Investigation of charge transfer complexes formed between 3,3′-dimethylbenzidine (o-toluidine) donor and DDQ, p-chloranil and TCNQ as π-acceptors

Abstract

Charge-transfer (CT) complex of o-toluidine (o-tol) with the π-acceptor tetrachloro-p-benzoquinone (p-chloranil; CHL) has been synthesized and characterized, along with the products of the elimination reaction of o-toluidine (o-tol) with 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-p-benzoquinone (DDQ) and 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ). Their properties and structures have been investigated using electronic absorption and IR spectroscopy as well as elemental analyses of the isolated compounds. The o-tol/p-CHL CT complex is shown to consist of a CHL- radical anion and o-tol+ radical cation. The formations of all three compounds result in the appearance of new UV-Vis spectral bands that peaked in intensity at a stoichiometric ratio of 1:1. 1H-NMR and mass spectra were used to confirm the formation of the o-tol/DDQ and o-tol/TCNQ products. The new 7,8-dicyano-7′,8′-o-toluidilequino-dimethane and 2,3-dichloro-5-cyano-6-o-toluidil-p-benzoquinone products resulted from the rapid reaction of o-tol with TCNQ and DDQ, respectively. Thermogravimetric studies showed that the CT-complex decomposes in three steps whereas the new compounds decompose in a single step. Thermodynamic parameters were computed from the thermal decomposition data. © 2011 Science China Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.