Toward Crystalline Molecular Rotors with Linearly Conjugated Diethynyl-Phenylene Rotators and Pentiptycene Stators

摘要

A strategy for the construction of crystalline molecular rotors involves the assemblage of chemical structures that emulate the elements of macroscopic rotary devices, such as those found in macroscopic gyroscopes and compasses. In this report, we describe an efficient and short synthetic route for preparation of molecular rotors with two pentiptycene-units linked at their central benzene ring by triple bonds to a linearly conjugated phenylene rotator. Five analogous compounds with phenol, alkoxy, or alkoxycarbonyl substituents were synthesized and fully characterized in solution and in the solid-state through various methods, such as cross-polarization magic angle spinning (CPMAS) 13C NMR and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Molecular and packing structures obtained from single crystal X-ray diffraction and crystallization properties were analyzed with the goal of identifying the key parameters that may hinder or facilitate the formation of dynamically functional, crystalline molecular rotors.