Tetraphenyl group 14 derivatives

Research into the production of porous open-framework materials, having potential use in applications such as catalysis and the selective-uptake of absorbents, has been growing steadily. However more recently, efforts have moved towards increasingly detailed functionality of the porous media. Thus, supramolecular chemistry has been pursued in order to develop new functions that will enhance the physical and chemical properties of these materials. Such functionalities may include the host materials possessing magnetic properties, being highly guest specific, responding to light, and even having biological relevance. One potential series of materials that has not been widely investigated to date is that of the macro-molecular materials based upon a range of molecular units spanning the group XIV elements, carbon, silicon, germanium, tin and lead. Tetraphenyl derivatives of these elements, as seen in Figure 1, have a tetrahedral structural motif that provides an ideal opportunity to investigate the effect of variation in both central atom size (X) and the introduction of substituents (R) on the phenyl ring, in this case the para position.
Chemical modification at the para position of each of the phenyl groups, effect alterations in the very periphery of the tetrahedra, opening up the possibility of both quantifying, and ultimately modifying, the intermolecular interactions. Suitable functionalisation may then lead to extended network materials, which would possess electron rich cavities due to the phenyl rings. Therefore, it is believed that these compounds are of great potential as supramolecular constructs toward such extended structures.

File:Tetraphenyl_group_14.jpeg
Figure 1. Derivatives of group XIV tetraphenyls 1 X C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb; R CH<sub>3</sub>, COOH.
By varying the functional group (R) along the series, the coordination behaviour of functionalised tetraphenyl derivatives can be investigated. The tetratolyl derivatives (R = CH3), which represent the first stage of this project, are of interest as they represent an idealised series in which the size effects of the central atom on the intermolecular potential energy can be observed. That is, the variation of the potential energy for two molecules on their separation can be followed by observing the induced effects upon the methyl groups.
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