Synthesis,Structures,and Chiroptical Properties of NBN-Doped Helicenes with Boron Atoms in the Inner Rims

The precise synthesis of helicenes with topologically defined length and specific heteroatomic perturbation in the screw-like conjugated skeletons plays an emerging role in the manipulation of chiral materials.Facile,selective,and programmable routes to helicenes or heterohelicenes are highly desirable yet challenging for structure-chiroptical property relationship studies.Herein,we report the synthesis and characterization of NBN-doped helicenes with boron atoms in the inner rims,enabled by the highly regioselective one-pot borylation of rationally designed precursors with,namely,fold-in or pan-out manner.The incorporation of nonbonded boron and nitrogen atoms resulted in narrow-band emission and improved optical properties for the single-stranded carbon helix.In addition,numbers and arrangement modes of fused six-membered rings have distinct effects on configurational stability and chiroptical properties,revealing that BN-[6]H with strong circular dichroism is a promising candidate for chiral sensors.The combination of experimental and theoretical studies on these helical structures might provide insights into the design of helically chiral small-molecule-based sensors or emitters.