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The [2+2] Cycloaddition-Retroelectrocyclization (CA-RE) Click Reaction: Facile Access to Molecular and Polymeric
Tsuyoshi Michinobu1, François Diederich2
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 1, 52-8552, Japan.
Abstract:
The [2+2] cycloaddition-retroelectrocyclization (CA-RE) reaction between electron-rich alkynes and electron-deficient alkenes is an efficient procedure to create nonplanar donor-acceptor (D-A) chromophores in both molecular and polymeric platforms. They feature attractive properties including intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) bands, nonlinear optical properties, and redox activities for use in next-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices. This Review summarizes the development of the CA-RE reaction, starting from the initial reports with organometallic compounds to the extension to purely organic systems. The structural requirements for rapid, high-yielding transformations with true click chemistry character are illustrated by examples that include the broad alkyne and alkene substitution modes. The CA-RE click reaction has been successfully applied to polymer synthesis, with the resulting polymeric push-pull chromophores finding many interesting applications.
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