Copper-complexed pirouetting [2]pseudorotaxanes with sulfur-containing end-groups attached to the thread: Synthesis, electrochemical studies, and deposition on gold electrodes

Two copper [2]pseudorotaxanes incorporating a macrocycle with two chelating sites (2,9-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline and 2,2′,6′,2″- terpyridine) and a thread based on crescent-shaped 2,2′-bipyridine derivatives have been synthesized and characterized. One of the threads was a hindering 2,2′-bipyridine functionalized by two thioctic-ended arms. The second thread was an 8,8′-diphenyl-3,3′-biisoquinoline functionalized by two thioether-ended arms. The electrochemical studies of the two copper [2]pseudorotaxanes, both in solution and anchored on a gold surface, showed only fast-moving systems in solution. The reasons of the inertness of the deposited complexes on gold electrode have been explored.