Continuous flow photocyclization of stilbenes – scalable synthesis of functionalized phenanthrenes and helicenes

• Quentin Lefebvre,
• Marc Jentsch and
• Magnus Rueping

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2013, 9, 1883–1890, doi:10.3762/bjoc.9.221

• which are relevant for materials sciences, as well as toward helicenes, an intriguing class of molecules which show remarkable chiroptical properties due to their helical pitch. The rapidly expanding field of application of helicene-like molecules in materials sciences and optics demands the development

• of scalable and flexible syntheses [1][2][3][4][5]. Following the pioneering examples of Scholz [6] and Martin [7] in 1967, the photocyclization of stilbene derivatives under UV-light irradiation is now a classical method for the synthesis of phenanthrenes and helicene-like molecules [8]. However

• , the scalability of these reactions is limited by the required low concentration (~10−3 mol·L−1) and usually long reaction times (>20 h). Therefore, most of the applications of this method are limited to small scale (<0.5 mmol), making it unsuitable for gram-scale synthesis of helicene-like molecules

Flow photochemistry: Old light through new windows

• Jonathan P. Knowles,
• Luke D. Elliott and
• Kevin I. Booker-Milburn

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2012, 8, 2025–2052, doi:10.3762/bjoc.8.229

The interplay of configuration and conformation in helical perylenequinones: Insights from chirality induction in liquid crystals and calculations

• Elisa Frezza,
• Silvia Pieraccini,
• Stefania Mazzini,
• Alberta Ferrarini and
• Gian Piero Spada

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2012, 8, 155–163, doi:10.3762/bjoc.8.16

• is that which is expected for helicoidal disc-like dopants, as binaphthyl derivatives [20] and helicene-like molecules [22][24], i.e., left-handed for the M and right-handed for the P molecular helicity. In view of the similar molecular shape of 1 and 2, the difference between the absolute values of

Chiral amplification in a cyanobiphenyl nematic liquid crystal doped with helicene-like derivatives

• Alberta Ferrarini,
• Silvia Pieraccini,
• Stefano Masiero and
• Gian Piero Spada

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2009, 5, No. 50, doi:10.3762/bjoc.5.50

• efficient chiral inducers in biaryl nematic mesophases. In this paper, we focus on a new series of helicene-like molecules of known absolute configuration. We have integrated cholesteric pitch measurements with geometry optimization by DFT calculations and analysis of the twisting ability by the Surface

• , allows us to extend our knowledge of the molecular origin of the chirality amplification in liquid crystals and to confirm the simple relationship “molecular P-helicity” → “cholesteric P-handedness” for helical-shaped helicene-like derivatives. Keywords: chirality; cholesteric; helical twisting power

• ; helicene; nematic liquid crystal; Surface Chirality model; Introduction Nematic liquid crystals (LCs) are fluid phases formed by anisometric molecules which, though free to rotate as in ordinary liquids, are preferentially aligned along a common axis, called director. The addition of a chiral non-racemic