PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Jaume Veciana

Publications and source records attributed to Jaume Veciana.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Supramolecular photomagnetic materials: photoinduced dimerization of ferrocene-based polychlorotriphenylmethyl radicals.

New ferrocenyl Schiff-base polychlorotriphenylmethyl radicals have been synthesized and characterized. The imino group of one such radical undergoes an irreversible trans to cis structural isomerization induced by light. Such photoinduced isomerization has been monitored by UV/Vis and ESR spectroscopy and also monitored by HPLC. ESR frozen solution experiments at low temperature revealed that the cis isomer dimerizes, showing a strong antiferromagnetic interaction. Although numerous photochromic supramolecular systems have been described, such a photoinduced self-assembly process represents the first example of a one-way photoswitchable magnetic system in which a conversion between a doublet and a singlet ground state species is promoted by a photoinduced dimerization process driven by the formation of hydrogen bonds. DFT calculations on the minimized structure and on the rotational barriers have been performed to establish the origin of such behavior. The effect of the substituents and the media polarity on the photoisomerization of this imine chromophore have also been studied. It has been observed that the efficiency of the process is markedly dependent on the presence and characteristics of electron-donor and electron-acceptor substituents of the ferrocenyl Schiff-base polychlorotriphenylmethyl radicals as well as on the polarity of the solvent.

Journal Article↗

Multistability in a BEDT-TTF based molecular conductor.

The low dimensional organic conductor (BEDT-TTF)(2)Br(1.3)I(1.1)Cl(0.6) [BEDT-TTF = bis(ethylenedithio)tertathiafulvalene] is shown to be a unique molecular solid that exists in three crystalline polymorphic forms (alpha'-, alpha' "-, beta' '-phase) and, surprisingly, is able to adopt the same metal-like beta' '-phase at both low (T < 185 K) and high (T > 395 K) temperatures. Several crystals of the alpha'- and alpha' "-phases have been studied using three different techniques: dc-conductivity measurements, ESR spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis. All these techniques show the existence of the reversible semiconductor <--> metal (alpha' " <--> beta' ') phase transition at both high and low temperatures as well as the alpha' <--> alpha' " phase transition at high temperatures. The phase transitions of these polymorphs are characterized by huge hysteresis and dramatic changes in the transport and magnetic properties. Based on ab initio calculations, it is suggested that dipole-dipole interactions can play a key role in the rich polymorphism of this molecular solid.

Journal Article↗

A nanoporous molecular magnet with reversible solvent-induced mechanical and magnetic properties.

Interest in metal-organic open-framework structures has increased enormously in the past few years because of the potential benefits of using crystal engineering techniques to yield nanoporous materials with predictable structures and interesting properties. Here we report a new efficient methodology for the preparation of metal-organic open-framework magnetic structures based on the use of a persistent organic free radical (PTMTC), functionalized with three carboxylic groups. Using this approach, we create an open-framework structure Cu3(PTMTC)2(py)6(CH3CH2OH)2(H2O), which we call MOROF-1, combining very large pores (2.8-3.1 nm) with bulk magnetic ordering. MOROF-1 shows a reversible and highly selective solvent-induced 'shrinking-breathing' process involving large volume changes (25-35%) that strongly influence the magnetic properties of the material. This magnetic sponge-like behaviour could be the first stage of a new route towards magnetic solvent sensors.

Copper↗

Radical para-benzoic acid derivatives: transmission of ferromagnetic interactions through hydrogen bonds at long distances.

Investigation of the transmission of magnetic interactions through hydrogen bonds has been carried out for two different benzoic acid derivatives which bear either a tert-butyl nitroxide (NOA) or a poly(chloro)triphenylmethyl (PTMA) radical moiety. In the solid state, both radical acids formed dimer aggregates by the complementary association of two carboxylic groups though hydrogen bonding. This association ensured that atoms with most spin density are separated from one another by more than 15 A. Thus, no competing through-space magnetic exchange interactions are expected in these dimers and, hence, they provide good models to investigate whether noncovalent hydrogen bonds play a role in the long-range transmission of magnetic interactions. The nature of the magnetic exchange interaction and their strengths within similar dimer aggregates in solution was assessed by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. In the case of radical NOA, low-temperature ESR experiments showed a weak ferromagnetic interaction between the two radicals in the dimer aggregates (which have the same geometry as in the solid state). In contrast, the corresponding solution ESR study performed with radical PTMA did not lead to any conclusive results, as aggregates were formed by noncovalent interactions other than hydrogen bonds. However, the bulkiness of the poly(chloro)triphenylmethyl radical prevented interdimer contacts in the solid state between regions of high spin density. Hence, solid-state measurements of the alpha phase of PTMA radical provided evidence of the intradimer interaction to confirm the transmission of a weak ferromagnetic interaction through the carboxylic acid bridges, as found for the NOA radical. Moreover, crystallization of the PTMA radical in presence of ethanol to form the beta phase of PTMA radical prevented the dimer formation; this resulted in the suppression of this interaction and provides further evidence of the magnetic exchange mechanism through noncovalent hydrogen bonds at long distances.

Journal Article↗

Synthesis, Characterization, and Theoretical Study of Sulfur-Containing Donor-Acceptor DCNQI Derivatives with Photoinduced Intramolecular Electron Transfer.

The donor-acceptor compounds N,N'-dicyanobenzo[b]naphtho[2,3-e][1,4]dithiin-6,11-quinonediimine (9a) and N,N'-dicyanobenzo[b]naphtho[2,3-e][1,4]oxathiin-6,11-quinonediimine (10a) and their methyl-substituted derivatives (9b and 10b-d, respectively) have been prepared, and their structural and electronic properties have been characterized by both experimental techniques and quantum-chemical calculations. The (1)H-NMR spectra evidence the existence of a syn/anti isomerism in solution. Both experimental and theoretical data suggest that the preferred configuration of the N-CN groups corresponds to a syn isomer for 9 and to an anti isomer for 10. The X-ray analysis performed for 9b reveals that molecules are not planar and pack in vertical stacks showing an overlap between donor and acceptor moieties of adjacent molecules. In agreement with X-ray data, theoretical calculations predict that both for 9 and 10 the acceptor DCNQI moiety is folded and adopts a butterfly-type structure and the donor moiety is bent along the line passing through the heteroatoms. The energy difference between planar and butterfly structures is calculated to be < 3 kcal/mol at the ab initio 6-31G level. The UV-vis spectra present a broad absorption in the visible which corresponds to a photoinduced intramolecular electron transfer from the high-energy HOMO furnished by the donor moiety to the low-energy LUMO located on the DCNQI fragment. Cyclic voltammetry displays one oxidation peak to the cation and two one-electron reduction waves to the anion and dianion. Theoretical calculations show the planarization of the acceptor/donor moiety induced by reduction/oxidation. The formation of stable radical anions is corroborated by the intense EPR signals recorded for reduced 9. The assignment of the hyperfine coupling constants of the EPR spectra is consistent with the existence of a preferred syn configuration.

Journal Article↗