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Supramolecular Sandwiches: Halogen-Bonded Coformers Direct [2+2] Photoreactivity in Two-Component Cocrystals
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Supramolecular Sandwiches: Halogen-Bonded Coformers Direct [2+2] Photoreactivity in Two-Component Cocrystals

Jay Quentin, Dale C Swenson and Leonard R MacGillivray
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), Vol.25(4), p.907
02/18/2020
DOI: 10.3390/molecules25040907
PMCID: PMC7070622
PMID: 32085511
url
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25040907View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

The halogen-bond (X-bond) donors 1,3- and 1,4-diiodotetrafluorobenzene ( 1,3-di-I-tFb and 1,4-di-I-tFb , respectively) form cocrystals with trans -1,2-bis(2-pyridyl)ethylene ( 2,2′-bpe ) assembled by N···I X-bonds. In each cocrystal, 2( 1,3-di-I-tFb )·2( 2,2′-bpe ) and ( 1,4-di-I-tFb )·( 2,2′-bpe ), the donor molecules support the C=C bonds of 2,2′-bpe to undergo an intermolecular [2+2] photodimerization. UV irradiation of each cocrystal resulted in stereospecific and quantitative conversion of 2,2′-bpe to rctt -tetrakis(2-pyridyl)cyclobutane ( 2,2′-tpcb ). In each case, the reactivity occurs via face-to-face π -stacked columns wherein nearest-neighbor pairs of 2,2′-bpe molecules lie sandwiched between X-bond donor molecules. Nearest-neighbor C=C bonds are stacked criss-crossed in both cocrystals. The reactivity was ascribed to the olefins undergoing pedal-like motion in the solid state. The stereochemistry of 2,2′-tpcb is confirmed in cocrystals 2( 1,3-di-I-tFb )·( 2,2′-tpcb ) and ( 1,4-di-I-tFb )·( 2,2′-tpcb ).
cocrystal crystal engineering cyclobutane halogen bonding pedal motion photodimerization

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