materials synthesis, and biomineralization and in the manufacture of specialty chemicals. Polymorphs can provide valuable insights into crystal packing and structure-property relationships. 5-Methyl-2-[(2-nitrophenyl)amino]-3-thiophenecarbonitrile, known as ROY for its red, orange, and yellow crystals, has seven polymorphs with solved structures, the largest number in the Cambridge Structural Database. First synthesized by medicinal chemists, ROY has attracted attention from solid-state chemists because it demonstrates the remarkable diversity possible in organic solids. Many structures of ROY polymorphs and their thermodynamic properties are known, making ROY an important model system for testing computational models. Though not the most polymorphic substance on record, ROY is extraordinary in that many of its polymorphs can crystallize simultaneously from the same liquid and are kinetically stable under the same conditions. Studies of ROY polymorphs have revealed a new crystallization mechanism that invalidates the common view that nucleation defines the polymorph of crystallization. A slow-nucleating polymorph can still dominate the product if it grows rapidly and nucleates on another polymorph. Studies of ROY have also helped understand a new, surprisingly fast mode of crystal growth in organic liquids cooled to the glass transition temperature. This growth mode exists only for those polymorphs that have more isotropic, and perhaps more liquid-like, packing. The rich polymorphism of ROY results from a combination of favorable thermodynamics and kinetics. Not only must there be many polymorphs of comparable energies or free energies, many polymorphs must be kinetically stable and crystallize at comparable rates to be observed. This system demonstrates the unique insights that polymorphism provides into solid-state structures and properties, as well as the inadequacy of our current understanding of the phenomenon. Despite many studies of ROY, it is still impossible to predict the next molecule that is equally or more polymorphic. ROY is a lucky gift from medicinal chemists.