Anion-& pi; Interaction in a Diketopyrrolopyrrole Derivative

In this work, an N-substituted diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)derivativePh-DPP was synthesized, showing interaction toward Lewis alkalineanions such as F-. The typical electron-transfer-dominatedanion-& pi; interaction product Ph-DPP & BULL;- and unexpected isomer product i-Ph-DPP were both observed, and theirformation mechanism was studied by density functional theory calculations,suggesting that a deprotonation initiation route is favored, whichgives interesting insight for understanding the debatable role ofF(-) in such non-covalent intermolecular interactions.