Anion-π Interaction in a Diketopyrrolopyrrole Derivative

Org Lett. 2023 Aug 11;25(31):5774-5778. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.3c02002. Epub 2023 Jul 28.

Abstract

In this work, an N-substituted diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) derivative Ph-DPP was synthesized, showing interaction toward Lewis alkaline anions such as F-. The typical electron-transfer-dominated anion-π interaction product Ph-DPP•- and unexpected isomer product i-Ph-DPP were both observed, and their formation mechanism was studied by density functional theory calculations, suggesting that a deprotonation initiation route is favored, which gives interesting insight for understanding the debatable role of F- in such non-covalent intermolecular interactions.