Impact of the Alkyne Substitution Pattern and Metalation on the Photoisomerization of Azobenzene-Based Platinum(II) Diynes and Polyynes

Trimethylsilyl-protected dialkynes incorporating azobenzene linker groups, Me3SiC equivalent to CRC equivalent to CSiMe3 (R = azobenzene-3,3'-diyl, azobenzene-4,4'-diyl, 2,5-dioctylazobenzene-4,4'-diyl), and the corresponding terminal dialkynes, HC equivalent to CRC equivalent to CH, have been synthesized and characterized. The CuI-catalyzed dehydrohalogenation reaction between trans-[Ph(Et3P)(2)PtCl] and the deprotected dialkynes in a 2:1 ratio in (Pr2NH)-Pr-i/CH2Cl2 gives the platinum(II) diynes trans-[Ph(Et3P)(2)PtC equivalent to CRC equivalent to CPt(PEt3)(2)Ph], while the dehydrohalogenation polycondensation reaction between trans-[((Bu3P)-Bu-n)(2)PtCl2] and the dialkynes in a 1:1 molar ratio under similar reaction conditions affords the platinum(II) polyynes, [-Pt((PBu3)-Bu-n)(2)-C equivalent to CRC equivalent to C-](n). The materials have been characterized spectroscopically, with the diynes also studied using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The platinum(II) diynes and polyynes are all soluble in common organic solvents. Optical-absorption measurements show that the compounds incorporating the para-alkynylazobenzene spacers have a higher degree of electronic delocalisation than their meta-alkynylazobenzene counterparts. Reversible photoisomerization in solution was observed spectroscopically for the alkynyl-functionalized azobenzene ligands and, to a lesser extent, for the platinum(II) complexes. Complementary quantum-chemical modeling was also used to analyze the optical properties and isomerization energetics.