Toroidal Interaction and Propeller Chirality of Hexaarylbenzenes. Dynamic Domino Inversion Revealed by Combined Experimental and Theoretical Circular Dichroism Studies

Hexaarylbenzenes (HABs) have greatly attracted much attention due to their unique propeller-shaped structure and potential application in materials science, such as liquid crystals, molecular capsules/rotors, redox materials, nonlinear optical materials, as well as molecular wires. Less attention has however been paid to their propeller chirality. By introducing small point-chiral group(s) at the periphery of HABs, propeller chirality was effectively induced, provoking strong Cotton effects in the circular dichroism (CD) spectrum. Temperature and solvent polarity manipulate the dynamics of propeller inversion in solution. As such, whizzing toroids become more substantial in polar solvents and at an elevated temperature, where radial aromatic rings (propeller blades) prefer orthogonal alignment against the central benzene ring (C₆ core), maximizing toroidal interactions.