A variety of ferrocenes bearing podand dipeptide chains have been synthesized to form an ordered structure in both solid and solution states and have been investigated by 1H NMR, FT-IR, CD, and X-ray crystallographic analyses. Conformational enantiomerization through chirality organization was achieved by the intramolecular hydrogen bondings between the podand dipeptide chains. The single-crystal X-ray structure determination of the ferrocene 2 bearing the podand dipeptide chains (-D-Ala-D-Pro-OEt) revealed two C2-symmetric intramolecular hydrogen bondings between CO (Ala) and NH (another Ala) of each podand dipeptide chain to induce the chirality-organized structure. The molecular structures of the ferrocene 1 composed of the podand L-dipeptide chains (-L-Ala-L-Pro-OEt) and 2 are in a good mirror image relationship, indicating that they are conformational enantiomers. An opposite helically ordered molecular arrangement was formed in the crystal packing of 2 as compared with 1. The ferrocene 2 exhibited induced circular dichroism (CD), which appeared at the absorbance of the ferrocene moiety. The mirror image of the CD signals between 1 and 2 was observed, suggesting that the chirality-organized structure via intramolecular hydrogen bondings is present even in solution. The ferrocene 4 bearing the podand dipeptide chains (-Gly-L-Leu-OEt) also showed an ordered structure in the crystal based on two intramolecular hydrogen bondings between CO (Gly) and NH (another Gly) of each podand dipeptide chain, together with intermolecular hydrogen bondings between CO adjacent to the ferrocene unit and NH (neighboring Leu) to create the highly organized self-assembly. A different self-assembly was observed in the crystal of the ferrocene 5 composed of the podand dipeptide chains (-Gly-L-Phe-OEt), wherein each molecule is bonded to two neighboring molecules through two pairs of symmetrical intermolecular hydrogen bonds to form a 14-membered intermolecularly hydrogen-bonded ring. These ordered structures based on the intramolecular hydrogen bondings in the solution state are also confirmed by 1H NMR and FT-IR.

meso-Monobenzoporphycene (mMBPc) and meso-dibenzoporphycene (mDBPc), in which one or two benzene moieties are fused at ethylene-bridged positions (meso-positions) of porphycene, were prepared in an effort to further delocalize the π-electrons within the porphycene molecule. mMBPc and mDBPc were fully characterized by mass spectrometry, (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography. The longest-wavelength Q-bands of mMBPc and mDBPc are red-shifted by 92 nm and 418 nm, respectively, compared to that of the unsubstituted porphycene (Pc). Electrochemical measurements indicate that the HOMO is destabilized and the LUMO is stabilized by the fused benzene moieties at the meso positions. Furthermore, both XPS and theoretical studies support the presence of a cis tautomeric form in the ground state of mDBPc, despite the fact that essentially all known porphycene derivatives adopt the trans tautomeric form.

[reaction: see text] The Diels-Alder reaction of various dienophiles such as C(60) with a pseudorotaxane having a sultine moiety afforded corresponding [2]rotaxanes in moderate yields. The introduction of a porphyrin moiety on the wheel component considerably enhanced the efficiency of the end-capping reaction with C(60).

A catalytic reductive coupling of aldimines was achieved by using a catalyst Cp2VCl2/PhMe2SiCl/Zn system. The influence of the catalyst, chlorosilane, co-reductant, solvent, and temperature on both the yield and diastereoselectivity of the coupling products was investigated in detail. As a result, the present Cp2VCl2-catalyzed reductive coupling of aldimines in the presence of PhMe2SiCl and zinc metal provided the corresponding 1,2-diamines in good yield with high meso selectivity (up to 92% meso), while the reductive coupling of aldehydes, ketones, and aldimines by the hitherto known catalytic methods leads to the preferential formation of dl isomers of the coupling products.