Diffraction and database analyses of photoactive biphenyl compounds and novel carbaborane structures

Abstract

The research involved in this thesis is mainly concerned with crystallography and the analysis using crystallographic techniques and methods. The work in this thesis is centered mainly on two types of chemical compounds, photoactive compounds and carbaboranes. The first is the photoactive compounds of biphenyl, its derivatives and similar compounds; these compounds have been studied by diffraction and database analysis. The photochemistry and subsequent structural analysis of biphenyls has been studied in collaboration with Professor Peter Wan at the University of Victoria, Canada. In this study Professor Wan and his group conducted all synthesis and spectroscopic analysis, including the photochemical analysis. In a similar study although not with biphenyls, the a-azidocinnamates were investigated in collaboration with Professor Meth-Cohn of the University of Sunderland. Professor Meth-Cohn and his group conducted all synthesis and spectroscopic analysis. The biphenyl type compounds have also been studied using database analysis to examine the bond lengths, torsion angles, inter-/intra-molecular interactions and general packing conformations and interactions within these structures and this analysis was used to study several conformational anomalies that exist in biphenyl derivative compounds. The second chemical type is carbaboranes; these compounds have been examined in collaboration with Professor Wade's group at the University of Durham. The analysis of carbaboranes centers mainly on hydrogen bonding however also expands into several novel carbaborane structures. Professor Wade and his group carried out the synthesis and spectroscopic analysis.