The electrochemical behavior of a series of symmetrical and unsymmetrical aryl-substituted acetophenone azines (1-X/Y, where X and Y are 4-NO2, 4-CN, H, 3-OCH3, 4-OCH3, 4-CH3, and 4-N(CH3)2) was studied in acetonitrile and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution using cyclic voltammetry (CV). Compounds 1-X/Y, where neither X or Y are nitro substituents, undergo successive reduction to their radical anion (1-X/Y.-) and then dianion (1-X/Y2-), respectively. In all cases, the formation of the radical anion is completely reversible and the standard reduction potentials, Eo1-X/Y/1-X/Y.- could be determined. The reversibility of the second electron transfer is substituent dependent with certain dianions sufficiently basic to be protonated under our conditions. Standard reduction potentials (Eo1-X/Y/1-X/Y.-) for the formation of radical anions exhibit a large substituent effect with values differing by more than 0.66 V throughout the series going from 1-4-CN/4-CN to 1-4-OCH3/4-OCH3; similar substituent effects were determined for the formation of the dianion. The nitro-containing azines deviate from the above-mentioned behavior. With the exception of 1-4-NO2/4-NO2, they exhibit single electron waves that have values of Eo1-X/Y/1-X/Y.- within 40 mV of each other and thus the reduction is not subject to the same substituent effect as the other azines. 1-4-NO2/4-NO2 exhibits an Eo at a similar potential, but is a two-electron reversible wave with features indicative of a reduction system containing two localized, nonconjugated redox centers. The reduction potentials of all the aryl azines were correlated with Hammett sigma parameters to look at variations in Eo1-X/Y/1-X/Y.- vs SCE as a function of substituent. The small rho values in combination with the other electrochemical data provide support for single bond character of the N-N bond and evidence for a lack of strong electronic communication between the two aryl centers through the azomethine bonds, especially for those systems with electron-withdrawing groups.

The preparation of the first photochromic, organometallic derivative of the diarylethene class, the CpRu-complexed benzodimethyldihydropyrene 3, in which the organometallic is directly attached to the photochromic core, is described. The negative dark purple photochrome 3 readily bleaches to form the almost colorless cyclophanediene 3' on irradiation with visible light. The latter switches back to 3 either photochromically with UV light, electrochromically on reduction, or thermochromically on heating. Essentially quantitative conversion between the two states is possible. The open complex 3' thermally closes 2.6 times faster than the uncomplexed parent 2', but the closed form 3 opens with visible light at about 30% of the rate of uncomplexed 2. Both open forms, complexed 3' and uncomplexed 2' close equally fast with UV light.

A series of ferrocenyl substituted azines (1-Fc/Ar, where Ar = 4-NO2C6H4, 4-CNC6H4, 4-OCH3C6H4, C5H4N, ferrocene, anthracene, and pyrene) were investigated by electrochemical and photochemical techniques. All the 1-Fc/Ar exhibited oxidation waves within 60 mV of each other, consistent with the expected oxidation of the ferrocene moiety. The reduction properties of 1-Fc/Ar is governed by the nature of the Ar substituent. The standard reduction potentials suggest that ferrocene has comparable electron donating abilities as a 4-methoxyphenyl and 4-dimethyl aminophenyl group. The anthracenyl azines exhibit one-electron reversible reduction followed by dimerization of the radical anion resulting in dimerization rate constants (kd) between 5.1 × 104 and 1.5 × 105 M–1 s–1. 1-Fc/Anth and related azines undergo photochemical E/Z isomerization of the C=N bonds to produce E/Z and Z/Z isomers from the thermodynamically most stable E/E form. Fluorescence at 77 K, was observed for these compounds only after long- wavelength irradiation to produce a mixture of E/E, E/Z, and Z/Z isomers. Fluorescence quantum yields of 0.042, 0.090, and 0.176 were determined for 2-Anth/H, 2-Anth/Anth, and 1-Fc/Anth, respectively. The electrochemical, photochemical, and X-ray data suggest that the azine unit is a conjugation "limiter" and may be a general characteristic of azine molecules.Key words: azines, electrochemistry, cyclic voltammetry, reduction, electron transfer.

The syntheses of 2,7-di-tert-butyldimethyldihydrobenzo[e]pyrenes with thienyl (6), terthienyl (7), and pentathienyl (14) side chains at the 4,5- positions, ter- and pentathienyl side chains at the 4-position with ter- (39) and pentathienylcarbonyl (40) side chains at the 10- and 11-positions, 2-naphthoyl-7-tert-butyldimethyldihydropyrenes with ter- (53), penta- (54), and septithienyl (55) side chains at the 4,9-positions are described. These compounds are all photochromic and open to the corresponding cyclophanedienes with long wavelength (>490 nm) light, and as such, the conjugative path could change considerably, making them suitable to investigate as potentially switchable conducting molecules. In this paper, the syntheses and the photochemical and thermal isomerizations are studied; in the accompanying paper, the electrochemical and conductive properties are studied. Here, a comparison of the relative opening rates to that of the benzo[e]pyrene 4 (with no thienyl substituents) is made, and all of the above photochromes show considerably enhanced photo-opening of the DHPs to the CPDs. As examples, 14, 40, and 54 were cycled between the open and closed forms, and no decomposition was observed; however, when 54 was irradiated for 40 h with 254 nm light, some radicals did form, which enhanced the thermal closing rate, and so extensive irradiation with short wave UV is better avoided. The thermal closing reactions were also studied, and all of the above compounds close faster than benzo-CPD 4', though for the highly photochromic ter- and pentathienyl benzo-CPDs 39' and 40', the rate was not too enhanced from that of 4' and so are probably the best compromise between fast photochromicity and slow thermal reversion.

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