Alkynes as Synthetic Equivalents of Ketones and Aldehydes: A Hidden Entry into Carbonyl Chemistry

The high energy packed in alkyne functional group makes alkyne reactions highly thermodynamically favorable and generally irreversible. Furthermore, the presence of two orthogonal π-bonds that can be manipulated separately enables flexible synthetic cascades stemming from alkynes. Behind these “obvious” traits, there are other more subtle, often concealed aspects of this functional group’s appeal. This review is focused on yet another interesting but underappreciated alkyne feature: the fact that the CC alkyne unit has the same oxidation state as the -CH2C(O)- unit of a typical carbonyl compound. Thus, “classic carbonyl chemistry” can be accessed through alkynes, and new transformations can be engineered by unmasking the hidden carbonyl nature of alkynes. The goal of this review is to illustrate the advantages of using alkynes as an entry point to carbonyl reactions while highlighting reports from the literature where, sometimes without full appreciation, the concept of using alkynes as a hidden entry into carbonyl chemistry has been applied

Divergent Cyclizations of 1‑R-Ethynyl-9,10-anthraquinones: Use of Thiourea as a “S^2–” Equivalent in an “Anchor-Relay” Addition Mediated by Formal C–H Activation

The EtONa-mediated reaction of <i>peri</i>-R-ethynyl-9,10-anthraquinones with thiourea yields 2-R-7<i>H</i>-dibenzo­[<i>de</i>,<i>h</i>]­quinolin-7-ones and 2-R-anthra­[2,1-<i>b</i>]­thiophene-6,11-diones. Although 2-R-7<i>H</i>-dibenzo­[<i>de</i>,<i>h</i>]­quinolin-7-ones were observed previously in reactions with other N-centered nucleophiles (hydrazine, guanidine, and urea), the formation of 2-R-anthra­[2,1-<i>b</i>]­thiophene-6,11-diones is a new reactivity path. DFT computations analyzed factors responsible for the switch in reactivity and the relative importance of two possible pathways: (1) the “anchor-relay” mechanism mediated by nucleophilic attack at the carbonyl and (2) direct attack at the alkyne. The two pathways converge on a vinyl sulfur anion, set up for a 5-endo-trig cyclization at the <i>ortho</i>-position. Subsequent rearomatization/oxidation provides the fused thiophene product via formal C–H activation. The calculations suggest that the latter pathway, the direct attack at the alkyne, is more likely, due to the relatively high barrier for the 8-endo-dig cyclization (pathway 1). Computational insights led to a more selective synthesis of fused thiophenes, based on the reaction of acetylenic anthraquinones with sodium sulfide. This reaction does not require prefunctionalization at the <i>ortho</i>-position since direct C–H activation is efficient. The absence of fused five-membered heterocycles in earlier work was investigated computationally. The other N-centered nucleophiles form stronger anion−π complexes with the electron-deficient quinone core, promoting carbonyl attack over direct alkyne attack

Conformational Flexibility of Fused Tetracenedione Propellers Obtained from One-Pot Reductive Dimerization of Acetylenic Quinones

Reductive dimerization of acetylenic anthraquinones provides synthetic access to flexible nonplanar polyaromatics with a tetracenedione core. In solution, these nonplanar, contorted polycycles exist as equilibrating mixtures of two symmetric conformers. The fused tetracenediones are easily reduced and exhibit rich electrochemical behavior

X‑ray Generated Recombination Exciplexes of Substituted Diphenylacetylenes with Tertiary Amines: A Versatile Experimental Vehicle for Targeted Creation of Deep-Blue Electroluminescent Systems

Customizable and technology-friendly functional materials are one of the mainstays of emerging organic electronics and optoelectronics. We show that recombination exciplexes of simple substituted diphenylacetylenes with tertiary amines can be a convenient source of tunable deep-blue emission with possible applications in organic electroluminescent systems. The optically inaccessible exciplexes were produced via recombination of radiation-generated radical ion pairs in alkane solution, which mimics charge transport and recombination in the active layer of practical organic light-emitting diodes in a simple solution-based experiment. Despite varying and rather poor intrinsic emission properties, diphenylacetylene and its prototypical methoxy (donor) or trifluoromethyl (acceptor) monosubstituted derivatives readily form recombination exciplexes with <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>-dimethylaniline and other tertiary amines that produce emission with maxima ranging from 385 to 435 nm. The position of emission band maximum linearly correlates with readily calculated gas-phase electron affinity of the corresponding diphenylacetylene, which can be used for fast computational prescreening of the candidate molecules, and various substituted diphenylacetylenes can be synthesized via relatively simple and universal cross-coupling reactions of Sonogashira and Castro. Together, the simple solution-based experiment, computationally cheap prescreening method, and universal synthetic strategy may open a very broad and chemically convenient class of compounds to obtain OLEDs and OLED-based multifunctional devices with tunable emission spectrum and high conversion efficiency that has yet not been seriously considered for these purposes

Conformational Flexibility of Fused Tetracenedione Propellers Obtained from One-Pot Reductive Dimerization of Acetylenic Quinones

Reductive dimerization of acetylenic anthraquinones provides synthetic access to flexible nonplanar polyaromatics with a tetracenedione core. In solution, these nonplanar, contorted polycycles exist as equilibrating mixtures of two symmetric conformers. The fused tetracenediones are easily reduced and exhibit rich electrochemical behavior

X‑ray Generated Recombination Exciplexes of Substituted Diphenylacetylenes with Tertiary Amines: A Versatile Experimental Vehicle for Targeted Creation of Deep-Blue Electroluminescent Systems

Customizable and technology-friendly functional materials are one of the mainstays of emerging organic electronics and optoelectronics. We show that recombination exciplexes of simple substituted diphenylacetylenes with tertiary amines can be a convenient source of tunable deep-blue emission with possible applications in organic electroluminescent systems. The optically inaccessible exciplexes were produced via recombination of radiation-generated radical ion pairs in alkane solution, which mimics charge transport and recombination in the active layer of practical organic light-emitting diodes in a simple solution-based experiment. Despite varying and rather poor intrinsic emission properties, diphenylacetylene and its prototypical methoxy (donor) or trifluoromethyl (acceptor) monosubstituted derivatives readily form recombination exciplexes with <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>-dimethylaniline and other tertiary amines that produce emission with maxima ranging from 385 to 435 nm. The position of emission band maximum linearly correlates with readily calculated gas-phase electron affinity of the corresponding diphenylacetylene, which can be used for fast computational prescreening of the candidate molecules, and various substituted diphenylacetylenes can be synthesized via relatively simple and universal cross-coupling reactions of Sonogashira and Castro. Together, the simple solution-based experiment, computationally cheap prescreening method, and universal synthetic strategy may open a very broad and chemically convenient class of compounds to obtain OLEDs and OLED-based multifunctional devices with tunable emission spectrum and high conversion efficiency that has yet not been seriously considered for these purposes