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Photoirradiation of a binary cocrystal composed of two different cyclic dienes generates a highly-symmetric cubane-like tetraacid cage regioselectively and in quantitative yield. The cage forms by a double [2+2] photodimerization of one of the diene cocrystal components. The second diene while photostable in the cocrystal reacts in a double [2+2] photodimerization as a pure form quantitatively to form a tetramethyl cubane-like cage. The stereochemistry of the cage is structurally authenticated. 

We describe hydrogen bonds ( i.e. , N + –H⋯N) in combination with cation⋯π interactions to enable a cascade-like [2 + 2] photodimerization of 4-stilbazole in a salt cocrystal. A four-component crystal assembly is composed of photoactive pyridinium ion pair 4-stilbzH + ( 4-stilbz = trans -1-(4-pyridyl)-2-(phenyl)ethylene) and photostable molecule pair 4-stilbz . UV irradiation gives rctt -1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)-3,4-bis(phenyl)cyclobutane ( 4-pyr-ph-cb ) in quantitative yield. An intermediate structure 2 ( 4-stilbz )·( 4-pyr-ph-cb )2H + is isolated that undergoes a partial single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation. The single-crystal X-ray data provides a snapshot of movements in the salt cocrystal in the course of the photodimerization. 

Abstract Methods to form cyclobutane rings by an intermolecular [2 + 2] cross-photoreaction (CPR) with four different substituents are rare. These reactions are typically performed in the liquid phase, involve multiple steps, and generate product mixtures. Here, we report a CPR that generates a cyclobutane ring with four different aryl substituents. The CPR occurs quantitatively, without side products, and without a need for product purification. Generally, we demonstrate how face-to-face stacking interactions of aromatic rings can be exploited in the process of cocrystallization and the field of crystal engineering to stack and align unsymmetrical alkenes in CPRs to afford chiral cyclobutanes with up to four different aryl groups via binary cocrystals. Overall, we expect the process herein to be useful to generate chiral carbon scaffolds, which is important given the presence of four-membered carbocyclic rings as structural units in biological compounds and materials science. 

Abstract A method to rapidly diversify the molecules formed in organic crystals is introduced, with aryl nitriles playing a novel dual role as both hydrogen‐bond acceptors and modifiable organic groups. The discovery of coexisting supramolecular synthons in the same crystal is also described. The general concept is demonstrated by using a bis(aryl nitrile) alkene that undergoes a hydrogen‐bond‐directed intermolecular [2+2] photodimerization to form a tetra(aryl nitrile)cyclobutane. The product is readily converted by click reactivity to a tetra(aryl tetrazole) and by hydrolysis to a tetra(aryl carboxylic acid). The integration of aryl nitriles into solid‐state reactions opens broad avenues to post‐modify products formed in crystalline solids for rapid diversification.