Co-Crystallization of Photoresponsive Molecules with Metal Perchlorates

The interaction between photoresponsive molecules and potent oxidizers, such as metal perchlorates, is of interest to the Marczenko lab for their potential to control energetic material reactivity, leading to increased energy release and improved detonation. Metal perchlorates, such as manganese (Mn(ClO4)2), nickel (Ni(ClO4)2), and aluminum (Al(ClO4)3), are known for their oxidizing strength, releasing oxygen during decomposition to enhance the combustion capabilities of energetic materials. Additionally, they are thermally stable, making them suitable for higher temperature applications. Photoresponsive molecules can transfer energy from light to matter. The photoresponsive molecules of interest for this project were azobenzene and styrylpyridine derivatives. Co-crystallization of photoresponsive molecules with Mg, Ni, and Al perchlorate salts using slow cooling and evaporation methods yielded positive preliminary results. Characterization techniques, including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), were utilized to assess molecular identity and phase formations. Diethyl benzylphosphonate was successfully synthesized, which was required for the successful synthesis of (E)-4-styrlpyrdine. Future work will continue to characterize the products from these reactions, generate co-crystals of (E)-4-styrlpyrdine with metal perchlorate salts, and assess the photoreactivity of these new materials.