A detailed investigation of the photophysical parameters and photochemical reactivity of meso-methyl BODIPY photoremovable protecting groups was accomplished through systematic variation of the leaving group (LG) and core substituents as well as substitutions at boron. Efficiencies of the LG release were evaluated using both steady-state and transient absorption spectroscopies as well as computational analyses to identify the optimal structural features. We find that the quantum yields for photorelease with this photocage are highly sensitive to substituent effects. In particular, we find that the quantum yields of photorelease are improved with derivatives with higher intersystem crossing quantum yields, which can be promoted by core heavy atoms. Moreover, release quantum yields are dramatically improved by boron alkylation, whereas alkylation in the meso-methyl position has no effect. Better LGs are released considerably more efficiently than poorer LGs. We find that these substituent effects are additive, for example, a 2,6-diiodo-B-dimethyl BODIPY photocage features quantum yields of 28% for the mediocre LG acetate and a 95% quantum yield of release for chloride. The high chemical and quantum yields combined with the outstanding absorption properties of BODIPY dyes lead to photocages with uncaging cross sections over 10 000 M–1 cm–1, values that surpass cross sections of related photocages absorbing visible light. These new photocages, which absorb strongly near the second harmonic of an Nd:YAG laser (532 nm), hold promise for manipulating and interrogating biological and material systems with the high spatiotemporal control provided by pulsed laser irradiation, while avoiding the phototoxicity problems encountered with many UV-absorbing photocages. More generally, the insights gained from this structure–reactivity relationship may aid in the development of new highly efficient photoreactions.

A new photoprecursor to the phenyloxenium ion, 4-methoxyphenoxypyridinium tetrafluoroborate, was investigated using trapping studies, product analysis, computational investigations, and laser flash photolysis experiments ranging from the femtosecond to the millisecond time scale. These experiments allowed us to trace the complete arc of the photophysics and photochemistry of this photoprecursor beginning with the initially populated excited states to its sequential formation of transient intermediates and ultimate formation of stable photoproducts. We find that the excited state of the photoprecursor undergoes heterolysis to generate the phenyloxenium ion in ∼2 ps but surprisingly generates the ion in its open-shell singlet diradical configuration (1A2), permitting an unexpected look at the reactivity of an atom-centered open-shell singlet diradical. The open-shell phenyloxenium ion (1A2) has a much shorter lifetime (τ ∼ 0.2 ns) in acetonitrile than the previously observed closed-shell singlet (1A1) phenyloxenium ion (τ ∼ 5 ns). Remarkably, despite possessing no empty valence orbitals, this open-shell singlet oxenium ion behaves as an even more powerful electrophile than the closed-shell singlet oxenium ion, undergoing solvent trapping by weakly nucleophilic solvents such as water and acetonitrile or externally added nucleophiles (e.g., azide) rather than engaging in typical diradical chemistry, such as H atom abstraction, which we have previously observed for a triplet oxenium ion. In acetonitrile, the open-shell singlet oxenium ion is trapped to generate ortho and para Ritter intermediates, one of which (para) is directly observed as a longer-lived species (τ ∼ 0.1 ms) in time-resolved resonance Raman experiments. The Ritter intermediates are ultimately trapped by either the 4-methoxypyridine leaving group (in the case of para addition) or trapped internally via an essentially barrierless rearrangement (in the case of ortho addition) to generate a cyclized product. The expectation that singlet diradicals react similarly to triplet or uncoupled diradicals needs to be reconsidered, as a recent study by Perrin and Reyes-Rodríguez (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 15263) suggested the unsettling possibility that singlet p-benzyne could suffer nucleophilic attack to generate a naked phenyl anion. Now, this study provides direct spectroscopic observation of this phenomenon, with an atom-centered open-shell singlet diradical reacting as a powerful electrophile. To the question of whether a nucleophile can attack a singly occupied molecular orbital, the answer is apparently yes, at least if another partially occupied orbital is available to avoid violation of the rules of valence.

A series of substituted aryl dicyanomethyl radicals were synthesized, and the bonding thermodynamic parameters for self-dimerization were determined from van’t Hoff plots obtained from variable-temperature electron paramagnetic resonance and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. At low temperatures, the radicals dimerize, but the colored, air-stable free radicals return upon heating. Heating and cooling cycles (5–95 °C) can be repeated without radical degradation and with striking thermochromic behavior. We find a linear free energy relationship between the Hammett para substituent parameter and the dimerization equilibrium constant, with para electron-donating substituents leading to a weaker bond and electron-withdrawing substituents leading to stronger bonds, following a captodative effect. Density functional theory investigations [B98D/6-31+G(d,p)] reveal that the dimers prefer a slip-stacked geometry and feature elongated bonds.

Nitrenium and oxenium ions are important reactive intermediates in synthetic and biological processes, and their ground electronic configurations are of great interest due to having distinct reactivities and properties. In general, the closed-shell singlet state of these intermediates usually react as electrophiles, while reactions of the triplet states of these ions react like typical diradicals (e.g., H atom abstractions). Nonsubstituted phenyl nitrenium ions (Ph-NH+) and phenyl oxenium ions (Ph-O+) have closed-shell singlet ground states with large singlet–triplet gaps resulting from a strong break in the degeneracy of the p orbitals on the formal nitrenium/oxenium center. Remarkably, we find computationally (CBS-QB3 and G4MP2) that azulenyl nitrenium and oxenium ions can have triplet ground states depending upon the attachment position on the azulene core. For instance, CBS-QB3 predicts that 1-azulenyl nitrenium ion and 1-azulenyl oxenium ion are singlet ground-state species with considerable singlet–triplet gaps of −47 and −45 kcal/mol to the lowest-energy triplet state, respectively. In contrast, 6-azulenyl nitrenium ion and 6-azulenyl oxenium ion have triplet ground states with a singlet–triplet gap of +7 and +10 kcal/mol, respectively. Moreover, the triplet states are π,π* states, rather than the typical n,π* states seen for many aryl nitrenium or oxenium ions. This dramatic switch in favored electronic states can be ascribed to changes in ring aromaticity/antiaromaticity, with the switch from ground-state singlet ions to triplet-favored ions resulting from both a destabilized singlet state (Hückel antiaromatic) and a stabilized triplet (Baird aromatic) state. Density functional theory (UB3LYP/6-31+G(d,p)) was used to determine substituent effects on the singlet–triplet energy gap for azulenyl nitrenium and oxenium ions, and we find that the unusual ground triplet states can be further tuned by employing electron-donating or -withdrawing groups on the azulene ring. This work demonstrates that azulenyl nitrenium and oxenium ions can have triplet π,π* ground states and provides a simple recipe for making ionic intermediates with distinct electronic configurations and consequent prediction of unique reactivity and magnetic properties from these species.

Carbocations are widely viewed to be closed-shell singlet electrophiles. Here, computations show that azulenyl-substituted carbocations have triplet ground states. This triplet ground state for azulenyl carbocations stands in striking contrast to the isomeric naphthenyl carbocation, which is a normal closed-shell singlet with a large singlet–triplet gap. Furthermore, substitution of the azulenyl carbocation can substantially alter the energy gap between the different electronic configurations and can manipulate the ground state towards either the singlet or the triplet state depending on the nature and location of the substituent. A detailed investigation into the origin of this spin state reversal, including NICS calculations, structural effects, substitution patterns, orbital analysis, and detailed linear free-energy relationships allowed us to distill a set of principles that caused these azulenyl carbocations to have such low-lying diradical states. The fundamental origin of this effect mostly centers on singlet state destabilization from increasing antiaromatic character, in combination with a smaller, but important, Baird triplet state aromatic stabilization. We find that azulene is not unique, as extension of these principles allowed us to generate simple rules to predict an entire class of analogous non-alternant carbocation and carbanion structures with low-energy or ground state diradical states, including a purely hydrocarbon triplet cation with a large singlet–triplet gap of 8 kcal mol−1. Although these ions have innocuous-looking Lewis structures, these triplet diradical ions are likely to have substantially different reactivity and properties than typical closed-shell singlet ions.

The combination of theoretical calculations and laser flash photolysis experiments has aided in understanding the reactivity and properties of oxenium ions. Direct observation of the reactivity, spin configurations, and lifetimes of short-lived oxenium ions via laser flash photolysis (LFP) techniques is now possible due to the discovery of new photoprecursors to these species. These new precursors allowed the direct observation of the parent phenyloxenium ion in solution by using protonated hydroxylamine tetrafluoroborate salt. Computations suggest that the singlet–triplet gap (ΔEST) of aryloxenium ions can be tuned by substituents, and predicted a ground state triplet oxenium ion, which was confirmed by experimental studies. The interplay of theory and experiment in understanding these species is discussed.

Oxenium ions are important reactive intermediates in synthetic chemistry and enzymology, but little is known of the reactivity, lifetimes, spectroscopic signatures, and electronic configurations of these unstable species. Recent advances have allowed these short-lived ions to be directly detected in solution from laser flash photolysis of suitable photochemical precursors, but all of the studies to date have focused on aryloxenium ions having closed-shell singlet ground state configurations. To study alternative spin configurations, we synthesized a photoprecursor to the m-dimethylamino phenyloxenium ion, which is predicted by both density functional theory and MRMP2 computations to have a triplet ground state electronic configuration. A combination of femtosecond and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, nanosecond time-resolved Resonance Raman spectroscopy (ns-TR3), cryogenic matrix EPR spectroscopy, computational analysis, and photoproduct studies allowed us to trace essentially the complete arc of the photophysics and photochemistry of this photoprecursor and permitted a first look at a triplet oxenium ion. Ultraviolet photoexcitation of this precursor populates higher singlet excited states, which after internal conversion to S1 over 800 fs are followed by bond heterolysis in ∼1 ps, generating a hot closed-shell singlet oxenium ion that undergoes vibrational cooling in ∼50 ps followed by intersystem crossing in ∼300 ps to generate the triplet ground state oxenium ion. In contrast to the rapid trapping of singlet phenyloxenium ions by nucleophiles seen in prior studies, the triplet oxenium ion reacts via sequential H atom abstractions on the microsecond time domain to ultimately yield the reduced m-dimethylaminophenol as the only detectable stable photoproduct. Band assignments were made by comparisons to computed spectra of candidate intermediates and comparisons to related known species. The triplet oxenium ion was also detected in the ns-TR3 experiments, permitting a more clear assignment and identifying the triplet state as the π,π* triplet configuration. The triplet ground state of this ion was further supported by photolysis of the photoprecursor in an ethanol glass at ∼4 K and observing a triplet species by cryogenic EPR spectroscopy.

Carbocations are traditionally thought to be closed-shell electrophiles featuring an empty orbital rich in p character. Here, density functional theory computations indicate that when strong π donors are not placed in direct conjugation with benzylic-type cations, alternative diradical configurations that resemble non-Kekulé diradicals are possible. For certain donor–acceptor frameworks, an open-shell singlet configuration is the computed ground state for the cation, whereas for coumarin and xanthenyl cations substituted with strong donors, a triplet diradical configuration is the computed ground state. Changing the substituent nature and attachment location substantially alters the energy gaps between the different electronic configurations and can manipulate the computed ground-state electronic configuration. There are few known examples of ground-state triplet carbocations, and, to our knowledge, no other examples of open-shell singlet carbocations. The open-shell singlet and triplet “carbocations” described here may have reactivity distinct from that of typical closed-shell singlet carbocations and, if appropriately stabilized, lead to organic materials with interesting electronic and magnetic properties.

Photoremovable protecting groups derived from meso-substituted BODIPY dyes release acetic acid with green wavelengths >500 nm. Photorelease is demonstrated in cultured S2 cells. The photocaging structures were identified by our previously proposed strategy of computationally searching for carbocations with low-energy diradical states as a possible indicator of a nearby productive conical intersection. The superior optical properties of these photocages make them promising alternatives to the popular o-nitrobenzyl photocage systems.

A polymer containing viologen radical cation monomer units is shown to reversibly switch between paramagnetic and diamagnetic states via non-covalent host–guest interactions or temperature control in water. Cycling between diamagnetic and paramagnetic forms is accompanied by changes in optical and magnetic properties.

Heterolytic bond scission is a staple of chemical reactions. While qualitative and quantitative models exist for understanding the thermal heterolysis of carbon–leaving group (C–LG) bonds, no general models connect structure to reactivity for heterolysis in the excited state. CASSCF conical intersection searches were performed to investigate representative systems that undergo photoheterolysis to generate carbocations. Certain classes of unstabilized cations are found to have structurally nearby, low-energy conical intersections, whereas stabilized cations are found to have high-energy, unfavorable conical intersections. The former systems are often favored from photochemical heterolysis, whereas the latter are favored from thermal heterolysis. These results suggest that the frequent inversion of the substrate preferences for nonadiabatic photoheterolysis reactions arises from switching from transition-state control in thermal heterolysis reactions to conical intersection control for photochemical heterolysis reactions. The elevated ground-state surfaces resulting from generating unstabilized or destabilized cations, in conjunction with stabilized excited-state surfaces, can lead to productive conical intersections along the heterolysis reaction coordinate.

The photophysics and photochemistry of p-biphenylyl hydroxylamine hydrochloride was studied using laser flash photolysis ranging from the femtosecond to the microsecond time scale. The singlet excited state of this photoprecursor is formed within 350 fs and partitions into three different transients that are assigned to the p-biphenyloxy radical, the open-shell singlet p-biphenylyloxenium ion, and the triplet p-biphenylyloxenium ion, having lifetimes of 40 μs, 45 ps, and 1.6 ns, respectively, in CH3CN. The open-shell singlet p-biphenylyloxenium ion predominantly undergoes internal conversion to produce the closed-shell singlet p-biphenylyloxenium ion, which has a lifetime of 5–20 ns. The longer-lived radical is unambiguously assigned by nanosecond time-resolved resonance Raman (ns-TR3) spectroscopy, and the assignment of the short-lived singlet and triplet oxenium ion transient absorptions are supported by matching time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) predictions of the absorptions of these species, as well as by product studies that implicate the intermediacy of charged electrophilic intermediates. Product studies from photolysis give p-biphenylol as the major product and a chloride adduct as the major product when NaCl is added as a trap. Thermolysis studies give p-biphenylol as a major product, as well as water, ammonium, and chloro adducts. These studies provide a rare direct look at a discrete oxenium ion intermediate and the first detection of open-shell singlet and triplet configurations of an oxenium ion, as well as providing an intriguing example of the importance of excited state dynamics in governing the electronic state population of reactive intermediates.

Self-immolative aryl phthalate esters were conjugated with cleavable masking groups sensitive to light and hydrogen peroxide. The phthalate linker releases the fluorescent dye 7-hydroxycoumarin upon exposure to light or H2O2, respectively, leading to an increase in fluorescence. The light-sensitive aryl phthalate ester is demonstrated as a pro-fluorophore in cultured S2 cells.

A covalently linked viologen radical cation dyad acts as a reversible thermomagnetic switch in water. Cycling between diamagnetic and paramagnetic forms by heating and cooling is accompanied by changes in optical and magnetic properties with high radical fidelity. Thermomagnetic switches in water may eventually find use as novel biological thermometers and in temperature-responsive organic materials where the changes in properties originate from a change in electronic spin configuration rather than a change in structure.

Association constants of a bis-(acetylguanidinium)ferrocene dication to various (di)carboxylates were determined through UV–vis titrations. Association constant values greater than 104 M–1 were determined for both phthalate and maleate carboxylates to the bis-(acetylguanidinium)ferrocene salt in pure water. Density functional theory computations of the binding enthalpy of the rigid carboxylates for these complexes agree well with the experimentally determined association constants. Catch and release competitive binding experiments were done by NMR for the cation–carboxylate ion-pair complexes with cucurbit[7]uril, and they show dissociation of the ion-pair complex upon addition of cucurbit[7]uril and release of the free (di)carboxylate.

A serendipitously discovered oxidative esterification reaction of cyclohexane hexacarboxylic acid with phosphorus pentachloride and phenols provides one-pot access to previously unknown aryl mellitic acid esters. The reaction features a solvent-free digestion and chromatography-free purifications and demonstrates the possibility of cyclohexane-to-benzene conversions under relatively mild, metal-free conditions.

We report an organo-paramagnetic switch consisting of a linked bis(viologen) dication diradical that can be cycled reversibly between diamagnetic and paramagnetic states via noncovalent guest–host chemistry with cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) in room-temperature water. Computations suggest that the nature of the interaction between the viologen cation radical units is that of a pi dimer (pimer). Molecules with switchable magnetic properties have possible applications in spintronics, data storage devices, chemical sensors, building blocks for materials with switchable bulk magnetic properties, as well as magnetic resonance probes for biological applications.

Photolysis of protonated phenylhydroxylamine was studied using product analysis, trapping experiments, and laser flash photolysis experiments (UV–vis and TR3 detection) ranging from the femtosecond to the microsecond time scale. We find that the excited state of the photoprecursor is followed by two species: a longer-lived transient (150 ns) that we assign to the phenoxy radical and a shorter-lived (3–20 ns) transient that we assign to the singlet phenyloxenium ion. Product studies from photolysis of this precursor show rearranged protonated o-/p-aminophenols and solvent water adducts (catechol, hydroquinone) and ammonium ion. The former products can be largely ascribed to radical recombination or ion recombination, while the latter are ascribed to solvent water addition to the phenyloxenium ion. The phenyloxenium ion is apparently too short-lived under these conditions to be trapped by external nucleophiles other than solvent, giving only trace amounts of o-/p-chloro adducts upon addition of chloride trap. Product studies upon thermolysis of this precursor give the same products as those generated from photolysis, with the difference being that the ortho adducts (o-aminophenol, hydroquinone) are formed in a higher ratio in comparison to the photolysis products.

Pincher cationic ferrocene hosts for carboxylate ion guests were synthesized and the binding constants were determined by NMR or UV-Vis titrations. These (di)cationic hosts form tight complexes with benzoate or acetate even in competitive aqueous DMSO solvent. A bis(acylguanidinium) ferrocene dication achieves a remarkable Ka of ∼106 M−1 to acetate in 9:1 DMSO–H2O and a Ka of 850 M−1 in neat D2O, one of the highest association constants known for a carboxylate complex exploiting only electrostatic interactions in neat water. DFT computations of the binding enthalpy are in good agreement with the experimentally determined association constants. The ferrocene backbone used in these pincher complexes may prove to be a useful semi-flexible scaffold for redox detectable/switchable self-assemblies in aqueous solutions.

We report that aryl phthalate esters are robust self-immolative linkers. This linker is easy to conjugate and releases output phenols upon cleaving a fluoride-sensitive mask to yield a benign phthalic acid byproduct, making these linkers potentially useful as fluoride sensors and promising for use in biological and materials applications.

The electronic state orderings and energies of heteroaryl oxenium ions were computed using high-level CASPT2//CASSCF computations. We find that these ions have a number of diverse, low-energy configurations. Depending on the nature of the heteroaryl substituent, the lowest-energy configuration may be open-shell singlet, closed-shell singlet, or triplet, with further diversity found among the subtypes of these configurations. The 2- and 3-pyridinyl oxenium ions show small perturbations from the phenyl oxenium ion in electronic state orderings and energies, having closed-shell singlet ground states with significant gaps to an n,π* triplet state. In contrast, the 4-pyridinyl oxenium ion is computed to have a low-energy nitrenium ion-like triplet state. The pyrimidinyl oxenium ion is computed to have a near degeneracy between an open-shell singlet and triplet state, and the pyrizidinyl oxenium ion is computed to have a near-triple degeneracy between a closed-shell singlet state, an open-shell singlet state, and a triplet state. Therefore, the ground state of these latter heteroaryl oxenium ions cannot be predicted with certainty; in principle, reactivity from any of these states may be possible. These systems are of fundamental interest for probing the spin- and configuration-dependent reactivity of unusual electronic states for this important class of reactive intermediate.

The geometries and energies of the electronic states of phenyloxenium ion 1 (Ph−O+) were computed at the multireference CASPT2/pVTZ level of theory. Despite being isoelectronic to phenylnitrene 4, the phenyloxenium ion 1 has remarkably different energetic orderings of its electronic states. The closed-shell singlet configuration (1A1) is the ground state of the phenyloxenium ion 1, with a computed adiabatic energy gap of 22.1 kcal/mol to the lowest-energy triplet state (3A2). Open-shell singlet configurations (1A2, 1B1, 1B2, 21A1) are significantly higher in energy (>30 kcal/mol) than the closed-shell singlet configuration. These values suggest a revision to the current assignments of the ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy bands for the phenoxy radical to generate the phenyloxenium ion 1. For para-substituted phenyloxenium ions, the adiabatic singlet−triplet energy gap (ΔEST) is found to have a positive linear free energy relationship with the Hammett-like σ+R/σ+ substituent parameters; for meta substituents, the relationship is nonlinear and negatively correlated. CASPT2 analyses of the excited states of p-aminophenyloxenium ion 5 and p-cyanophenyloxenium ion 10 indicate that the relative orderings of the electronic states remain largely unperturbed for these para substitutions. In contrast, meta-donor-substituted phenyloxenium ions have low-energy open-shell states (open-shell singlet, triplet) due to stabilization of a π,π* diradical state by the donor substituent. However, all of the other phenyloxenium ions and larger aryloxenium ions (naphthyl, anthryl) included in this study have closed-shell singlet ground states. Consequently, ground-state reactions of phenyloxenium ions are anticipated to be more closely related to closed-shell singlet arylnitrenium ions (Ar−NH+) than their isoelectronic arylnitrene (Ar−N) counterparts.

The combination of theoretical calculations and laser flash photolysis experiments has aided in understanding the reactivity and properties of oxenium ions. Direct observation of the reactivity, spin configurations, and lifetimes of short-lived oxenium ions via laser flash photolysis (LFP) techniques is now possible due to the discovery of new photoprecursors to these species. These new precursors allowed the direct observation of the parent phenyloxenium ion in solution by using protonated hydroxylamine tetrafluoroborate salt. Computations suggest that the singlet–triplet gap (ΔEST) of aryloxenium ions can be tuned by substituents, and predicted a ground state triplet oxenium ion, which was confirmed by experimental studies. The interplay of theory and experiment in understanding these species is discussed.

A polymer containing viologen radical cation monomer units is shown to reversibly switch between paramagnetic and diamagnetic states via non-covalent host–guest interactions or temperature control in water. Cycling between diamagnetic and paramagnetic forms is accompanied by changes in optical and magnetic properties.

Carbocations are widely viewed to be closed-shell singlet electrophiles. Here, computations show that azulenyl-substituted carbocations have triplet ground states. This triplet ground state for azulenyl carbocations stands in striking contrast to the isomeric naphthenyl carbocation, which is a normal closed-shell singlet with a large singlet–triplet gap. Furthermore, substitution of the azulenyl carbocation can substantially alter the energy gap between the different electronic configurations and can manipulate the ground state towards either the singlet or the triplet state depending on the nature and location of the substituent. A detailed investigation into the origin of this spin state reversal, including NICS calculations, structural effects, substitution patterns, orbital analysis, and detailed linear free-energy relationships allowed us to distill a set of principles that caused these azulenyl carbocations to have such low-lying diradical states. The fundamental origin of this effect mostly centers on singlet state destabilization from increasing antiaromatic character, in combination with a smaller, but important, Baird triplet state aromatic stabilization. We find that azulene is not unique, as extension of these principles allowed us to generate simple rules to predict an entire class of analogous non-alternant carbocation and carbanion structures with low-energy or ground state diradical states, including a purely hydrocarbon triplet cation with a large singlet–triplet gap of 8 kcal mol−1. Although these ions have innocuous-looking Lewis structures, these triplet diradical ions are likely to have substantially different reactivity and properties than typical closed-shell singlet ions.

Pincher cationic ferrocene hosts for carboxylate ion guests were synthesized and the binding constants were determined by NMR or UV-Vis titrations. These (di)cationic hosts form tight complexes with benzoate or acetate even in competitive aqueous DMSO solvent. A bis(acylguanidinium) ferrocene dication achieves a remarkable Ka of ∼106 M−1 to acetate in 9:1 DMSO–H2O and a Ka of 850 M−1 in neat D2O, one of the highest association constants known for a carboxylate complex exploiting only electrostatic interactions in neat water. DFT computations of the binding enthalpy are in good agreement with the experimentally determined association constants. The ferrocene backbone used in these pincher complexes may prove to be a useful semi-flexible scaffold for redox detectable/switchable self-assemblies in aqueous solutions.