Solvent-Dependent Conformational Switching of N-Methyl-N,N'-diarylsquaramide

J Org Chem. 2023 Sep 1;88(17):12289-12293. doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.3c00918. Epub 2023 Aug 11.

Abstract

N,N'-Diarylsquaramide and N,N'-dialkylsquaramide are conformationally stable linkers with extended (trans, trans) and folded (cis, cis) structures, respectively, independently of external conditions. Here, we show that N-monomethylated N,N'-diarylsquaramides generally take a (trans, cis) structure in the crystal but show a solvent-dependent conformational equilibrium in solution. In particular, the stable conformer of N-methyl-N,N'-bis(1-naphthyl)squaramide (1f) changes depending upon the solvent. Thus, aromatic N-monomethylated squaramides could find application as components of environment-responsive molecular switches.