Tetramerization of BEB-Doped Phenalenyls to Obtain (BE)-[16]Annulenes (E = N, O).

Two (BE)-[16]annulenes were prepared and fully characterized by experimental and quantum-chemical means (, E = N; , E = O). The 1,8-naphthalenediyl-bridged diborane(6) served as their common starting material, which was treated with [Al(NH)]Cl to form (91% yield) or with 1,8-naphthalenediboronic acid anhydride to form (93% yield). As a result, the heteroannulenes and are supported by four aromatic "clamps" and may also be viewed as NH- or O-bridged cyclic tetramers of BNB- or BOB-doped phenalenyls.

NBN- and BNB-Phenalenyls: the Yin and Yang of Heteroatom-doped π Systems.

NBN- and BNB-doped phenalenyls are isoelectronic to phenalenyl anions and cations, respectively. They represent a pair of complementary molecules that have essentially identical structures but opposite properties as electron donors and acceptors. The NBN-phenalenyls 1-4 considered here were prepared from N,N'-dimethyl-1,8-diaminonaphthalene and readily available boron-containing building blocks (i.

Smart Molecular Nanosheets for Advanced Preparation of Biological Samples in Electron Cryo-Microscopy.

Transmission electron cryo-microscopy (cryoEM) of vitrified biological specimens is a powerful tool for structural biology. Current preparation of vitrified biological samples starts off with sample isolation and purification, followed by the fixation in a freestanding layer of amorphous ice. Here, we demonstrate that ultrathin (∼10 nm) smart molecular nanosheets having specific biorecognition sites embedded in a biorepulsive layer covalently bound to a mechanically stable carbon nanomembrane allow for a much simpler isolation and structural analysis.

BNB-Doped Phenalenyls: Modular Synthesis, Optoelectronic Properties, and One-Electron Reduction.

A highly modular synthesis of BNB- and BOB-doped phenalenyls is presented. Treatment of the 1,8-naphthalenediyl-bridged boronic acid anhydride with LiAlH/MeSiCl afforded the corresponding 1,8-naphthalenediyl-supported diborane(6) , which served as the starting material for all subsequent transformations. Upon addition of MesMgBr/MeSiCl, was readily converted to the tetraorganyl diborane(6) .