A series of dibenzoborole derivatives with various groups such as (N,N-diphenylamino)phenyl, thienyl, and bithienyl groups at the 3,7-positions have been synthesized and their photophysical properties studied. These new pi-electron systems show significant solvatochromism in the fluorescence spectra. Thus, about 100-140 nm blue shifts in the emission maxima and 20-30-fold increments in the quantum yields are observed upon changing the solvent from THF to DMF. Similar fluorescence changes are observed upon the addition of n-Bu4NF to their THF solutions, demonstrating their sensing abilities toward a fluoride ion. These fluorescence changes result from the "on/off" control of the ppi-pi* conjugation in their LUMO by the coordination of donor solvents or fluoride ion to the boron atom in the dibenzoborole skeleton.

A series of tris(phenylethynylduryl)boranes (R-C(6)H(4)-C&tbd1;C-duryl)(3)B with various substituents R have been prepared as air-stable solids owing to the steric protection of the boron atom by the three bulky duryl groups. These compounds show unique photophysical properties due to the p(pi)-pi conjugation through the p-orbital on the boron atom. In particular, a push-pull type derivative with R = NMe(2) exhibits a significant solvatochromism of fluorescence from blue to orange colors.

The guest- or solvent-induced assembly of a tetracarboxyl-cavitand 1 and a tetra(3-pyridyl)-cavitand 2 into a heterodimeric capsule 1.2 in a rim-to-rim fashion via four intermolecular CO(2)H.N hydrogen bonds has been investigated both in solution and in the solid state. In the (1)H NMR study, a 1:1 mixture of1a and 2a (R = (CH(2))(6)CH(3)) in CDCl(3) gave a mixture of various complicated aggregates, whereas this mixture in CDCl(2)CDCl(2) or p-xylene-d(10) exclusively produced the heterodimeric capsule 1a.2a. It was found that an appropriate 1,4-disubstituted-benzene is a suitable guest for inducing the exclusive formation of 1a.2a in CDCl(3). The ability of a guest to induce the formation of guest-encapsulating heterodimeric capsule, guest@(1a.2a), increased in the order p-ethyltoluene < 1-ethyl-4-methoxybenzene < or = 1-ethyl-4-iodobenzene < or = 1,4-dibromobenzene < 1-iodo-4-methoxybenzene < or= 1,4-dimethoxybenzene < or = 1,4-diiodobenzene. The (1)H NMR study revealed that a CH-halogen interaction between the inner protons of the methylene-bridge rims (-O-H(out)CH(in)-O-) of the 1a and 2a units and the halogen atoms of 1,4-dihalobenzenes and a CH-pi interaction between the methoxy protons of 1,4-dimethoxybenzene and the aromatic cavities of the 1a and 2a units play important roles in the formation of 1,4-dihalobenzene@(1a.2a) and 1,4-dimethoxybenzene@(1a.2a), respectively. A preliminary single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of guest@(1b.2b) (R = (CH(2))(2)Ph; guest = 1-iodo-4-methoxybenzene or p-xylene) confirmed that the guest encapsulated in 1b.2b is oriented with the long axis of the guest along the long axis of 1b.2b and that the iodo and the methoxy groups of the encapsulated 1-iodo-4-methoxybenzene are specifically oriented with respect to the cavities of the 2b and 1b units, respectively.