Crystal Engineering of Photochromic Diarylethene Derivatives by Aryl-perfluoroaryl Interaction

ABSTRACT

Aryl-perfluoroaryl interaction was used for the crystal engineering of photochromic diarylethene derivatives. A diarylethene derivative having pentafluorophenyl groups, 1,2-bis(2-methyl-5-pentafluorophenyl-3-thienyl) perfluorocyclopentene (1a), formed 1:1 stoichiometric cocrystals with different diarylethenes, 1,2-bis(2-ethyl-5-phenyl-3-thienyl)perfluorocyclopentene (2a) and 1,2-bis[2-methyl-5-(1-naphthyl)-3-thienyl]perfluorocyclopentene (3a). In the cocrystals 1a ^· 2a and 1a ^· 3a, highly selective photocyclization reactions of 2a or 3a were observed. Unique nano-structures in which the colorless and colored molecules were periodically arranged were constructed in the photoirradiated cocrystals.

Keywords:

• aryl-perfluoroaryl interaction
• crystal engineering
• diarylethene
• photochromism

Acknowledgments

This work was partly supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S) (No. 15105006), Scientific Research on Priority Areas (Nos. 15033252 and 12131211), and the 21st century COE program of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.