A Fullerene-Substituted Pillar[5]arene for the Construction of a Photoactive Rotaxane

Transformation of a methylene group of the pillar[5]arene scaffold into a ketone has been achieved by treatment with N-bromosuccinimide followed by hydrolysis of the bromide intermediate and oxidation of the resulting secondary benzylic alcohol with BaMnO4. Condensation of the resulting macrocycle including a ketone function with p-toluenesulfonyl hydrazide followed by reaction of the corresponding tosylhydrazone with C60 under modified Bamford–Stevens conditions gave a fulleropillar[5]arene derivative. This building block has been used to prepare a rotaxane. The resulting molecule combining the fullerene-functionalized macrocycle with an axle bearing a porphyrin stopper is a photoactive molecular device in which the porphyrin emission is efficiently quenched by the fullerene moiety