Spectroelectrochemical and Computational Analysis of a Series of Cycloaddition-Retroelectrocyclization-Derived...

The [2+2] cyclcoaddition (CA) and subsequent retroelectrocyclization (RE) reactions are useful in constructing nonplanar donor-acceptor chromophores that exhibit nonlinear optical properties and intramolecular charge-transfer transitions. However, both the infrared (IR) and visible-near IR (vis-NIR) spectroelectrochemical responses of CA-RE-derived chromophores are rarely explored in depth. Reported in this contribution is a comprehensive IR and vis-NIR spectroelectrochemical study of the CA-RE adducts of DMAP-C₂-NAP^iPr of both tetracyanoethene (TCNE) and tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) and companion time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) analysis of the bands observed. Specifically, DMAP-C₂-NAP^iPr (1a, n = 1; 1b n = 2; DMAP = N,N-dimethylaniline; NAP^iPr = N-isopropyl-1,8-naphthalimide) react with TCNE to yield the tetracyanobutadiene (TCBD) derivatives (2a and 2b, respectively) and with TCNQ to yield the dicyanoquinodimethane (DCNQ) derivatives (3a and 3b, respectively). IR spectroelectrochemical studies showed the emergence/intensification of new CN stretches upon reductions. Ultraviolet-vis-NIR (UV-vis-NIR) spectroelectrochemical study of 3 revealed a partial bleach of the charge-transfer (CT) bands, originally appearing in the neutral species, and the emergence of new CT bands originating from NAP^iPr to the reduced DCNQ moiety. UV-vis-NIR spectroelectrochemical study of 2, surprisingly, indicated a very minimal change upon reductions. Dynamic changes were observed in the mid-IR absorption for C≡C and C≡N for both 2 and 3, indicative of enhanced asymmetry and the formation of ion pairs on the dicyano bridge. DFT and TD-DFT analyses were used to obtain the semi-quantitative pictures of the frontier orbitals of 1-3 and elucidate the origin of the transient features observed spectroelectrochemically for the 1e^- and 2e^- reduced species.