Accelerating a Mechanically Driven anti-Woodward-Hoffmann Ring Opening with a Polymer Lever Arm Effect

Mechanical forces have previously been used to drive reactions along pathways that violate the orbital symmetry effects captured in the Woodward-Hoffmann rules. Here, we show that a polymer lever arm effect can provide a mechanical advantage in accelerating the symmetry forbidden disrotatory ring opening of benzocydobutene (BCB). Addition of an alpha-E-alkene to the BCB mechanophore drops the force required to induce reactions on the similar to 0.1 s time scale of single-molecule force spectroscopy experiments from 1370 to 920 pN.