Hokkaido University researchers have pioneered a domino reaction in redox chemistry by creating a molecule that undergoes structural changes to facilitate sequential reactions. This breakthrough could impact future developments in nano-technology, renewable energy batteries, and materials with adjustable electronic properties.
For the first time, scientists have succeeded in transmitting an effect known as a domino reaction using redox chemistry.
Domino reactions occur when the transformation of one chemical group stimulates the reaction of another attached group, or other molecule, leading to a rapid knock-on effect through the system like a row of falling dominoes. Researchers at Hokkaido UniversityFounded in 1876 as Sapporo Agricultural College, Hokkaido University (Hokkaidō daigaku or Hokudai) is a Japanese national university in Sapporo, Hokkaido. It was selected as a Top Type university of Top Global University Project by the Japanese government.” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{“attribute”:”data-cmtooltip”, “format”:”html”}]” tabindex=”0″ role=”link”>Hokkaido University have now achieved the first example of a domino reaction in the branch of chemistry called redox chemistry.
A domino reaction is a series of chemical reactions where each reaction triggers the next reaction in the series, like falling dominoes (top). In a domino redox reaction, each reaction causes a structural change that triggers the next redox reaction in the series (bottom). Credit: Takashi Harimoto, et al. Angewandte Chemie International Edition. November 28, 2023
Understanding Redox Chemistry
The term redox comes from ‘reduction,’ referring to the gain of electrons, and ‘oxidation,’ referring to the loss of electrons. Redox reactions are therefore electron transfer processes.
“The problem with achieving domino reactions in redox processes is that the electron transfer, especially multi-electron transfer, produces electrically charged speciesA species is a group of living organisms that share a set of common characteristics and are able to breed and produce fertile offspring. The concept of a species is important in biology as it is used to classify and organize the diversity of life. There are different ways to define a species, but the most widely accepted one is the biological species concept, which defines a species as a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce viable offspring in nature. This definition is widely used in evolutionary biology and ecology to identify and classify living organisms.” data-gt-translate-attributes=”[{“attribute”:”data-cmtooltip”, “format”:”html”}]” tabindex=”0″ role=”link”>species whose electrostatic interactions can inhibit further change,” says chemist Yusuke Ishigaki of the Hokkaido team.
The molecule SS-BQD undergoes a domino-redox reaction to give a tetracation form of the compound (top). This domino redox reaction is initially triggered by heat, whuch cuases a structural change that results in a domino redox reaction. Credit: Takashi Harimoto, et al. Angewandte Chemie International Edition. November 28, 2023
Innovative Molecular Design
To overcome the obstacles the researchers designed a two-part molecule that undergoes a significant structural change when one part is converted between its electrically neutral (reduced) and positively charged (oxidized) states. This structural change transmits a chemical effect to the other part of the molecule that makes its own oxidation more likely.
The molecule they designed consists of two relatively large redox-active units connected by a non-planar flexible link formed by sulfur atoms. When one of the paired units loses electrons (is oxidized), it acquires two positive charges which acts as the trigger causing the other part of the molecule to twist around the core. A change in the state of the electrons in this twisted form from the initial folded form then facilitates the oxidation process to occur in the neighboring group, achieving the domino effect.
Takashi Harimoto, first author (left), and Yusuke Ishigaki, corresponding author (right), in front of the X-ray instrument (Rigaku XtaLAB Synergy-S). Credit: Yusuke Ishigaki
Potential Applications and Future Implications
The initial triggering of the reaction can be initiated by a temperature rise, offering a means of control. Although this effect has only so far been demonstrated within a two-part molecule, the researchers suggest it might eventually be used to transmit wave-like redox transformations in much larger molecules with many of the ‘domino’ units linked together.
Applications of the discovery might be far in the future but there are clearly some general possibilities. Electrical and structural transformations traveling through molecular chains could become the nano-scale moving parts of chemical computation systems and sensors, for example. There are also possible applications in the new battery systems needed to support the ongoing transition to renewable electrical energy technologies.
“The control offered by heating and cooling could be used in many fields to make novel materials with switchable electronic properties, especially those involving multi-electron transfer,” says Ishigaki.
“It was very challenging, but also very satisfying, to demonstrate what nobody had achieved before, and we now hope to move into larger and more complex systems involving increased electron transfer,” Ishigaki concludes.
Reference: “Domino-Redox Reaction Induced by An Electrochemically Triggered Conformational Change” by Takashi Harimoto, Tomoki Tadokoro, Soichiro Sugiyama, Takanori Suzuki and Yusuke Ishigaki, 16 November 2023, Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
DOI: 10.1002/anie.202316753
The study was funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the Japan Science and Technology Agency, the Foundation for the Promotion of Ion Engineering, and the Research Program of the Five-star Alliance in Network Joint Research Center (NJRC) for Materials and Devices.
Source: SciTechDaily
