In this project funded by the Chemical Synthesis Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Robert A. Pascal, Jr., of the Department of Chemistry at Tulane University will explore the synthesis of new types of configurationally stable, chiral, polycyclic aromatic molecules. With the exception of the helicenes, such structures are quite uncommon and often difficult to synthesize, and their properties are largely unexplored. Four new classes of these compounds are proposed, with syntheses that are very short and easily modified for the tuning of shapes and properties. Their structural features ensure both high barriers to racemization and generally high thermal stability, and most of the molecules should be strongly luminescent. The resolved enantiomers of these compounds are expected to show very high optical rotations, strong circular dichroism, and strong circularly polarized luminescence, which in some cases may be modulated by external factors (temperature, light, etc.).
The expected photophysical and chiroptical properties of this class of molecules make them candidates for application as organic electronic materials, particularly in display technologies or as electrooptic modulators. The expected structures may lend themselves to application as chiral catalysts or chiral hosts for separation technologies or medical diagnostics. The research itself will provide training for a variety of undergraduate and graduate scientists including women and underrepresented minorities, who will later enter into productive careers in science, engineering, and medicine.
