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Noncatalytic [2+2] Cycloaddition Providing Donor-Acceptor Type 2-Azetines Featuring the 2-Aminophenyl Groups
Masaya Morisaki1, Rikutaro Abe1, Shigekazu Ito1
1Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, School of Materials and Chemical Technology, Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo), Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Electron-rich alkynes undergo catalyzed [2+2] cycloaddition to form fluorescent 2-azetines without a catalyst. These novel N-heterocycles exhibit blue fluorescence, crucial for developing new photo-functional materials.
Area of Science:
- Organic Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Photochemistry
Background:
- Previous TiCl4-catalyzed [2+2] synthesis of 2-azetines used internal alkynes.
- Electron-rich terminal alkynes present an alternative substrate class for cycloaddition reactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the uncatalyzed [2+2] cycloaddition of electron-abundant terminal alkynes.
- To explore the photophysical properties, specifically fluorescence, of the resulting 2-azetine derivatives.
- To understand the structural basis for fluorescence in these N-heterocycles.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of 2-azetines via [2+2] cycloaddition using 2-ethynyl-N,N-dialkylanilines.
- Structural elucidation using X-ray crystallographic analysis and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.
- Photophysical characterization, including fluorescence quantum yield measurements.
Main Results:
- Electron-abundant terminal alkynes undergo facile [2+2] cycloaddition without a catalyst.
- The synthesized 2-azetines exhibit blue fluorescence with quantum yields of 4-9%.
- Structural analysis revealed pyramidalized amino groups and a crucial C=C bond in the azetine ring for fluorescence.
Conclusions:
- The combination of electron-donating amino groups and an electron-accepting molecular skeleton in 2-azetines is effective for photo-functional material design.
- The C=C double bond within the 2-azetine core is essential for its fluorescent properties.
- Azole-substituted phenylacetylenes efficiently yield 2-azetines without byproducts, highlighting the 'o-aminophenyl effect'.
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