Binaphthyl-Bridged Pyrenophanes: Intense Circularly Polarized Luminescence Based on a D2 Symmetry Strategy

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2022 Jul 4;61(27):e202204609. doi: 10.1002/anie.202204609. Epub 2022 May 12.

Abstract

A series of D2 -symmetric macrocycles composed of alternately linked pyrene and binaphthyl moieties (binaphthyl-bridged pyrenophanes) have been synthesized. Among them, a pyrenophane possessing ether linkers at the 2,7-positions of the pyrenes exhibited intense circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) with a |glum | value of 0.053. This value is by far the highest for excimers and was not sensitive to temperature, solvent, or concentration. The CPL originated from a twisting pyrene excimer, with the (R)-binaphthyl moieties producing a left-handed twist excimer, which exhibited (-)-CPL. The electric and magnetic transition dipole moments are perfectly parallel, which is the best relationship for strong CPL.

Keywords: Axial Chirality; Biaryls; Circularly Polarized Luminescence; Conformation Analysis; Excimers.