Hyperpolarisation of weakly binding N-heterocycles using signal amplification by reversible exchange

Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange (SABRE) is a catalytic method for improving the detection of molecules by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. It achieves this by simultaneously binding the target substrate (sub) and para-hydrogen to a metal centre. To date, sterically large substrates are relatively inaccessible to SABRE due to their weak binding leading to catalyst destabilisation. We overcome this problem here through a simple co-ligand strategy that allows the hyperpolarisation of a range of weakly binding and sterically encumbered N-heterocycles. The resulting ¹H NMR signal size is increased by up to 1400 times relative to their more usual Boltzmann controlled levels at 400 MHz. Hence, a significant reduction in scan time is achieved. The SABRE catalyst in these systems takes the form [IrX(H)₂(NHC)(sulfoxide)(sub)] where X = Cl, Br or I. These complexes are shown to undergo very rapid ligand exchange and lower temperatures dramatically improve the efficiency of these SABRE catalysts.

The scope of the hyperpolarisation method Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange (SABRE) is dramatically expanded through the use of co-ligands to substrates that weakly interact with the active cataylst.

Hyperpolarised magnetic resonance is receiving increasing attention from both the analytical science and medical communities due to its ability to create signals that are many orders of magnitude higher than those normally detected under Boltzmann control.^1–6 The time and cost benefits associated with this improvement have propelled this area of research forward over the past few decades. Two of the most prominent techniques used to create hyperpolarisation are dissolution Dynamic Nuclear Polarisation (d-DNP) and Para-Hydrogen Induced Polarisation (PHIP),^7,8 which derive their non-Boltzmann spin energy level populations from interactions with unpaired electrons and para-hydrogen (p-H₂, the singlet spin isomer of hydrogen), respectively. Both of these methods have been reviewed in detail.^3–5,9,10Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange (SABRE) is a PHIP method that does not involve the chemical incorporation of p-H₂ into the target substrate.^11,12 Instead, under SABRE, spin order transfer proceeds catalytically through the temporary formation of a scalar coupling network between p-H₂ derived hydride ligands and the substrate''s nuclei whilst they are located in a transient metal complex. The most common catalysts are of the type [Ir(H)₂(NHC)(sub)₃]Cl (where NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene and sub = the substrate of interest, Fig. 1a),^13,14 although other variants are known.^15–17 For SABRE to be accomplished, the target substrate must be able to reversibly ligate to the metal centre and this limits the methods applicability; although several routes to overcome this have been reported.^18–20 Recently, the use of bidentate ancillary ligands such as NHC-phenolates¹⁶ and phosphine-oxazoles²¹ has been shown to expand the applicability of SABRE for a variety of different ligands and solvents (Fig. 1b). For example, use of the PHOX ligand (PHOX = (2-diphenylphosphanyl)phenyl-4,5-dihydrooxazole) gives ¹H NMR signal gains of up to 132-fold for 2-picoline; a substrate previously shown to be unpolarised under classic SABRE conditions.²²Open in a separate windowFig. 1Development of the SABRE method for hyperpolarisation of a range of substrates.The use of co-ligands to stabilise the active SABRE catalyst has proven successful for substrates that weakly associate to the catalyst (Fig. 1c). Of particular note is the hyperpolarisation of sodium [1,2]-¹³C₂-pyruvate²³ and sodium ¹³C-acetate²⁴ which could be used as in vivo metabolic probes. The importance of co-ligands in breaking the chemical symmetry of the SABRE catalyst is also well established and co-ligands such as acetonitrile,²⁵ sulfoxides,^23,26 1-methyl-1,2,3-triazole²⁷ and substrate isotopologues²⁸ have been employed.We report here on the use of co-ligands to allow the NMR hyperpolarisation of weakly binding N-heterocyclic derived substrates with functionality in the ortho-position that have proven to be routinely inaccessible to the SABRE technique (Fig. 1d). ¹H signal gains of up to 1442 ± 84-fold were obtained for some of these substituted pyridines at 9.4 T and the expansion of this approach to ¹³C and ¹⁵N detection and other N-heterocyclic motifs is also exemplified.     

Automated linkage of proteins and payloads producing monodisperse conjugates

Controlled protein functionalization holds great promise for a wide variety of applications. However, despite intensive research, the stoichiometry of the functionalization reaction remains difficult to control due to the inherent stochasticity of the conjugation process. Classical approaches that exploit peculiar structural features of specific protein substrates, or introduce reactive handles via mutagenesis, are by essence limited in scope or require substantial protein reengineering. We herein present equimolar native chemical tagging (ENACT), which precisely controls the stoichiometry of inherently random conjugation reactions by combining iterative low-conversion chemical modification, process automation, and bioorthogonal trans-tagging. We discuss the broad applicability of this conjugation process to a variety of protein substrates and payloads.

Controlled protein functionalization holds great promise for a wide variety of applications.

Applications of protein conjugates are limitless, including imaging, diagnostics, drug delivery, and sensing.^1–4 In many of these applications, it is crucial that the conjugates are homogeneous.⁵ The site-selectivity of the conjugation process and the number of functional labels per biomolecule, known as the degree of conjugation (DoC), are crucial parameters that define the composition of the obtained products and are often the limiting factors to achieving adequate performance of the conjugates. For instance, immuno-PCR, an extremely sensitive detection technique, requires rigorous control of the average number of oligonucleotide labels per biomolecule (its DoC) in order to achieve high sensitivity.⁶ In optical imaging, the performance of many super-resolution microscopy techniques is directly defined by the DoC of fluorescent tags.⁷ For therapeutics, an even more striking example is provided by antibody–drug conjugates, which are prescribed for the treatment of an increasing range of cancer indications.⁸ A growing body of evidence from clinical trials indicates that bioconjugation parameters, DoC and DoC distribution, directly influence the therapeutic index of these targeted agents and hence must be tightly controlled.⁹Standard bioconjugation techniques, which rely on nucleophile–electrophile reactions, result in a broad distribution of different DoC species (Fig. 1a), which have different biophysical parameters, and consequently different functional properties.¹⁰Open in a separate windowFig. 1Schematic representation of the types of protein conjugates.To address this key issue and achieve better DoC selectivity, a number of site-specific conjugation approaches have been developed (Fig. 1b). These techniques rely on protein engineering for the introduction of specific motifs (e.g., free cysteines,¹¹ selenocysteines,¹² non-natural amino acids,^13,14 peptide tags recognized by specific enzymes^15,16) with distinct reactivity compared to the reactivity of the amino acids present in the native protein. These motifs are used to simultaneously control the DoC (via chemo-selective reactions) and the site of payload attachment. Both parameters are known to influence the biological and biophysical parameters of the conjugates,¹¹ but so far there has been no way of evaluating their impact separately.The influence of DoC is more straightforward, with a lower DoC allowing the minimization of the influence of payload conjugation on the properties of the protein substrate. The lowest DoC that can be achieved for an individual conjugate is 1 (corresponding to one payload attached per biomolecule). It is noteworthy that DoC 1 is often difficult to achieve through site-specific conjugation techniques due to the symmetry of many protein substrates (e.g., antibodies). Site selection is a more intricate process, which usually relies on a systematic screening of conjugation sites for some specific criteria, such as stability or reactivity.¹⁷Herein, we introduce a method of accessing an entirely new class of protein conjugates with multiple conjugation sites but strictly homogenous DoCs (Fig. 1c). To achieve this, we combined (a) iterative low conversion chemical modification, (b) process automation, and (c) bioorthogonal trans-tagging in one workflow.The method has been exemplified for protein substrates, but it is applicable to virtually any native bio-macromolecule and payload. Importantly, this method allows for the first time the disentangling of the effects of homogeneous DoC and site-specificity on conjugate properties, which is especially intriguing in the light of recent publications revealing the complexity of the interplay between payload conjugation sites and DoC for in vivo efficacy of therapeutic bioconjugates.¹⁸ Finally, it is noteworthy that this method can be readily combined with an emerging class of site-selective bioconjugation reagents to produce site-specific DoC 1 conjugates, thus further expanding their potential for biotechnology applications.¹⁹     

Heparin reversal by an oligoethylene glycol functionalized guanidinocalixarene

Unfractionated heparin (UFH), a naturally occurring anionic polysaccharide, is widely used as an anticoagulant agent in clinical practice. When overdosed or used in sensitive patients, UFH may cause various risks and a UFH neutralizer needs to be administered immediately to reverse heparinization. However, the most common UFH neutralizer, protamine sulfate, often causes various adverse effects, some of which are life-threatening. Herein, we designed a highly biocompatible, oligoethylene glycol functionalized guanidinocalixarene (GC4AOEG) as an antidote against UFH. GC4AOEG and UFH exhibited a strong binding affinity, ensuring specific recognition and neutralization of UFH by GC4AOEG in vitro and in vivo. As a consequence, UFH-induced excessive bleeding was significantly alleviated by GC4AOEG in different mouse bleeding models. Additionally, no adverse effects were observed during these treatments in vivo. Taken together, GC4AOEG, as a strategically designed, biocompatible artificial receptor with strong recognition affinity towards UFH, may have significant clinical potential as an alternative UFH reversal agent.

An oligoethylene glycol functionalized guanidinocalix[4]arene was developed as a safe antidote against heparin, via specific recognition and neutralization of heparin in vitro and in vivo.

Heparin sodium, often referred to as unfractionated heparin (UFH, also known as heparin), is a well-known anionic glycosaminoglycan consisting of long, helical, unbranched chains of repeating sulfonated disaccharide units (Fig. 1).¹ It is currently a gold-standard life-saving drug to overcome blood coagulation by activating antithrombin-III to impede the coagulation process.^2,3 Systemic heparinization is the most common anticoagulation procedure in surgical practice (e.g. open-heart surgery) and extracorporeal therapies such as kidney dialysis. At the end of surgery, excess heparin often needs to be deactivated by using a heparin neutralizer; otherwise patients have risks of low blood pressure and a slow heart rate, and may develop internal bleeding.⁴ Therefore, the neutralization of heparin has been a topic of significant research interest in the biomedical field.Open in a separate windowFig. 1Scheme of heparin reversal by GC4AOEG in the circulatory system.Protamine sulfate, the only FDA-approved neutralizer of UFH, possesses a highly positive charge density due to its polymeric nature and rich arginine residues. Thus, electrostatic interactions are the major driving force in the formation of a UFH–protamine complex, leading to the neutralization and deactivation of UFH.^1,5 However, due to its non-specific interactions, protamine sulfate often causes various adverse effects such as bradycardia, hypotension and pulmonary hypertension, as well as allergic reactions including life-threatening anaphylactic reactions in some patients.⁵ When overdosed, protamine may further impair the intricate balance in the blood and cause coagulopathy.^5–7 Given these issues, there has been a medical need for alternative, safe UFH neutralizers that can specifically counteract UFH without causing serious adverse effects.⁸Discovering and developing new heparin neutralizers has been a popular area of research.^8,9 During the past two decades, a variety of different UFH neutralizers including small molecules,¹⁰ cationic polymers (e.g. polybrene),^11–14 peptides,^11,15 and nanoparticles^16,17 have been designed and evaluated in vitro and/or in vivo. For instance, surfen, as a small-molecule antagonist of UFH, may electrostatically bind with UFH; however only modest neutralizing effects against UFH were observed in rats,^10,18 likely attributed to the lack of strong, specific recognition. On the other hand, polycationic species, including polybrene¹⁹ and poly-dl-lysine,²⁰ exhibited stronger binding with UFH and significant potential as UFH neutralization agents. However, toxicity was still a key concern of these species due to their intrinsic electrostatic interactions with red blood cells (RBC).²¹ Meanwhile, some UFH antagonists have achieved preliminary success in preclinical studies and even moved to clinical evaluations. For instance, ciraparantag (PER977), as a synthetic antidote against several anticoagulants, is currently being evaluated in phase II clinical trials.²² UHRA (Universal Heparin Reversal Agent), a synthetic multivalent dendrimer polymer in the form of nanoparticles with positively charged surfaces, can reverse the activity of all clinically available heparins and it is currently undergoing preclinical studies and will likely move to clinical investigations.²³ However, the oligo- and poly-cationic nature of these species suggests their general tendency towards any negatively charged species, making them “universal” or function against several anticoagulants, implying their low specificity towards heparin.More recently, the sequestration and reversal of toxic agents by supramolecular host molecules have attracted increasing attention, and a typical example of clinical and commercial success is sugammadex, a carboxylated derivative of gamma-cyclodextrin that may specifically reverse the activity of non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents.²⁴ Inspired by this clinical success, several macrocycles were designed and synthesized to selectively bind UFH. For instance, Liu et al. synthesized amphiphilic multi-charged cyclodextrins (AMCD), and AMCD-assembly was utilized for selective heparin binding.¹⁶ Nitz et al. derivatized a cyclodextrin with amide and guanidino groups as a polycationic receptor to recognize and detect UFH.²⁵ Kostiainen and co-workers studied cationic, quaternary ammonium functionalized pillar[5]arene because of its potential complexation with UFH.²⁶ Additionally, cationic calixarene derivatives were designed for UFH binding and guanidinocalixarenes exhibited stronger binding affinity with UFH than their quaternary amine-functionalized counterparts.^27,28 In spite of decent binding affinities and selective recognition of UFH, these macrocycles still possess various limitations such as non-specific toxicity induced mostly by cationic charges, which may disrupt cell membranes and induce blood coagulation.^29,30An ideal UFH neutralizer should full-fill the following three requirements: (1) binding strongly towards UFH in a specific manner; (2) excellent biocompatibility and safety profile, and (3) a clearly defined molecular structure to facilitate batch-to-batch consistency. Thus far, none of the clinical UFH antagonists or previously reported candidates has fulfilled these conditions. Herein we designed an artificial receptor, an oligoethylene glycol functionalized guanidinocalixarene, GC4AOEG, by leveraging the asymmetrical structure of calixarene to strategically add guanidinium groups on one side and oligoethylene glycol (OEG) groups on the other side (Fig. 1). We anticipated that the guanidinium-enriched upper rim would bind strongly with UFH via salt bridges (charge-assisted hydrogen bonds).^28,31 In addition, the biocompatible OEG-functionalized lower rim may help improve the water-solubility and biocompatibility of the host molecule.^32,33GC4AOEG was synthesized in 5 steps starting from the maternal calix[4]arene (Fig. 2). Briefly, p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene 1 was alkylated with tosylate 2³⁴ to obtain compound 3 with a well-defined cone conformation, and replacement of the tert-butyl with nitro groups via an ipso-nitration reaction afforded compound 4.³⁵ Subsequently, compound 4 was hydrogenated in the presence of SnCl₂·2H₂O, affording the tetramine derivative 5. Subsequently, compound 6 was obtained via a reaction between compound 5 and di-Boc-protected thiourea units. The removal of the protecting groups was achieved using SnCl₄ in ethyl acetate, to yield the target GC4AOEG (the characterization of intermediates (Fig. S1 and S2) and GC4AOEG (Fig. S3) are in the ESI^†).Open in a separate windowFig. 2Synthetic route of GC4AOEG and fluorescence titrations. (A(a)) NaH, dry DMF, and 75 °C; (b) HNO₃, AcOH, dry CH₂Cl₂, and r.t.; (c) SnCl₂·2H₂O, C₂H₅OH/AcOEt (1 : 1, v/v), and reflux; (d) 1,3-bis(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-2-methyl-2-thiopseudourea, Et₃N, AgNO₃, dry CH₂Cl₂, and r.t.; (e) SnCl₄, AcOEt, and r.t. (B) Direct fluorescence titration of 0.5 μM EY with different concentrations of GC4AOEG (up to 13.8 μM) in HEPES buffer (10 mM, pH = 7.4), and λ_ex = 517 nm. (Inset) The associated titration curve at λ_em = 537 nm and best fit according to a 1 : 1 binding stoichiometry. (C) Competitive fluorescence titration of GC4AOEG·EY (4.0/0.5 μM) with UFH (up to 8.4 μM in the concentration of monomer units of UFH), and λ_ex = 517 nm. (Inset) The associated titration curve at λ_em = 537 nm and best fit according to a n : 1 competitive binding model, where n = 0.88.The binding affinity between GC4AOEG and UFH was firstly investigated via a competitive titration approach. In this paper, we defined the repeated disaccharide unit as the UFH monomer unit, and the UFH concentration in this paper is the UFH monomer unit concentration. Eosin Y (EY) was selected as the reporter dye, owing to its strong complexation with GC4AOEG and the drastic fluorescence quenching after complexation. The equilibrium association constant (K_a), between GC4AOEG and EY, was determined by direct fluorescence titration and fitted as (2.37 ± 0.12) × 10⁵ M⁻¹ with 1 : 1 binding stoichiometry (Fig. 2B). The displacement of EY from GC4AOEG·EY by gradual addition of UFH resulted in the recovery of the intrinsic emission of EY. The best-fitting of the competitive titration model afforded ca. 1 : 1 binding stoichiometry between GC4AOEG and each monomer unit of UFH, as well as an ultrahigh binding affinity K_a of (1.25 ± 0.13) × 10⁷ M⁻¹ (Fig. 2C).For in vitro analysis of the effectiveness of GC4AOEG against UFH, the activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) assay was conducted. The result (Fig. S8^†) indicates that one equivalent of GC4AOEG (to UFH monomer) fully neutralized UFH, similar to protamine. Very importantly, it is obvious that protamine alone negatively influenced the aPTT time. In contrast, GC4AOEG alone did not affect the clotting time, suggesting that GC4AOEG can specifically bind with UFH directly with minimal side influences. The coagulation factor X levels in the plasma analyzed via the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) further confirmed the safety and reversal effect of GC4AOEG towards UFH (Fig. S9^†).Next, the biocompatibility of GC4AOEG was investigated in vitro. As an alkyl derivative of guanidinocalixarene, GC4A-6C (Fig. S4 and S5^†), which has a similar number of carbons (hexyl groups) at the lower rim to that of GC4AOEG, was also synthesized and examined in this study for comparative purposes. As shown in Fig. 3A and B, GC4AOEG (up to 200 μM) showed remarkably low cytotoxicity in several cell lines via MTT assays, in dramatic contrast to the relatively high cytotoxicity of GC4A-6C (Fig. 3C and D). The cellular toxicity of GC4A-6C was consistent with previous literature.³⁶ In addition, alkyl derivatives of calixarene were generally more toxic than those without alkyl chains,³⁷ likely attributed to their amphiphilic properties that may facilitate cell membrane disruption.^38–40 The results suggested that the much-improved safety profile of GC4AOEG was attributed to oligoethylene glycol functionalization. Meanwhile, it is well known that cationic polymers or oligomers often show poor biocompatibility in the circulation system due to their non-selective binding to negatively charged RBC, resulting in RBC aggregation or hemolysis.⁴¹ Therefore, hemolysis and hemagglutination assays were conducted according to a method previously reported,^42,43 with experimental details described in the method. The percent hemolysis of GC4A-6C (25, 50, 100 and 200 μM, respectively) was over 90%, which would limit its application in the circulatory system (Fig. S6^†), as a hemolysis ratio below 5% is considered safe.⁴⁴ Conversely, GC4AOEG exhibited nearly negligible (less than 3%) hemolytic activity at concentrations of up to 200 μM, and no agglutination was visualized during incubation with RBC (Fig. 3F), implying that OEG functionalization at the lower rim reduced non-specific interactions with the RBC membrane, resulting in less disturbance of the membrane structure and function or cellular aggregations.Open in a separate windowFig. 3Biocompatibility study in cell lines and RBC. Cell viabilities of (A, C) 4T1 and (B, D) 293T, cells treated with different concentrations of GC4AOEG or GC4A-6C for 24 h. Each data point represents the mean ± S.E.M. from a set of experiments (n = 4). (E, G) Hemolysis test of GC4AOEG at different concentrations (NC = negative control; PC = positive control). Each data point represents the mean ± S.E.M. from a set of experiments (n = 3). (F) Agglutination test of RBC incubated with GC4AOEG at 2.0% hematocrit in normal saline.Inspired by the above findings, we further examined whether GC4AOEG may reverse bleeding in different mouse bleeding models under heparinization (with the experimental details described in the method, and the standard curve for the quantification of blood loss volume is showed in Fig. S7^†),⁴⁵ with both the total time of bleeding and total volume of lost blood evaluated for each model. As a proof of concept, 200 U kg⁻¹ UFH and 2.245 mg kg⁻¹ GC4AOEG (molar ratio of GC4AOEG and each monomer unit of UFH = 1 : 1) were respectively used, as representative doses in the study and the dose of UFH was based on a literature report.⁴⁶ In a mouse tail transection model as an external bleeding model, as shown in Fig. 4A–C, after tail transection, the bleeding time and blood loss volume for mice treated with normal saline were 58.9 ± 10.7 min and 72.2 ± 15.8 μL, respectively. As expected, treatment with UFH increased the bleeding time and blood volume to 121.5 ± 20.2 min and 264.0 ± 43.6 μL, respectively. In contrast, the bleeding time was dramatically reduced down to the blank control level, when the mice were treated with GC4AOEG at the same time of, or 30 s after, i.v. administration of UFH (53.8 ± 11.4 min and 89.0 ± 13.3 min, respectively). Accordingly, the blood loss volume of mice successively treated with UFH and GC4AOEG (1 : 1 ratio) reached the control level (72.6 ± 14.3 μL), indicating that the strong binding affinity between GC4AOEG and UFH ensured their recognition in vivo. Of note, there was no significant difference between the GC4AOEG treated group (without heparinization) and the saline treated group, suggesting a decent safety profile of the artificial receptor.Open in a separate windowFig. 4Reversal efficacy in in vivo mouse models. (A–C) Mouse tail transection model. (A) Scheme of the mouse tail transection model. (B) Total time of bleeding and (C) blood loss volume. (D–F & J) Mouse liver injury model. (D) Scheme of the mouse liver injury model. (E) Total time of bleeding and (F) blood loss weight. (J) Pictures exhibiting bleeding in liver injury before and after treatment. (G–I & K) Mouse femoral artery model. (G) Scheme of the mouse femoral artery model. (H) Total time of bleeding and (I) blood loss weight. (K) Pictures exhibiting bleeding in the femoral artery before and after treatment. All of those models were i.v. administration with normal saline (control), GC4AOEG (2.245 mg kg⁻¹), or UFH (200 U kg⁻¹) without and with GC4AOEG (2.245 mg kg⁻¹, 1 : 1 molar stoichiometry of GC4AOEG and the monomer unit of UFH), and UFH–GC4AOEG 1 : 1 successively (GC4AOEG at a dose of 2.245 mg kg⁻¹ 30 s after UFH administration) respectively were quantified. Data presented are the mean ± S.E.M. (n = 6). *p < 0.05, ****p < 0.001, and ns represents “no significant difference” between the experimental group and the control group.In addition to external bleeding, internal bleeding such as liver injury model (Fig. 4D) was established in mice, and GC4AOEG''s reversal of UFH was further evaluated in vivo. Mice were i.v. administered with normal saline (control), GC4AOEG (2.245 mg kg⁻¹), or UFH (200 U kg⁻¹) without and with GC4AOEG (2.245 mg kg⁻¹), and successive UFH–GC4AOEG 1 : 1 (30 s in between), respectively. In 2 minutes, the abdomen was surgically opened to expose the liver. A wound of 0.5 cm length and 2 mm depth, in the left lobe of the liver, was created. Considerable bleeding was immediately observed in the UFH treatment group (Fig. 4J), with the total bleeding time lasting for 450.5 ± 46.8 s, and the total blood loss of 571.0 ± 35.0 mg, in contrast to 143.7 ± 14.7 s total bleeding time and 238.0 ± 45.0 mg total blood loss observed in the saline treated group. Interestingly, the UFH–GC4AOEG treated group showed no significant difference from the normal saline treated group. To simulate the clinical use scenario, GC4AOEG was injected after UFH''s administration, and significantly reduced bleeding (from both time and volume perspectives) was observed, suggesting effective inhibition of the adverse effects of UFH, by GC4AOEG (Fig. 4E and F). GC4AOEG alone (without heparinization) did not exhibit any hematological toxicity in this model. To further evaluate the inhibitory effects of GC4AOEG against UFH in a preclinical model, a more serious internal bleeding model, femoral artery bleeding mouse model, was employed, and the treatment plan followed the previous two models described as above. Upon administration, the skin of the right leg and the overlying muscles were removed to expose the femoral artery and sciatic nerve. After an open injury at the middle segment of the femoral artery was created with a surgical scissor, blood gushed out immediately from the injured site (Fig. 4G and K). As shown in Fig. 4H and I, the longest average bleeding time (16.0 ± 1.9 min) and blood loss weight (103.8 ± 16.9 mg) were observed in the UFH treatment group of mice, in dramatic contrast to the bleeding time and blood loss of 3.9 ± 0.4 min and 24.7 ± 4.5 mg, respectively, in the normal saline treated group of mice. A bleeding time of 3.6 ± 0.4 min and blood loss of 20.8 ± 7.4 mg were recorded in the UFH–GC4AOEG treatment group. When UFH and GC4AOEG (at 1 molar equivalent) were successively injected, a bleeding time of 5.3 ± 0.7 min and blood loss of 27.7 ± 5.8 mg were noted, suggesting the significant reversal effects of GC4AOEG on UFH. Collectively, in all of the three bleeding models including internal and external bleeding models, i.v. administration of GC4AOEG significantly reversed UFH-induced excessive bleeding in external and internal injuries. More importantly, GC4AOEG alone exhibited negligible hematological activity, unlike other previously reported cationic small molecules, polymers, oligomers and macrocycles.Furthermore, in order to further verify the safety profile of GC4AOEG at the effective dose in vivo, acute toxicity evaluation was performed in a mouse model. After the i.v. injection of GC4AOEG in mice at a dose of 2.245 mg kg⁻¹ (i.v. injection of normal saline as the control group), the body weight, behaviors, and overall survival of the treated mice were monitored every day for 3 weeks. All the treated mice remained alive and showed normal behaviors, as well as normal body weight evolvement similar to that of the control group (Fig. 5A). On day 21 post administration, mice were euthanized for blood and organ samples were harvested (for details see the method). The organ indexes of representative major organs including the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys isolated from the GC4AOEG treated mice were comparable to those of the mice administered with normal saline, with no significant differences observed (Fig. 5B). Hematological parameters such as the counts of whole blood cells (WBCs), red blood cells (RBCs), platelets (PLTs) and hemoglobin (HGB) (Fig. 5C), as well as the serum concentrations of liver and kidney function biomarkers including blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (crea), urea alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were all analyzed thoroughly (Fig. 5D and E). These results indicated that the hematological parameters, renal and hepatic functions of the mice treated with GC4AOEG were comparable with those of the mice in the normal saline treated group. Moreover, histopathological examinations of the major organs of the GC4AOEG treated mice showed normal microstructures comparable with those of the control group (Fig. 5F). Collectively, these results suggested that the i.v. administration of GC4AOEG at the therapeutic dose is safe.Open in a separate windowFig. 5Preliminary acute toxicity evaluations on GC4AOEG. (A) Weight changes of mice after i.v. administration with a single dose of GC4AOEG. (B) Major organ indexes of the mice on day 21 post-administration with GC4AOEG. (C) Hematological parameters of the blood samples collected from the mice on day 21 after i.v. administration of GC4AOEG. (D) Renal and (E) hepatic functional biomarkers in the blood samples collected from the mice on day 21 after i.v. administration of GC4AOEG. Data are presented as mean ± S.E.M.; n = 6 for each group. (F) H&E histopathological analysis of the major organs from mice sacrificed 21 days after being injected with saline and GC4AOEG (2.245 mg kg⁻¹). Scale bar = 100 μm.     

Enantioselective hydrogenation of annulated arenes: controlled formation of multiple stereocenters in adjacent rings

We report a method for the enantioselective hydrogenation of annulated arenes using 4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidinones as substrates. The method selectively generates multiple stereocenters in adjacent rings leading to architecturally complex motifs, which resemble bioactive molecules. The mechanistic study of the stereochemical outcome revealed that the catalyst is able to overcome substrate stereocontrol providing all-cis-substituted products predominantly. In a sequential protocol, a matching interaction between catalyst and substrate stereocontrol is achieved that facilitates diastereo- and enantioselective access to trans-products.

We report a method for the enantioselective hydrogenation of annulated arenes using 4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidinones as substrates.

Chiral, saturated carbo- and heterocycles are important structural elements of secondary metabolites and active ingredients in drugs and agrochemicals.¹ Compared to classical synthetic routes that utilize prefunctionalized precursors,² enantioselective arene hydrogenation provides a more direct route to such motifs from readily accessible (hetero-) aromatic substrates.³ With current hydrogenation technologies, a variety of monocyclic arenes such as pyridines,⁴ furans,⁵ thiophenes,⁶ and annulated arenes such as quinolines and isoquinolines,⁷ indoles,⁸ and naphthalenes⁹ can be hydrogenated with high enantioselectivity. However, in all previous reports on the enantioselective hydrogenation of annulated arenes (1) the resulting products (2) contain only a single saturated ring with at least one aromatic sextet being preserved in the product, and consequently, with stereocenter(s) only being formed in one ring (Fig. 1A).¹⁰ An enantioselective hydrogenation of multiple annulated aromatic rings would enable the generation of multiple stereocenters at adjacent rings in a single step, leading to desirable, architecturally complex and natural product-like motifs. Herein, we report the first such example using N-bridged 4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidinone (pyrido-pyrimidinone) substrates (3, Fig. 1B).^10a–d Pyrido-pyrimidinones, and their saturated analogs, are featured in bioactive molecules (Fig. 1C). For instance, Roche''s Risdiplam (5), an inhibitor against spinal muscular atrophy, includes a pyrido-pyrimidinone unit¹¹ and a semi-reduced tetrahydropyrido-pyrimidinone is a part of risperidone (6), a blockbuster drug against schizophrenia, while octahydropyrido-pyrimidinones (4) are structurally closely related to quinolizidine alkaloids such as lupanine (7). To date, only a small number of octahydropyrido-pyrimidinones (4) have been accessed with the majority resulting from the hetero-geneous, racemic hydrogenation of tetrahydropyrido-pyrimidinones (8). To the best of our knowledge, enantioenriched octahydropyrido-pyrimidinones have never been accessed by enantioselective catalysis.¹²Open in a separate windowFig. 1(A) Previously: only one ring of annulated arenes reduced by enantioselective hydrogenation. (B) This work: enantioselective hydrogenation of both rings of bicyclic aromatic pyrido-pyrimidinones (3). (C) Biologically active examples/analogues of pyrido-pyrimidinones and their hydrogenated products.We realized that an enantioselective hydrogenation of the readily accessible pyrido-pyrimidinones would in principle offer the most direct approach towards these valuable product motifs, provided that the chemoselectivity could be controlled and potential side products, such as tetrahydro- (8), hexahydropyrido-pyrimidinones 9 and 10, and the presumably unstable hemiaminal 11 resulting from amide reduction, could be avoided (Fig. 2).¹³ Furthermore, we rationalized that up to four different diastereomers could result from the creation of three independent stereocenters, making the simultaneous control of chemo-, diastereo-, and enantioselectivity a daunting challenge. Nevertheless, we were ideally positioned to overcome this challenge given the high reactivity, enantioselectivity, and broad tolerance of functional groups shown by the chiral ruthenium-bisNHC catalyst system developed by our group (12).^14,15 Indeed, we observed that catalytic hydrogenation of model substrate 2,7-dimethylpyrido-pyrimidinone (3a) proceeded with near-complete chemoselectivity under a variety of reaction conditions (Table S1^†). Under the optimized conditions, the desired octahydropyrido-pyrimidinone was obtained in 92% yield as a mixture of just two from the possible four diastereomers (63 : 37 diastereomeric ratio (dr)) and with excellent 96% enantiomeric excess (ee) for the major diastereomer (Table S1,^† entry 4). The evaluation of other substitution patterns of the pyrido- pyrimidinone using the respective dimethyl-substituted substrates revealed that the 2,8-disubstituted product can also be obtained with good chemo-, enhanced diastereo-, and moderate enantioselectivity. However, substrates with 2,6- and 2,9-substitution patterns were less reactive. Only the eastern pyridine ring was reduced in 48% and 82% yield, respectively (Table S2^†). As such we decided to focus on substrates with a 2,7-substitution pattern when exploring the scope of this reaction (Fig. 3). Next, the scope was evaluated (Fig. 3). Substrates without a substituent in the C2-position (3b), and substrates containing sterically more hindering substituents such as a benzyl or an iso-propyl group (3c,d) in the C2-position all delivered the products in high yields as a mixture of just two diastereomers with moderate dr and excellent ee values for the major diastereomer. The dr values increase with the steric size of the C2-substituent. A phenyl substituent in the C2-position rendered the (eastern) pyrimidinone ring inactive, thus chemoselectively providing tetrahydropyrido-pyrimidinone 8e with moderate ee under the standard reaction conditions including the reaction time of 48 h. Contrastingly, the introduction of aryl groups in the 7-position of the (western) pyridine ring was well-tolerated. Consequently, octahydropyrido-pyrimidinones carrying aryl groups such as phenyl (4f), sterically demanding ortho-tolyl (4g), and other aryl groups bearing various synthetically useful functional groups such as NHBoc, OCF₃, or Cl in the para-position (4h–j) can all be accessed in high yields and ee values. Curiously, while 7-para-fluorophenyl-substituted product 4k was obtained in high yield, the enantioselectivity was reduced in comparison to its chlorine-containing counterpart 4j. Products without a substituent in the 7-position (4l–n) were isolated in good yields as single diastereomers with good to high ee.Open in a separate windowFig. 2Chemo- and stereoselectivity challenges.Open in a separate windowFig. 3Scope. Combined isolated yields of both diastereomers are reported. The dr was determined by NMR-spectroscopy. The major diastereomer (and enantiomer) was assigned by X-ray crystallographic analysis of both diastereomers of 4a. The assignment for the other products was conducted by analogy. The ee of the minor diastereomer was measured in all cases (see ESI^†). ^aTraces of an unknown impurity could not be separated from the product. ^bProtection with trifluoroacetic anhydride. ^c80 bar H₂ used. SINpEt: 1,3-bis(1-(naphthalene-1-yl)ethyl)-4,5-dihydroimidazolylidene; TFA: trifluoroacetate.Intrigued by those observations, we proceeded to study the stereochemical mechanism of the reaction. First, we determined the reaction progress of the hydrogenation of model substrate 3a over time (Fig. 4A). After a reaction time of 1.5 h, tetrahydropyrido-pyrimidinone 8a is almost the exclusive species before its relative abundance decreases with a coinciding increase of the proportion of octahydropyrido-pyrimidinone 4a. Notably, 7-methyl- and 7-phenyl-substituted intermediates 8a and 8f were isolated in good yields and with moderate enantiomeric excess (8a: 84% yield, 63% ee; 8f: 50% yield, 62% ee). The reaction is complete after 8 h, leaving octahydrogenated product 4a as the exclusive species. Hence 8a must be an intermediate in the hydrogenation of 3a to 4a. No further signals, other than those allocated to the substrate 3a and tetrahydrointermediate 8a, were observed in the enone or α-ketone regions at any of the time points. Furthermore, the C2 and C9a C–H bonds are cis-aligned in both diastereomers of the 2,7-dimethylproduct 4a (confirmed by X-ray crystallography, see ESI^†). A cis alignment would be enforced by a non-interrupted coordination of the catalyst during the hydrogenation of the (eastern) pyrimidinone ring. The codependence of the configurations of C2 and C9a would result in the formation of only two diastereomers in the hydrogenation of 7-substituted substrates and only a single diastereomer in the hydrogenation of 7-unsubstituted substrates, which is in agreement with the observations made during the exploration of the scope (Fig. 4B).¹⁶ Both observations suggest that enone 9a and imine 10a are not intermediates in this reaction. Finally, we determined that two separate effects cause the (relatively low) diastereomeric ratios of 7-substituted octahydropyrido-pyrimidinones. Firstly, the enantiocontrol over the initially formed C7-stereocenter is only moderate (8a: 63% ee after 1.5 h, Fig. 4B). Secondly, the ee of the intermediates 8 increases with the reaction progress of further hydrogenation towards the octahydroproducts 4 (Fig. 4C). It follows that the minor enantiomer of chiral intermediate 8 is converted into octahydro-product 4 more rapidly than the major enantiomer, indicating a mismatched interaction between substrate and catalyst control. To further test this conclusion, isolated intermediate 8a was submitted to the enantioselective hydrogenation using the opposite enantiomer of the chiral catalyst in the second hydrogenation step (Fig. 4D).¹⁶ In this case, hydrogenation proceeds with a matched interaction between catalyst and substrate control and provides the opposite diastereomer trans–cis-4a with excellent diastereo- and enantiocontrol. Notably even racemic arene hydrogenation rarely produces trans-products.¹⁸ The dr of all–cis-4a derived from the two-step hydrogenation (Fig. 4D, red equation) is higher than that of the standard one-pot protocol (75 : 25 vs 56 : 44 dr). This is a result of the increase of the ee of intermediate 8a as a function of the reaction time (the minor enantiomer is consumed faster to form 4a). The effective ee of 8a in the two-step protocol (isolated after 2 h) was higher than that of 8a in the standard protocol resulting in a higher dr of 4a.Open in a separate windowFig. 4Mechanistic studies. (A) Excerpt of the ¹H NMR spectrum of the reaction mixture as a function of the reaction time. (B) Key observations that suggest a two-step hydrogenation process. (C) ee of 8a as a function of the reaction time. (D) Sequential enantioselective hydrogenation of 3a using opposite enantiomers of the chiral catalyst.¹⁷     

Electrical conductivity in a non-covalent two-dimensional porous organic material with high crystallinity

Electroactive macrocycle building blocks are a promising route to new types of functional two-dimensional porous organic frameworks. Our strategy uses conjugated macrocycles that organize into two dimensional porous sheets via non-covalent van der Waals interactions, to make ultrathin films that are just one molecule thick. In bulk, these two-dimensional (2D) sheets stack into a three-dimensional van der Waals crystal, where relatively weak alkyl–alkyl interactions constitute the interface between these sheets. With the liquid-phase exfoliation, we are able to obtain films as thin as two molecular layers. Further using a combination of liquid-phase and mechanical exfoliation, we are able to create non-covalent sheets over a large area (>100 μm²). The ultrathin porous films maintain the single crystal packing from the macrocyclic structure and are electrically conductive. We demonstrate that this new type of 2D non-covalent porous organic framework can be used as the active layer in a field effect transistor device with graphene source and drain contacts along with hexagonal boron nitride as the gate dielectric interface.

Ultrathin porous films held together by non-covalent van der Waals interactions was obtained by a top-down approach, which is then utilized as channel material in a two-dimensional planar field-effect transistor device through easy stamp transfer.

We describe a new type of two-dimensional (2D), molecularly-thin porous organic framework that is formed from macrocyclic building blocks that assemble, through non-covalent interactions, into a porous two-dimensional plane. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are promising in applications due to their ability to host other functional molecules in the voids.^1–7 Many porous frameworks have been demonstrated to be useful in energy storage,⁸ catalysis,^9–11 separation,^12,13 optoelectronics^4,14 and sensing.^15,16 In order to construct nanodevices with porous channels, ultrathin films of porous frameworks has been prepared with bottom-up^4,17–20 and top-down^1,21 approaches. The top-down approaches to these materials are enabled by strong covalent bonds in the two-dimensional plane and weak van der Waals interactions between them, similar to what is seen in two-dimensional materials such as graphene and TMDs.^22–27 For porous ultrathin films, the electrical conductance has not been extensively investigated.^2,7,20,28,29Here, we explore making molecularly thin layers in which conjugated macrocycles are used as building blocks and non-covalent van der Waals interactions are the adhesive that assembles these molecules into rigid, porous layers. By adjusting the relative strengths of the interactions that direct the assembly within the plane and those holding the two-dimensional layers with respect to each other, we can exfoliate these non-covalent porous frameworks using the same means employed for traditional two-dimensional van der Waals materials.³⁰ Using liquid-phase and mechanical exfoliation, we create porous films that are as thin as two-layers of molecules. These new results are exciting and useful because previously we were not able to obtain such high-ordered thin porous film directly from its bulk crystal and were limited to investigating the electronic properties of this hollow organic capsules in spin-coated films. These ultrathin porous films are ordered over large areas and maintain the single crystal packing from the macrocyclic building blocks. To demonstrate the utility of this new type of ultrathin material, we fabricated 2D field effect transistor (FET) devices in which graphene is the source/drain contacts, hexagonal boron nitride is the gate dielectric interface, and the exfoliated molecular sheet is the active layer. These ultrathin self-assembled materials are efficacious at transporting electrons and will find utility in gas sensing and applications similar to traditional two-dimensional materials. Fig. 1 displays the molecular building block (1). Characterization is contained in the ESI^† and a previous report.³¹1 has several important molecular features in its solid-state assembly. It is a rigid and shape persistent macrocycle that has an interior and an exterior (Fig. 1a), and in bulk, has a pore of ∼11.4 Å in diameter and a surface area of 20 m² g⁻¹ from BET measurements.³¹ When it assembles in the crystalline state, it forms two-dimensional porous sheets with two types of cavities (Fig. 1b), one molecule thick, that are held together by relatively strong π–π contacts and Br–PDI interaction between the bromine atoms on the thiophenes and adjacent PDI molecules (Fig. 1c), which plays a crucial role in the self-assembly of the films. The close proximity of the molecules in the 2D plane together with the conjugation within the macrocycle facilitate charge transport of electrons in the 2D plane. These electrically conductive porous sheets then stack into a three-dimensional crystal in which adjacent sheets are separated from one another by the alkane sidechains of the perylene diimide (Fig. 1d). It is in this alkane gallery that we see an opportunity for exfoliation to yield ultrathin 2D sheets.Open in a separate windowFig. 1Structure and packing of molecule 1. (a) Chemical structure, side view and top view of molecular structure of 1. C, N, O, S, Br are colored in grey, blue, red, yellow and green, respectively. The vertical distance of one macrocycle is about 1.5 nm. (b) Face-on view and edge-on view of one layer of 1. The internal cavity of 1 and the cavity formed by the packing of 1 are labeled as i and i′, respectively. (c) Interactions binding two adjacent macrocycles from neighboring brominated thiophene rings. (d) View of packing of 1 along the c axis through the interaction of alkane sidechains. Exfoliation takes place at the alkyl–alkyl interface. One layer of 1 is about 2 nm in thickness.We isolated crystals of this material that were grown from solution and then tested whether they can be exfoliated. Fig. 2a displays a representative micrograph of one of the crystals. The crystal has a pseudo-hexagonal packing of the molecular building blocks in the two-dimensional plane, and this symmetry is mirrored in the hexagonally-shaped crystals. The simplest method for exfoliation is mechanical exfoliation, which is most commonly performed using scotch-tape.^32,33 We place the single crystals onto clean scotch-tape and repeat the mechanical exfoliation process for a few repetitions, and then we transfer the exfoliated crystals onto a clean silicon wafer. Fig. 2b displays an atomic force microscopy (AFM) micrograph of the typical non-covalent porous 2D sheet of 1 we obtained from this method. The porous sheets are flat and smooth and a few micrometers in diameter with a thickness of ∼8 nm; this thickness corresponds to a stack of five molecular layers of 1. This result demonstrates that non-covalent interactions are strong enough to hold molecules together to form ultrathin porous materials. Just as with traditional two-dimensional materials, the non-covalent porous organic 2D sheets of 1 are flexible as evidenced by the wrinkles and folds in the micrograph in Fig. 2b and S2.^†Open in a separate windowFig. 2Mechanical exfoliation of 1. (a) Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM) (inset) images of a single crystal of macrocycle 1. (b) AFM and optical microscope (inset) images of the ultrathin non-covalent porous sheet of 1 on a silicon wafer obtained from mechanical exfoliation.We were unable to obtain porous films as thin as a single layer and also large-area samples using mechanical exfoliation, and thus we next explored if liquid-phase exfoliation^34,35 could produce them. Because the halogen bonds that hold the sheets together should be most robust in solvents with a low-dielectric constant that lack heteroatoms, and because the groups holding the sheets together are the alkane sidechains, we chose saturated hydrocarbons (hexane or heptane) as the solvents for exfoliation. Fig. 3a shows the process we follow for the liquid-phase exfoliation. We suspend single crystals of 1 in heptane and sonicate the mixture for five minutes. We drop cast the supernatant solution on silicon wafer and examine them with AFM. Remarkably, we are able to obtain non-covalent porous organic frameworks as thin as only two molecular layers (Fig. 3b).³⁶ Nevertheless, the lateral size of the porous 2D sheets of 1 we could obtain using this method are quite small, making it difficult to fabricate devices from them.Open in a separate windowFig. 3Liquid-phase exfoliation and combination of liquid-phase and mechanical exfoliation. (a) Schematic showing the liquid-phase exfoliation process. (b) AFM image of the ultrathin sheet of 1 on a silicon wafer obtained from liquid-phase exfoliation method. The sheets in this micrograph are two molecular layers (left) and three molecular layers (right) in thickness. (c) AFM image of the ultrathin sheet of 1 on a silicon wafer obtained from combination of liquid-phase and mechanical exfoliation, inset: optical microscope image of the ultrathin sheet 1. (d) AFM image showing the height change across the ultrathin sheet of 1 on silicon wafer obtained with combination methods, inset: optical microscope image of the ultrathin sheet of 1.To get large-area films characteristic of the mechanical exfoliation and thin films characteristic of the liquid-phase exfoliation, we combined the two methods. We first immerse the crystal of 1 in heptane for a few minutes to let the solvent seep into the gallery between the sheets and weaken the interlayer interactions. Then, we use mechanical exfoliation to isolate the ultrathin films. With this method, we obtained sheets of 1 with a lateral size of over ten micrometers, as shown in Fig. 3c. By carefully examining the exfoliated non-covalent porous 2D sheets of 1, we were also able to observe the height change across the sheet (Fig. 3d) with integer values of the layer thickness after the exfoliation steps. As marked red in Fig. 3d, we could identify a single layer of 1 with a height difference between these two surfaces of about 1.5 nm, corresponding to monolayer of molecule 1.We conducted transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies to characterize the crystallinity of the as-prepared non-covalent porous 2D sheets of 1. As shown in Fig. 4a (inset), the 2D sheets exhibit a layered structure after liquid-phase exfoliation. The selected area electron diffraction (SAED) in the area (marked by the red circle) reveals a hexagonal diffraction pattern, with the bright reflections corresponding to the (2 1(−) 0) plane, with a spacing of 11.3 Å. This diffraction pattern confirms that the non-covalent, porous 2D sheets of 1 retain the single crystal packing and are stable to the liquid-phase processing.Open in a separate windowFig. 4TEM characterization and device fabrication. (a) SEAD pattern and TEM image (inset) of the non-covalent porous ultrathin sheet 1 obtained by liquid-phase exfoliation. (b) Schematic showing the structure of the hBN/Graphene/1 device based on the non-covalent porous ultrathin sheet 1 with graphene as electrodes and hBN as the dielectric layer. (c) Optical microscope image showing the as-fabricated hBN/Graphene/1 device. (d) Transfer curve of the hBN/Graphene/1 device.We next sought to determine the ability of these non-covalent porous ultrathin layers to transport charge. Because these films are van der Waals materials, we sought to make devices with van der Waals interfaces. [The ESI^† contains the current/voltage curves for 1 in a more traditional organic FET with Au contacts and trichloro(octadecyl)silane coated SiO₂ as the gate dielectric.] The source-drain contacts were fabricated from graphene and the dielectric interface was hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). A schematic of the device is shown in Fig. 4b. To create this device, we first exfoliate graphene and hBN onto a silicon substrate. We then follow a published procedure³⁷ to first pick up hBN and then graphene to make the hBN/graphene stack. We transfer this hBN/graphene stack onto another clean silicon substrate. Then the graphene was cut using electron beam lithography and an oxygen plasma to open a 300 nm gap between graphene electrodes (see Fig. S4^† for the AFM details of graphene electrodes). In order to transfer the non-covalent porous ultrathin sheets of 1 onto the graphene electrodes, we exploit the combined liquid/mechanical exfoliation method above to obtained 2D sheet of 1 with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer as the substrate, which was then used for the stamp transferring. In this manner, we were able to transfer the ultrathin sheets (∼20 nm) onto the graphene electrodes. Fig. 4c displays the optical microscope image of the device, and Fig. 4d displays the FET transfer curves revealing that the material is an efficacious, n-type transistor. Several features of the device are noteworthy. The electron mobility in the linear regime was estimated to be 1.6 × 10⁻⁴ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ from the transfer curve. As expected, it is somewhat lower than the electron mobility estimated from the saturation regime of the traditional OFET shown in Fig. S3.^†38 Despite the small size and the nanoscale thickness, the material exhibits over 3 orders of magnitude difference in current between the off and on state of the device. The threshold voltage is about 39 V, implying that the device turns on at relatively high voltage. We surmise that the contact, through the alkane sidechains is an impediment to more efficient charge transport.     

Ferro-self-assembly: magnetic and electrochemical adaptation of a multiresponsive zwitterionic metalloamphiphile showing a shape-hysteresis effect

Metallosurfactants are molecular compounds which combine the unique features of amphiphiles, like their capability of self-organization, with the peculiar properties of metal complexes like magnetism and a rich redox chemistry. Considering the high relevance of surfactants in industry and science, amphiphiles that change their properties on applying an external trigger are highly desirable. A special feature of the surfactant reported here, 1-(Z)-heptenyl-1′-dimethylammonium-methyl-(3-sulfopropyl)ferrocene (6), is that the redox-active ferrocene constituent is in a gemini-position. Oxidation to 6⁺ induces a drastic change of the surfactant''s properties accompanied by the emergence of paramagnetism. The effects of an external magnetic field on vesicles formed by 6⁺ and the associated dynamics were monitored in situ using a custom-made optical birefringence and dual dynamic light scattering setup. This allowed us to observe the optical anisotropy as well as the anisotropy of the diffusion coefficient and revealed the field-induced formation of oriented string-of-pearls-like aggregates and their delayed disappearance after the field is switched off.

The self-organization properties of a stimuli responsive amphiphile can be altered by subjecting the paramagnetic oxidized form to a magnetic field of 0.8 T and monitored in real time by coupling optical birefringence with dynamic light scattering.

Amphiphiles (or surfactants) combine hydrophilic (the so-called headgroups) and lipophilic entities (the so-called tails) as integral parts of their molecular structures. This particular construction principle provides them with the ability to display concentration-dependent self-organization in nonpolar and polar solvents.¹ Amphiphiles with advanced functions that go far beyond the traditional ones as emulsifiers, stabilizing agents for interfaces, or detergents were meanwhile realized by skillful manipulation of any of its constituents.^2–4 Recent examples are micellar LEDs,^5,6 catalysts,^7–9 or batteries.¹⁰ Such applications are important hallmarks on the way to even more sophisticated amphiphiles such as the ones found in nature, e.g. in the pockets of enzymes.^11–18 An important milestone is the advent of (multi-) stimuli-responsive amphiphiles, whose encoded functionalities respond to (different) external triggers. Such systems are capable of adaptive self-assembly, which can be controlled using an external input such as the pH, temperature, ionic strength, or redox state.^19–26Paramagnetic amphiphiles, recently reviewed by Eastoe and coworkers, constitute a fascinating family of stimuli-responsive surfactants.²⁷ Particular attention has been paid to magnetic ionic liquids based on amphiphilic transition metal complexes, as their properties are often superior to those of conventional magnetic fluids (ferrofluids).^28–31 Self-assembly results in high effective concentrations of the paramagnetic metal centers, and this in turn allows us to control their physico-chemical properties and the morphologies of their superstructures through an external magnetic field. Such a scheme has the added advantage that the external stimulus is non-invasive. In many current realizations of such systems, however, the magneto-active (transition) metal ion is only present as a constituent of the counterion of a cationic surfactant, but is not an integral constituent of the surfactant itself.^21,30,31Some of us have previously reported redox-switchable as well as paramagnetic stimuli-responsive amphiphiles of relevance to the current work.^32,33 We thought that ferrocene would be an ideal building block in order to combine both these kinds of stimuli within one single amphiphile.^34–37 On oxidation, the diamagnetic, hydrophobic ferrocene nucleus is transformed into a paramagnetic S = 1/2 ferrocenium ion with a distinct hydrophilic character.^38–41 Oxidation does hence not only generate a magnetic moment, but also transfers the ferrocene nucleus from the lipo- to the hydrophilic part of the amphiphile, thereby changing its entire structure. A 1,1′-disubstitution pattern of the ferrocene scaffold, which is synthetically well accessible,^34,42–44 seemed particularly suited for such an endeavor.Studies on paramagnetic amphiphiles are often thwarted by the non-trivial analytics involved in their characterization. Detailed investigations often rely on small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), which is time-consuming and costly and suffers from poor availability.^{27,30,31,45–47} Moreover, SANS is only of limited value for following kinetically fast processes which would be desirable for the live monitoring of structural changes occurring in solution. Optical birefringence is a well-established method to monitor the dynamic response of materials to external fields.^48–50 Although of high intrinsic value, optical birefringence measurements in magnetic fields were only rarely applied for the study of paramagnetic amphiphiles.²⁹We here report the zwitterionic, ferrocene-based amphiphile FcNMe₂SO₃Heptene 6 (see Fig. 1, Fc = ferrocenyl) with a sultone headgroup. Compound 6 is unique in that its self-assembly properties can be controlled by three different external stimuli, namely the (i) addition of an electrolyte, (ii) addition of an oxidant/reductant, and (iii) exposure to an external magnetic field. We also demonstrate that optical birefringence in combination with dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements in two orthogonal directions provides detailed insights into the functional response of aggregated magnetic nanoparticles formed by 6⁺ to an external magnetic field in real time. Specifically, we have observed the formation of string-of-pearls-like aggregates of 6⁺ in a magnetic field (0.8 T), the field-induced anisotropy of the diffusion of aggregated nanoparticles, and a hysteresis effect for their disappearance after the magnetic field is switched off. Thus, the anisotropy of larger aggregates persists for more than 5 min, while the structural alignment of smaller ones vanishes at a significantly faster rate.Open in a separate windowFig. 1Synthesis of FcNMe₂SO₃Heptene (6). (a) Synthesis of 6; (b) molecular structure of 6 crystallized from acetonitrile. C; dark grey, N; turquoise, Fe; orange, S; yellow, O; red, H atoms are omitted for clarity.     

Crystals springing into action: metal–organic framework CUK-1 as a pressure-driven molecular spring

Mercury porosimetry and in situ high pressure single crystal X-ray diffraction revealed the wine-rack CUK-1 MOF as a unique crystalline material capable of a fully reversible mechanical pressure-triggered structural contraction. The near-absence of hysteresis upon cycling exhibited by this robust MOF, akin to an ideal molecular spring, is associated with a constant work energy storage capacity of 40 J g⁻¹. Molecular simulations were further deployed to uncover the free-energy landscape behind this unprecedented pressure-responsive phenomenon in the area of compliant hybrid porous materials. This discovery is of utmost importance from the perspective of instant energy storage and delivery.

Mercury porosimetry and in situ high pressure single crystal X-ray diffraction revealed the wine-rack CUK-1 MOF as a unique crystalline material capable of a fully reversible mechanical pressure-triggered structural contraction.

Reducing the world''s fossil fuel dependence is the focus of many global initiatives,¹ aiming to mitigate the effects of climate change through tapping into sustainable energy resources such as solar and wind power. However, increasing reliance on these renewable energy sources has introduced difficulties due to the offset between power availability and demand peaks. Complementary technologies are necessary to alleviate intermittent supply, such as peaking power plants, demand-side energy management, or large scale energy storage.² The latter is particularly desirable as it can decouple electricity production and consumption, however the lack of a “one size fits all” approach has led the scientific community to envisage unconventional energy storage strategies.One such avenue emerging in recent years is the storage of mechanical energy via the compression of a suitable stimuli-responsive system, either through the intrusion of a non-wetting fluid into hydrophobic porous frameworks,³ or by means of application of an external pressure on flexible materials.⁴The former approach, first pioneered using water intrusion in zeolites and silicas,¹¹ has recently been extended to small pore zeolitic imidazolate frameworks.¹² Unfortunately, besides requiring highly hydrophobic systems, water intrusion achieves a relatively low stored energy density,³ of around 3–25 J g⁻¹. The second strategy takes advantage of the compliant nature of bulk materials. Energy is stored through structural deformations, manifesting as continuous or sudden volume changes under external pressure. The energy stored in flexible materials over a compression/decompression cycle can be an order of magnitude higher compared to the values achieved using fluid intrusion in rigid porous systems.¹³ In theory, three types of pressure-induced structural behaviour can be envisioned for such a responsive system. If the structure contraction is non-reversible, all energy is dissipated and the system is categorized as a nano-shock absorber (Fig. 1b). For structural changes that are reversible upon decompression two families of system can be distinguished, i.e. a nano-damper (Fig. 1c) or an ideal nano-spring (Fig. 1d) when the p–V curves show hysteresis or fully overlap, respectively.¹⁴Open in a separate windowFig. 1(A) Schema of mechanical energy storage in compliant crystalline materials, implying a unit cell volume change between open (op) and contracted (cp) structures, and prototypical pressure-volume curves of stimuli-responsive materials under mechanical pressure for (B) nano-shock absorbers, exemplified by MIL-53(Al),⁵ MIL-53(Ga)-FA⁶ and ZIF-4(Zn),⁷ (C) nano-dampers e.g. MIL-53(Cr),⁸ MIL-47(V)⁹ and MIL-53(Al)-FA¹⁰ and (D) nano-springs, insofar exhibited exclusively by CUK-1 presented herein.Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), a class of porous, crystalline materials comprised of metal vertices interconnected by organic linkers, are known to exhibit responsiveness to a variety of stimuli,^15,16 including external pressure.¹⁷ Recently, several frameworks of this family of hybrid materials have been shown to act as energy storing nano-dampers or energy dissipative nano-shock absorbers, as is the case for the highly flexible MIL-53(M)^5,8,10 and MIL-47(V)⁹ series and more recently ZIF-4(Zn)⁷ (see Fig. 1b and c for their related structural behaviours). In such flexible crystalline materials compression is associated with a displacive phase transition between distinct structures of differing unit cell volumes, denoted as open (op) and contracted (cp) forms^15,16 and illustrated in Fig. 1a, occurring reversibly or irreversibly for a nano-damper or nano-shock absorber, respectively. The considerable stored energy associated with this transition, in the range of 30–200 J g⁻¹ (up to 4 kJ g⁻¹ for shock absorbers¹⁸) is highly attractive from the perspective of mechanical energy storage. However, the hysteretic compression/decompression curve characterising known nano-damper MOFs leads to a partial loss of work energy, lowering the potential storage efficiency, as well as creating issues through heat dissipation. Insofar, the search for a ideal spring-like crystalline material, capable of reversible pressure-induced structural switching without any hysteresis (Fig. 1d) has been fruitless, precluding their applicability for efficient, high density energy storage applications. Herein, a subtle combination of Hg-porosimetry, high-pressure single crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) and molecular simulations reveals the 1D-channel CUK-1 (M, M = Co, Mg)¹⁹ MOF as the first compliant hybrid porous material with a spring-back mechanical breathing behaviour.Such unique mechanically-triggered structural response implies a continuous pore contraction/expansion between op and cp forms in a narrow pressure range of 280–290 MPa, accompanied by a unit cell volume change of 20.9%. This optimal scenario paves the way towards fast energy storage/delivery system of about 40 J g⁻¹. The channel-like CUK-1(M) composed of chains of μ₃-OH/O edge and vertex sharing metal octahedra (M = Co,¹⁹ Mg²⁰) coordinated by bidentate 2,4-pyridinedicarboxylic ligands, recently emerged as an attractive porous material owing to its promising sorption performance combined with environmentally-friendly hydrothermal synthesis and high thermal and chemical stability.^20–22 Its wine-rack topology and its relatively rigid behaviour upon guest adsorption are reminiscent to that of MIL-47(V) a MOF which interestingly underwent a hysteretic, reversible structural contraction upon exerting an external pressure of 125 MPa,⁹ associated with a stored/delivered energy of 33 J g⁻¹. Inspired by our previous findings on MIL-47(V), we deliberately explored the pressure-induced structural behaviour of CUK-1 in its isostructural Co and Mg forms. MOF synthesis was performed according to the protocol detailed in ESI.^† Phase purity was confirmed by powder XRD (Fig. S3, S4 and Table S1^†) while their textural features, including BET area and pore volume, were found to match previously reported data.^19,20Mercury intrusion curves were recorded on the powder samples up to a maximum of 413 MPa as shown for CUK-1(Co) in Fig. 2, its Mg variant being reported in Fig. S6, ESI,^† together with full experimental details. A substantial amount of Hg intrudes at low pressure (<10 MPa), due to compaction of the crystals and filling of inter-particle porosity. This is followed by a sudden volume change at 281 MPa where a sharp step is observed (see inset of Fig. 2). By analogy with the conclusions previously drawn for the series of MIL-53(M)/MIL-47(V) frameworks,^5,8–10 this intruded Hg volume increase is associated with a structural contraction of CUK-1(Co), as its channel size (approx. 6.6 Å) is an order of magnitude below the pore dimension where non-wetting mercury can intrude in this pressure range (at 52 Å). The extrusion curve shows a near-perfect overlap, indicating that the framework behaves as an ideal spring, with no hysteresis between the intrusion/extrusion branches.Open in a separate windowFig. 2Sequential mercury intrusion–extrusion curves on CUK-1(Co) powder, in blue line and red, respectively. Line is a guide for eye. Volume below 1 MPa corresponds to powder compaction and intercrystallite void filling. Dotted horizontal lines demarcate contraction lower and upper bounds. Inset highlights the intrusion step in a linear scale with the op/cp contraction marked with an arrow.Moreover, this behaviour is highly repeatable, as confirmed by four consecutive pressure cycles (in Fig. S5^†). Interestingly, the same behaviour also holds true for CUK-1(Mg) (Fig. S6^†), with a similar intrusion pressure of 288 MPa. Since the two metal ions show relatively similar ionic radius (Co²⁺: 1.50(7) Å and Mg²⁺: 1.41(7) Å),²⁴ the averaged metal–oxygen distance is nearly identical in their corresponding coordination: spheres: (Co–O: 2.107(20) Å and Mg–O: 2.073(20) Å). Such analogous metal-linker bond strength is most likely at the origin of the very similar pressure-induced response of the two materials. The high transition pressure of CUK-1(Co) underpins the inability of guest adsorption to induce a breathing effect as observed previously.^20,21 Indeed, the adsorption stresses encountered throughout guest insertion are simply insufficient to overcome the energetic penalty of transition.^14,25 The 0.143 mL g⁻¹ volume change associated with the observed step in the CUK-1(Co) intrusion curve corresponds to a 20.9% change in unit cell volume, lower than in the similar phenyl-based MIL-47(V) of 43%.⁹ However, the stored energy calculated through W = P × ΔV is 40 J g⁻¹, 20% larger than the value reported for MIL-47(V)⁹ of 33 J g⁻¹. Here, the higher pressure of CUK-1(Co) switching, 281 MPa vs. 125 MPa for MIL-47(V) balances out the ΔV term. Moreover, owing to its relatively dense framework, the volumetric energy density of CUK-1(Co) remains attractive when compared to water intrusion systems (Table S4^†).Considering an initial unit cell volume for the CUK-1(Co) op form of 2467 ų from PXRD (see ESI^†), the resulting cp form is estimated to exhibit a unit cell volume of 1950 ų, based on the Hg intruded volume increase at 281 MPa. In order to directly observe the contracted form and identify the mechanism underpinning these intriguing dynamics, high pressure SC-XRD experiments were carried out in a membrane diamond anvil cell (mDAC). Individual CUK-1(Co) crystals were placed in a gasket between the polished diamonds of the mDAC, and immersed in a hydrostatic pressure transmitting medium of silicone oil AP-100, with a gold flake used to monitor inner mDAC pressure (full single crystal synthesis conditions and SC-XRD methodology available in the ESI^†).At ambient pressure, the indexed unit cell volume of the initial op form of CUK-1(Co) is nearly identical (2492 ų) to that of the previously reported²⁰ dehydrated monoclinic phase (2466.72 ų). Upon increasing DAC pressure to around 0.3 GPa, a volume contraction to the cp phase begins, which is in line with Hg porosimetry experiments. Reflections obtained from integrated 2D diffraction images were used to solve the pressure-induced structure through a dual space recycling algorithm in an expanded P1 setting, then further refined on F² using the SHELX suite²⁶ (complete data treatment methodology available in the ESI^†). The structure maintains the same C2/c space group throughout the transition between the two forms, and as such the spring-like dynamics of the framework can be described as a continuous contraction in a narrow pressure range. Above 0.5 GPa, the cp form is attained, with further pressure application leading to a linear decrease of its unit cell volume by 4% up to 1.8 GPa (Fig. 3).Open in a separate windowFig. 3Evolution of the CUK-1(Co) unit cell volume determined through indexation of Bragg reflections as a function of applied pressure as recorded in a DAC. Unit cell parameters corresponding to each pressure point can be found in Table S5, ESI.^†The unit cell dimensions of the solved cp form at 0.5 GPa are provided in Table 1, alongside as-indexed pristine op form parameters with Fig. 4a illustrating the two structures. The anisotropic transition is similar in nature to that of MIL-53(M)/MIL-47(V), characterised by a compaction in the b-direction (from approx. 13 Å to 9 Å) and an elongation along the a-axis (from 18 to nearly 20 Å). The change in the c-parameter is minimal, with only a slight increase, as it lies in the plane of the highly rigid octahedrally coordinated metal chains. A lowering of the angle (from 103 to 99°) is also observed, as the 1D parallel pores are straightened via the linker-induced torsion. A table comparing specific atomic distances, angles and torsions in the two forms is available in Table S7, ESI.^† The unit cell volume of the identified cp phase at 0.5 GPa of 1972 ų is only slightly higher than the value estimated from porosimetry measurements (as 1950 ų). We attribute this offset to the different interactions of the crystal surface with the respective pressure transmitting medium (mercury vs. silicone oil), as observed previously.⁵Crystallographic data of the pristine (op) and high pressure (cp) phases as determined from the CUK-1(Co) SC-XRD

The sporothriolides. A new biosynthetic family of fungal secondary metabolites

The biosynthetic gene cluster of the antifungal metabolite sporothriolide 1 was identified from three producing ascomycetes: Hypomontagnella monticulosa MUCL 54604, H. spongiphila CLL 205 and H. submonticulosa DAOMC 242471. A transformation protocol was established, and genes encoding a fatty acid synthase subunit and a citrate synthase were simultaneously knocked out which led to loss of sporothriolide and sporochartine production. In vitro reactions showed that the sporochartines are derived from non-enzymatic Diels–Alder cycloaddition of 1 and trienylfuranol A 7 during the fermentation and extraction process. Heterologous expression of the spo genes in Aspergillus oryzae then led to the production of intermediates and shunts and delineation of a new fungal biosynthetic pathway originating in fatty acid biosynthesis. Finally, a hydrolase was revealed by in vitro studies likely contributing towards self-resistance of the producer organism.

A new family of fungal biosynthetic pathways is elucidated based on the use of fatty acid and citrate-like intermediates.

Gamma-lactone and alkyl citrate compounds derived from oxaloacetate are widespread natural products in fungi and often possess potent biological activities. Examples include sporothriolide 1,^1,2 piliformic acid 2,³ tyromycin 3⁴ and the cyclic maleidrides including byssochlamic acid 4^5,6 among others (Fig. 1). In some cases, for example those of 4 and squalestatin S1 5,⁷ detailed molecular studies have revealed that a dedicated polyketide synthase (PKS) produces a carbon skeleton that is then condensed with oxaloacetate by a citrate synthase (CS) to give an early alkyl citrate intermediate that is further oxidatively processed. In other cases, such as 1 and the sporochartines 6, the biosynthetic pathways are not yet clear.Open in a separate windowFig. 1Structures of γ-lactone and alkyl citrate metabolites from fungi. Bold bonds show oxaloacetate-derived carbons where known.Sporochartines 6a–6d^8,9 from the fungus Hypoxylon monticulosum CLL 205 (now referred to as Hypomontagnella spongiphila)¹⁰ possesses potent cytotoxicity (IC₅₀: 7.2 to 21.5 μM) vs. human cancer cell lines and are proposed to be Diels Alder (DA) adducts of the furofurandione sporothriolide 1, itself a potent antifungal agent (EC₅₀: 11.6 ± 0.8 μM),¹¹ and trienylfuranol A 7,¹² originally obtained from an endophytic fungus Hypoxylon submonticulosum DAOMC 242471 (now referred to as Hypomontagnella submonticulosa).¹³ Since the biosynthesis of sporothriolide 1 and related compounds is unknown, and biological DA reactions in fungi are currently of high interest,¹⁴ we decided to examine the biosynthesis of the sporochartines 6 in the Hypomontagnella spp. strains MUCL 54604 and CLL 205 (ref. 10 and 13) in detail.     

Correction: Crystal structure and metallization mechanism of the π-radical metal TED

Radical electrons tend to localize on individual molecules, resulting in an insulating (Mott–Hubbard) bandgap in the solid state. Herein, we report the crystal structure and intrinsic electronic properties of the first single crystal of a π-radical metal, tetrathiafulvalene-extended dicarboxylate (TED). The electrical conductivity is up to 30 000 S cm⁻¹ at 2 K and 2300 S cm⁻¹ at room temperature. Temperature dependence of resistivity obeys a T³ power-law above T > 100 K, indicating a new type of metal. X-ray crystallographic analysis clarifies the planar TED molecule, with a symmetric intramolecular hydrogen bond, is stacked along longitudinal (the a-axis) and transverse (the b-axis) directions. The π-orbitals are distributed to avoid strong local interactions. First-principles electronic calculations reveal the origin of the metallization giving rise to a wide bandwidth exceeding 1 eV near the Fermi level. TED demonstrates the effect of two-dimensional stacking of π-orbitals on electron delocalization, where a high carrier mobility of 31.6 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ (113 K) is achieved.

The molecular arrangement that enables metallic conduction in a single-component pure organic crystal is revealed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

Organic molecular solids are typically insulating due to their paired electrons in spatially localized s- and p-orbitals. The concept of charge-transfer (CT) between donor and acceptor¹ enabled the development of conducting molecular complexes (salts) including semiconducting perylene-bromine,² metallic tetrathiafulvalene (TTF)-tetracyano-p-quinodimethane (TCNQ),³ and polyacethylene doped with halogen molecules.⁴ A different strategy was proposed in the 1970s based on organic radicals with an open-shell electronic structure.⁵ π-Radicals such as neutral-,⁶ fully-conjugated⁷ and zwitterionic (betainic)⁸ molecules, with an unpaired electron in their singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO), offered potential candidates. However, all these π-radicals were insulators or semiconductors with a finite bandgap, which is due to the SOMO being localized on an individual molecule. In the Mott–Hubbard model,⁹ the case of the π-radical solids can be described by the on-site Coulomb repulsion U being larger than the electronic bandwidth W (U/W > 1), in contrast to U/W < 1 in molecular metals like CT metal systems (Fig. 1a).Open in a separate windowFig. 1(a) Schematic representation of the electronic band structure of Mott–Hubbard insulators (left) and possible molecular metals (right), respectively. Solids formed from typical π-radicals possess large on-site Coulomb repulsion U compared with the electronic bandwidth W, resulting a finite bandgap (left). This requires a new mechanism to expand W and overcome U to achieve a metallic state at ambient pressure in π-radical crystals. (b) Molecular structure of the zwitterionic radical, tetrathiafulvalene-extended dicarboxylate (TED) with a symmetric intramolecular hydrogen bond.A straightforward approach to realize high conductivity in π-radical systems is to enhance the intermolecular interaction by applying high pressure.¹⁰ Bisdithiazolyl radical crystal achieved W ∼ 1 eV near the Fermi level and the room temperature conductivity σ_RT = 2 S cm⁻¹ under 11 GPa pressure.^10c An alternative route is to decrease the interatomic spacing by incorporating a metal ion. Introduction of a semimetal Se and intermolecular hydrogen bonding in a donor-type radical succeeded to improve a conductivity to σ_RT = 19 S cm⁻¹ but still required high pressure over 1 GPa for breaking its insulating character.^10d An organometallic compound with a transition metal, [Ni(tmdt)₂], by contrast, is known to form a three-dimensional (3D) Fermi surface with W = 0.48 eV and metallic conduction with σ_RT = 400 S cm⁻¹ at ambient pressure.¹¹ A breakthrough concept for expanding W at ambient pressure is desired for achieving metallization in pure organic π-radicals.Tetrathiafulvalene-extended dicarboxylate (TED) is an organic air-stable zwitterionic radical (Fig. 1b),¹² which was designed based on carrier generation induced by a stably-introduced protonic defect (–H⁺) in hydrogen-bonding molecules without adopting CT between multiple molecules.¹³ A polycrystalline film of TED exhibited metallic conduction at ambient pressure, but the mechanism has not been clarified yet due to lack of single crystal information.¹² Herein, we report the first crystal structure and intrinsic electronic properties of the recently grown single crystal TED. Structural analysis and quantum chemical simulations based on the single crystal reveal the origin of its metallic behavior.     

Multiple rotational rates in a guest-loaded,amphidynamic zirconia metal–organic framework

Amphidynamic motion in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) is an intriguing emergent property, characterized by high rotational motion of the phenylene rings that are embedded within an open, rigid framework. Here, we show how the phenylene rings in the organic linkers of the water stable MOF PEPEP-PIZOF-2 exhibit multiple rotational rates as a result of the electronic structure of the linker, with and without the presence of highly interacting molecular guests. By selective ²H enrichment, we prepared isotopologues PIZOF-2d4 and PIZOF-2d8 and utilized solid-state ¹³C and ²H NMR to differentiate the dynamic behavior of specific phenylenes in the linker at room temperature. A difference of at least one order of magnitude was observed between the rates of rotation of the central and outer rings at room temperature, with the central phenylene ring, surrounded by ethynyl groups, undergoing ultrafast 180° jumps with frequencies higher than 10 MHz. Moreover, loading tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) within the pores produced significant changes in the MOF''s electronic structure, but very small changes were observed in the rotational rates, providing an unprecedented insight into the effects that internal dynamics have on guest diffusion. These findings would help elucidate the in-pore guest dynamics that affect transport phenomena in these highly used MOFs.

Zirconia based metal–organic framework PEPEP-PIZOF-2 exhibits the emergent property of amphidynamic motion with organic links that show multiple rotational rates related to their molecular structure and independently from presence of molecular guests.

Amphidynamic crystals are an emerging class of materials made of molecular components that exhibit fast internal motion within a rigid lattice.^1,2 Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) can be considered as intrinsically amphidynamic materials, because they are formed by the assembly of organic molecules that carry high degrees of freedom linked to inorganic clusters that form an extended solid matrix.³ This assembly allows for the organic components to behave like rotators, while the solid matrix/framework acts as a stator, with gyroscope-type motion enabled by the open architecture of the MOF with motion modulated by the molecular structure of the linker.^4–6 In order to create materials with targeted dynamic properties for real-life applications, like molecular machines, it is important to determine whether the chemical environment of the linkers can produce dynamics at multiple rates and how the presence of molecular guests affect such dynamics. To do so, it is important to use MOFs that are chemically stable to water and humidity, because this robustness increases the reproducibility of the results and the applicability of the MOF. The interplay between guest diffusion, linker dynamics and the overall framework flexibility has been actively investigated in recent years.⁷Here, we prepared a water-stable MOF, PEPEP-PIZOF-2 (Fig. 1a), strategically labelled with deuterium atoms to probe the multiple segmental motion in the pristine and guest-loaded materials. Utilizing solid-state NMR techniques, we elucidated that this MOF exhibits bimodal rotational rates, with the central ring of the linker having free rotation above the 10 MHz limit of quantitation, and with the outer rings having slower rotation. This double-rate internal dynamics is preserved even in the presence of a very “sticky,” electron-deficient guest such as tetracyanoquinodimethane, TCNQ. Studying the molecular dynamics of this class of MOFs helps in accelerating their use as applied materials and for the fundamental studies of transfer phenomena that occur in MOFs such as mass, heat, and momentum transfer.Open in a separate windowFig. 1(a) Crystal structure of the double interweaved MOF PIZOF-2, showing each framework in separate colors. (b) Molecular structure of the PEPEP link. (c) Deuterium enriched linkers used in this study emphasizing the deuterium location in the link and the different chemical environments.Zirconia MOFs have been shown to exhibit unprecedented chemical stability, of which the family of Porous Interpenetrated Zirconia Organic Frameworks (PIZOFs) features superior stability combined with a unique molecular composition of their linkers.^8,9 The linkers in PIZOF MOFs are linear and made by a combination of phenylene rings and ethynylene groups, where multiple chemical environments can be created around the phenylenes, thus altering their rotational behavior. Of the series, PEPEP-PIZOF-2 (hereafter PIZOF-2) is a high symmetry interweaved MOF (interweaved = interpenetrated with minimally displaced frameworks^10,11) made with linkers that contain three phenylenes (P) and two ethynylenes (E) in an alternating form (hence PEPEP, Fig. 1b), creating two different types of chemical and crystallographic environments around the rotor moieties: the central phenylene ring is surrounded by two alkyne groups that provide a negligible electronic barrier for rotation and two outer phenylene rings surrounded by an alkyne and a carboxylate. So, we expect to observe significant differences in dynamics for each component of the linker.¹² To properly observe the gyroscope-like rotation, protons were replaced with deuterons either in the inner ring (PIZOF-2d4, Fig. 1c) or in the outer rings (PIZOF-2d8, Fig. 1c). These two modes of isotopic labeling allowed the isolation of each ring to study of their dynamics by ²H NMR.Samples of the PIZOF-2 MOF containing natural and isotopically enriched PEPEP links were prepared from adapted published procedures (ESI^†).¹³ The MOFs were prepared via solvothermal crystallization of the respective linkers in DMF in the presence of ZrCl₄ and proline-HCl at 120 °C for 24 h, resulting in crystalline powder samples of formula Zr₆O₄(OH)₄[PEPEP]₆, Zr₆O₄(OH)₄[PEPEP-d4]₆, and Zr₆O₄(OH)₄[PEPEP-d8]₆. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) patterns of all three isotopologues exhibited sharp diffraction lines starting at 3.84° 2θ (CuKα radiation) characteristic of the cubic PIZOF-2 MOF phase (Fd$\bar{3}$m space group symmetry) (Fig. 2a).¹⁴ Phase purity was assessed using Rietveld refinement of the experimental patterns using the single crystal unit cell data resulting in phase pure samples with low residuals (Fig. S1–S4^†).Open in a separate windowFig. 2(a) Powder X-ray diffraction of the natural and isotopically enriched PIZOF-2 MOFs demonstrating their isoreticular nature. Miller indices of the most intense peaks are indicated. (b) ¹³C CPMAS NMR spectra of natural and isotopically enriched PIZOF-2 MOFs.The internal structure of the MOFs was analyzed using ¹³C Cross-Polarization with Magic Angle Spinning (CP MAS) NMR spectroscopy, where the intensities of ¹³C signals varied according to the level of deuteration of the linker in each MOF (Fig. 2b). PIZOF-2 exhibits a ¹³C spectrum with signals at around 92 ppm, corresponding to the internal ethynyl, signals between 120 and 140 ppm corresponding to the phenylene carbons, and signals at 173 ppm that correspond to carboxylates, consistent with the expected structure. In PIZOF-2d4 the signals that correspond to the central phenylene ring are attenuated (Fig. 2b, signal 8) compared to the natural material, whereas in PIZOF-2d8, the only visible signals are those of the central ring, due to the absence of vicinal protons required for CP. Peaks associated with solvents and other reagents were not observed indicating a successfully evacuated framework, which in addition to high crystallinity and the magnetic field produces changes in the spectral line shape that can be associated with different types of motion.¹⁵ In the case of the PIZOF MOFs, the differences in the molecular substructure and porosity ensured having optimal samples for dynamic studies. Despite being double interweaved, the distances between centroids of the aromatic rings of the interpenetrating frameworks have values in the range of 6.23 Å to 8.04 Å (Fig. S7^†). Considering that the volume of revolution of the phenylene is ca. 6 Å, significant changes in the internal rotational dynamics caused by interpenetration were ruled out. Besides, it is expected that the phenylene rings have sufficient space to undergo fast rotational displacement, as it has been observed in other MOFs.¹⁶ To determine this, the deuterated samples were studied using solid-state quadrupolar echo ²H NMR spectroscopy. The reorientation of the C–²H bond vectors with respect to the external between outer and inner rings is expected to afford different rotational rates.The ²H NMR line shape at room temperature of PIZOF-2d8 displays signals characteristic of motions in the intermediate exchange regime. A successful fitting of the spectrum using NMRweblab¹⁷ was obtained using a model that assumed two-fold flip jumps, indicating a rotational rate at room temperature of the outer rings of k_rot = 2.10 MHz (Fig. 3 top). The rate of rotation of the deuterated outer rings is similar to that reported in UiO-66(Zr)¹⁸ (k_rot = 2.3 MHz at rt) and much larger than that of other simple MOFs like MOF-5(Zn),¹²MIL-47(V),¹⁹ and MIL-53(Cr)¹⁹ (k_rot < 0.001 MHz at rt). The rotation of the outer rings could be then regulated by the electronic conjugation of the phenylene with the carboxylates and/or affected by the interactions with the metal oxide clusters.Open in a separate windowFig. 3Experimental (blue) and calculated (orange) deuterium line shapes of PIZOF-2 at 295 K: (top) PIZOF-2d8 and (bottom) PIZOF-2d4.Conversely, in the case of PIZOF-2d4 (Fig. 3 bottom) the narrow ²H NMR spectrum is characteristic of ultrafast reorientations about the –C C– axis. A fitting of the spectrum was carried out assuming fast 180° jumps and large amplitude vibrations, indicating a rate of rotation of k_rot > 10 MHz, the upper limit of the ²H NMR sensitivity, so at 295 K the inner rings are rotating freely. This rate correlates with the minimal electronic barrier given by the flanking alkynes as has also been observed in a Zn-pyrazolate MOF that contains the same diethynyl-phenylene-diethynyl moiety.¹⁶ To date, this is the first time a MOF exhibits multiple rotational rates of their phenylene rings, which has implications for understanding and improving guest-diffusion related phenomena such as guest storage, catalysis, and separations.As the transport of guests throughout the MOF would be affected by the interactions between the guest and the static and dynamic components of the framework, we impregnated deuterated PIZOF-2 samples with tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ). Given the electron-rich nature of the linker, electron deficient TCNQ was selected because it fits into the pores and has a high propensity to form strong π–π stacking bonds, often in the form of charge transfer complexes.²⁰ In other words, TCNQ is a very sticky molecule known to affect the electronic structure of MOFs and has been used as an additive to enhance their charge conduction properties for device applications.^21,22The incorporation of TCNQ into the MOF was performed by immersing MOF powder samples in CH₂Cl₂ solutions for a minimum of 6 h at 295 K followed by rinsing, resulting in a loading capacity of 28.6 ± 0.2 TCNQ molecules per unit cell. At this saturated state, the white crystals changed to a green color and showed a strong EPR signal with g = 2.0025 (Fig. S8c^†), compared to the pristine MOF. This could be attributed to a charge transfer event that produces organic radicals which overshadows the intrinsic paramagnetism of the zirconia oxoclusters.²³ We also observed a quench of the emission, with a significant change in the quantum yield from Φ_F = 8.5% to Φ_F < 0.1% (Fig. S8d^†). Fluorescence quenching was expected due to the interaction of electron deficient molecules with the conjugated oligo-phenylene-ethynylene linkers that make the MOF emissive.²⁴The ¹³C CPMAS spectrum of TCNQ loaded PIZOF-2d4 not only confirmed the guest within the pores (Fig. S12^†), but it also revealed the changes in the chemical environment around the linkers: the appearance of a second carboxylate signal around δ = 174 ppm and a second quaternary carbon signal around δ = 128 ppm, with higher intensities with an increased loading time (Fig. 4a), attributable to the interaction of TCNQ with the outer rings of the PEPEP links, closer to the Zr cluster. Surprisingly, despite the evidence of the diffusion of TCNQ into the MOF, the solid-state ²H NMR spectrum of PIZOF-2d4 loaded with TCNQ for 6 h remained unaltered (Fig. 4b). Increasing the impregnation time to 72 h or increasing the temperature to 60 °C resulted in similar line shapes. These results suggest that the guest may have adsorbed near the outer phenylene rings of the linker. To demonstrate this, PIZOF-2d8 loaded with TCNQ for 6 h (Fig. 4c) was studied by ²H NMR. Interestingly, the fitting of the ²H line shape indicated slightly faster rotational rates compared to pristine PIZOF-2d8, changing from k_rot = 2.1 MHz to k_rot = 3.3 MHz. Only rising the impregnation temperature to 60 °C for 24 h allowed faster adsorption equilibration, decreasing the rotational rate to k_rot = 1.2 MHz. This indicates that the diffusion of TCNQ is slow and may require longer equilibration times at higher temperature to reach an equilibrium. Furthermore, considering the changes in the chemical shift of the carboxylate peak observed by ¹³C NMR CP MAS upon the diffusion of the guest (Fig. 4a, pink mark), as well as the minor changes in the rotational dynamics of the aromatic rings, we postulate that the TCNQ is located closer to the metal cluster, which agrees well with previously observed guest-loaded Zr-based MOFs.^25,26Open in a separate windowFig. 4(a) ¹³C CPMAS of PIZOF-2d4 at different TCNQ loading times. (b) Experimental and simulated ²H NMR spectra of PIZOF-2d4 revealing that the signal from the central phenylene remains unaffected. (c) Experimental and simulated ²H NMR of PIZOF-2d8 under different TCNQ loading conditions.This work highlights that our approach can tackle one of the challenges in guest-loaded MOFs, which is the understanding of the interactions between the guest and the framework, a problem often exacerbated by the difficulty of acquiring high-quality single crystals. Furthermore, even after obtaining suitable crystals, X-ray diffraction studies provide only averaged space and time information. Conversely, solid-state NMR, as it is time-resolved, is ideal to analyze guest loaded MOFs in bulk samples, providing kinetic information such as transient π-interaction sites,²⁷ gas-absorption diffusional rates,²⁸ internal rotational dynamics,⁶ and other kinetic details.^29,30     

Pressure-and temperature induced phase transitions,piezochromism, NLC behaviour and pressure controlled Jahn–Teller switching in a Cu-based framework

In situ single-crystal diffraction and spectroscopic techniques have been used to study a previously unreported Cu-framework bis[1-(4-pyridyl)butane-1,3-dione]copper(ii) (CuPyr-I). CuPyr-I was found to exhibit high-pressure and low-temperature phase transitions, piezochromism, negative linear compressibility, and a pressure induced Jahn–Teller switch, where the switching pressure was hydrostatic media dependent.

In situ high-pressure single-crystal diffraction and spectroscopic techniques have been used to study a previously unreported Cu-framework bis[1-(4-pyridyl)butane-1,3-dione]copper(ii) (CuPyr-I).

High-pressure crystallographic experiments over the last 25 years or so have proved to be a unique tool in probing the mechanical properties of the organic solid state,¹ metal-complexes, and 2D/3D coordination compounds.² In particular, high-pressure techniques have been used to study an array of mechanical and chemical properties of crystals, such as changes in electrical and thermal conductivity,³ pressure-induced melting,⁴ solubility,⁵ amorphisation,⁶ post-synthetic modification,⁷ and chemical reactions such as polymerisation,⁸ cycloaddition⁹ and nanoparticle formation.¹⁰ Previous high-pressure experiments on porous metal-organic framework (MOF) materials have shown that on loading a diamond anvil cell (DAC) with a single-crystal or polycrystalline powder, the hydrostatic medium that surrounds the sample (to ensure hydrostatic conditions) can be forced inside the pores on increasing pressure, causing the pore and sample volume to increase with applied pressure.¹¹ This technique has also been used to determine the position of CH₄ and CO₂ molecules inside the small pores of a Sc-based MOF at room temperature using a laboratory X-ray diffractometer, and has proved useful in experimentally determining the maximum size of guest molecules that can penetrate into a pore.¹²On direct compression of more dense frameworks, negative linear compressibility (NLC) has also been observed, which results in an expansion of one or more of the unit cell dimensions with an overall contraction in volume. Such changes in the compressibility behaviour of metal-containing framework materials is usually as a result of common structural motifs which rotate or bend in order to accommodate increases in length along particular crystallographic directions.¹³ Changes in coordination environment can also be induced at pressure, as metal–ligand bonds are more susceptible to compression than covalent bonds.^2a In previous high pressure studies on metal complexes or coordination compounds, in which the metal ion has an asymmetric octahedral environment caused by Jahn–Teller (JT) distortions for example (such as those observed in Cu²⁺ and Mn³⁺ complexes), the application of pressure can result in compression of the JT axis, and can even be switched to lie along another bonding direction within the octahedron.¹⁴ Such distortions often result in piezochromism, often observed within a single crystal.¹⁵Here, we present a high-pressure crystallographic study on a novel and unreported Cu-framework bis[1-(4-pyridyl)butane-1,3-dione]copper(ii) (hereafter referred to as CuPyr-I). On application of pressure, CuPyr-I is highly unusual in that it demonstrates several of these phenomena within the same framework, including a single-crystal to single-crystal phase transition, a switching of the JT axis that depends on the hydrostatic medium used to compress the crystal, piezochromism and NLC behaviour. To date, we are unaware of any other material which exhibits all of these phenomena, with the first ever reported hydrostatic media ‘tuneable’ JT-switching.Under ambient temperature and pressure CuPyr-I crystallises in the rhombohedral space group R$\bar{3}$ (a/b = 26.5936(31) Å, c = 7.7475(9) Å). Each Cu-centre is coordinated to four 1-(4-pyridyl)butane-1,3-dione linkers, two of these ligands are bound through the dione O-atoms, with the final two bonding through the N-atom of the pyridine ring to form a 3D polymer. The crystal structure of CuPyr-I is composed of an interpenetration of these 3D polymers to form one-dimensional porous channels (∼2 Å in diameter) that run along the c-axis direction (Fig. 1).Open in a separate windowFig. 1Ball and stick model showing the coordination environment around the Cu²⁺ ion in CuPyr-I, and 3D-pore structure as viewed along the c-axis direction. The yellow sphere represents the available pore-space. Colour scheme is red: oxygen, blue: nitrogen, black: carbon, white: hydrogen and cyan: copper. The Cu²⁺ octahedron is illustrated in green.On increasing pressure from 0.07 GPa to 1.56 GPa using Fluorinert FC-70 (a mixture of large perfluorinated hydrocarbons) as a hydrostatic medium, compression of the framework occurs, resulting in a 9.89% reduction in volume, while the a/b-axes and c-axis are reduced by 4.46% and 1.25% respectively (Fig. 2 (blue triangles) and Table S1^†).Open in a separate windowFig. 2 a/b and c-axes as a function of pressure in a hydrostatic medium of FC-70 (blue triangles) and MeOH (red/black circles). The vertical line indicates the transition from CuPyr-I (red circles) to CuPyr-II (black circles) above 2.15 GPa. Errors in cell-lengths are smaller than the symbols plotted.On increasing pressure to 1.84 GPa, the framework became amorphous, though this is unsurprising as the hydrostatic limit for FC-70 is ∼2 GPa, and compression of frameworks in non-hydrostatic conditions usually results in amorphisation.¹⁶ On increasing pressure to 1.56 GPa, the three-symmetry independent Cu–O/N bond lengths to the ligand were monitored (Fig. 3 and Table S5^†). Under ambient pressure conditions, the two Cu–N1 pyridine bonds are longer than the four Cu–O1/O2 dione bonds, typical for an elongated JT distorted Cu²⁺ complex. However, on increasing pressure the direction of the JT axis gradually changed from Cu–N1 to the Cu–O1 bond (the dione oxygen in the 3-position), becoming equidistant at ∼0.57 GPa. By 1.56 GPa, the lengths of the Cu–N1 and Cu–O1 bonds had steadily reduced and increased by 12.3% and 8.9%, respectively. Throughout this the Cu–O2 bond remained essentially unchanged.Open in a separate windowFig. 3Cu–O1 (orange), Cu–N1 (blue) and Cu–O2 (green) bond lengths on increasing pressure in both FC-70 (triangles and dashed lines) and MeOH (circles and solid lines).Pressure induced JT switching has been observed in other systems, including a Mn₁₂ single-molecule magnet cluster that re-orientates the JT axis on one of the Mn centres at 2.5 GPa.^14a A similar transition was also observed in [CuF₂(H₂O)₂(pyz)] (pyz = pyrazine) and Rb₂CuCl₄(H₂O)₂,¹⁵ where the JT axis was reoriented from the Cu–N bond to the perpendicular Cu–O bond, though this occurs during a crystallographic phase transition at 1.8 GPa.¹⁸ Here, in CuPyr-I, no phase transition takes place, and unusually the JT switching appears to occur progressively on increasing pressure with no phase transition.^14bUsing methanol (MeOH) as the hydrostatic medium, CuPyr-I was compressed in two separate experiments, from 0.52 GPa to 5.28 GPa using synchrotron radiation, and from 0.34 GPa to 2.95 GPa using a laboratory X-ray diffractometer. On increasing pressure to 2.15 GPa, the a/b and c-axes compressed by 6.22% and 0.39% respectively (Fig. 2, Tables S2 and S3^†). On increasing pressure from 2.15 GPa to 2.78 GPa, CuPyr-I underwent a single-crystal to single-crystal isosymmetric phase transition to a previously unobserved phase (hereafter referred to as CuPyr-II).The transition to CuPyr-II resulted in a doubling of the a/b-axes, whilst the c-axis remained essentially unchanged. On increasing the pressure further, the a/b-axes continued to be compressed, whilst the c-axis increased in length, exhibiting negative linear compressibility (NLC) until the sample became amorphous at 5.28 GPa. The diffraction data were of poor quality after the phase transition, and only the connectivity of the CuPyr-II phase could be determined at 3.34 GPa. Above 3.34 GPa, only unit cell dimensions could be extracted. The occurrence of positive linear compressibility (PLC) followed by NLC is unusual in a framework material, and we could find only a few examples in the literature where this occurs.¹⁹During the NLC, the c-axis expanded by 1.46%, to give a compressibility of K_NLC = −5.3 (0.8) TPa⁻¹ (Δp = 2.23–4.90 GPa). K_NLC is calculated using the relationship K = −1/l(∂l/∂p)_T, where l is the length of the axis and (∂l/∂p)_T is the length change in pressure at constant temperature.²⁰ The value of K_NLC here is rather small compared to the massive NLC behaviour observed in the low pressure phase of Ag₃[Co(CN)₆]⁹ (K_NLC = −76(9) TPa⁻¹, Δp = 0–0.19 GPa) or the flexible MOF MIL-53(Al) (K_NLC = −28 TPa⁻¹, Δp = 0–3 GPa) for example,^17b and is much more comparable to the dense Zn formate MOF [NH₄][Zn(HCOO)₃] (−1.8(8) TPa⁻¹ (Δp = 0–0.94 GPa)).²¹ Because of the quality of the data, the exact nature, or reason for the NLC in CuPyr-II is unknown, although we aim to investigate this in the future.On increasing pressure using MeOH, the JT axis was again supressed on compression, with the Cu–N1 bond reducing in length by 0.288 Å (12%) between 0.34 and 2.15 GPa, while the Cu–O1 bond length increased by 0.216 Å (11%). The pressure at which Cu–N1 and Cu–O1 became equidistant was 1.28 GPa, measuring 2.140(5) Å and 2.131(6) Å respectively (Fig. 3 and Table S6^†). Across the entire pressure range, little to no compression or expansion was observed in the Cu–O2 bond in the 1-position of the dione in CuPyr-I, the same trend observed when compressed in FC-70. The JT switching pressure in MeOH however was 0.71 GPa higher than observed by direct compression in FC-70 (0.57 GPa). This, to our knowledge, is the first time that pressure induced JT switching has been observed to be hydrostatic media dependent.Changes to the Cu–N and Cu–O bond lengths were supported by high-pressure Raman spectroscopy of CuPyr-I, using MeOH as the hydrostatic medium (Fig. S10^†). Gradual growth of a shoulder on a band at ∼700 cm⁻¹ during compression is tentatively assigned to the Cu²⁺ coordination environment shifting from elongated to compressed JT distorted geometry. The shouldered peak becomes split above 2 GPa, after which the isosymmetric phase transition occurs.The gradual JT switch is thought to be principally responsible for reversible piezochromism in single crystals of CuPyr-I, which change in colour from green to dark red under applied pressure (Fig. 4b, S1 and S2^†). UV-visible spectroscopy confirms a bariometric blue-shift in the absorption peak at ∼700 nm assigned to d–d electronic transitions, and a red-shift of the tentatively assigned ligand-to-metal charge-transfer (LMCT) edge around 450 nm during the elongated to compressed switch (Fig. 4a and S8^†), accounting for this colour change. The red-shift is observed during compression in both Fluorinert® FC-70 and MeOH hydrostatic media, with a slightly suppressed shift measured in the latter due to filling of the framework pores (Table S2^†). Geometric switching at the metal centre leads to electronic stabilisation of the Cu²⁺ ion, as electrons transfer from higher energy d_x²−y² (Cu–O) orbitals to the lower energy d_z² (Cu–N) state (Fig. S7^†), evidenced by the blue-shift of the d–d intraconfigurational band as the d_z² (Cu–N) is progressively mixing with d_x²−y² (Cu–O) increasing its energy with respect to the lower energy d_xy and d_xz,yz levels becoming the highest energy level at the nearly compressed rhombic geometry. On the other hand, the redshift in the hesitantly assigned O²⁻ to Cu²⁺ LMCT band below 450 nm is ascribed to increase of the Cu–O bond distance and a likely bandwidth broadening with pressure both yielding a pressure redshift of the absorption band gap edge (Fig. 4a).Open in a separate windowFig. 4(a) UV-visible spectroscopy of CuPyr-I during compression in Fluorinert® FC-70 showing a gradual BLUE-shift in the d–d intraconfigurational band (∼700 nm) and a gradual red-shift of the absorption band assigned to LMCT (∼450 nm) with increasing pressure. (b) Gradual pressure-induced Jahn–Teller switch of the Cu²⁺ octahedral coordination environment in CuPyr-1 from tetragonal elongated (left, green) to rhombic compressed (right, red), causing piezochromism. Atom colouring follows previous figures.Compression of the coordination bonds was not the only distortion to take place in CuPyr-I, with the Cu-octahedra also twisting with respect to the 1-(4-pyridyl)butane-1,3-dione linkers on increasing pressure. Twisting of the Cu-octahedra in CuPyr-I with respect to the dione section of the linker could be quantified by measuring both the ∠N1Cu1O2C4 and the ∠N1Cu1O1C2 torsion angles from the X-ray data, which in MeOH gradually decrease and increase by 12.2° and 7.3°, respectively, to 2.15 GPa (Table S8^†). In FC-70, ∠N1Cu1O2C4 and ∠N1Cu1O1C2 decrease and increase by 5.4° and 2.8°, respectively, to 1.56 GPa. On increasing pressure to 1.57 GPa in a hydrostatic medium of MeOH, a difference of ∼5° for both angles was observed compared to FC-70 at 1.56 GPa. Twisting about the octahedra allows compression of the channels to take place in a ‘screw’ like fashion and has been observed in other porous materials with channel structures.²² The overall effect is to reduce the pore volume, and decrease the size of the channels (Tables S2 and S3^†). Using MeOH as a hydrostatic medium therefore appears to reduce this effect by decreasing the compressibility of the framework.It was not possible to determine the pressure dependence in other longer-chain alcohols, including ethanol (EtOH) and isopropanol (IPA), due to cracking of the crystal upon loading into the diamond anvil cell (Fig. S1^†). We believe this is a result of these longer chain alcohols acting as reducing agents, as indicated by the loss in colour of the crystals.To ascertain the origin of the hydrostatic media-induced change in the JT switching pressure and unit cell compressibility, the pore size and content were monitored as a function of pressure. A dried crystal of CuPyr-I was collected at ambient pressure and temperature in order to compare to the high-pressure data and is included in the ESI.^† The pore volume and electron density were estimated and modelled respectively using the SQUEEZE algorithm within PLATON (Tables S1–S3^†).²³ CuPyr-I under ambient pressure conditions has three symmetry equivalent channels per unit cell with a total volume of ∼1152 ų containing diethyl ether (2.5 wt%) trapped in the pores during the synthesis of the framework, confirmed by TGA analysis (Fig. S6^†).On surrounding the crystal with FC-70, direct compression of the framework occurred. The pore content remained almost constant during compression up to 0.88 GPa, inferring no change in the pore contents. On increasing pressure further to 1.56 GPa, an increase in the calculated electron density was observed (23%), though the data here were of depreciating quality and less reliable. During compression of CuPyr-I in MeOH to 0.52 GPa, the pore volume and electron density in the channels increased by 4.5% and 54%, respectively, reflecting ingress of MeOH into the pores. The electron density in the channels continued to increase to a maximum of 0.466e⁻ A⁻³ by 0.96 GPa, although the pore volume began to decrease at this pressure. The uptake of MeOH into the pores therefore results in the marked decrease in compressibility, as noted above.Previous high-pressure experiments on porous MOFs have resulted in similar behaviour on application of pressure, with the uptake of the media significantly decreasing the compressibility of the framework.²⁴ However, using different hydrostatic media to control the JT switch in any material is, to the best of our knowledge, previously unreported. On increasing pressure above 0.96 GPa, the electron density in the pores decreases, and coincides with a steady reduction in volume of the unit cell. Both an initial increase and then subsequent decrease in uptake of hydrostatic media is common in high-pressure studies of MOFs, and has been seen several times, for example in HKUST-1 (ref. 24c) and MOF-5.^24a The ingress of MeOH into the pores on initially increasing pressure to 0.52 GPa is also reflected in a twisting of the octahedra, in-particular the ∠N1Cu1O2C4 angle decreases by 5.8° in MeOH, whereas on compression in FC-70, little to no change is observed in the ∠N1Cu1O2C4 angle to 1.56 GPa. These angles represent a twisting of the dione backbone, which we speculate must interact with the MeOH molecules which penetrate into the framework.Upon compression in n-pentane, the lightest alkane that is a liquid at ambient temperature, we see different behaviour to that in MeOH or FC-70. Poor data quality permitted only the extraction of unit cell parameters but from this it can be seen that CuPyr-I has undergone the transition to CuPyr-II by 0.77 GPa. This is a significantly lower pressure than is required to induce the phase transition in MeOH (ca. 2.15 GPa). We speculate that this difference in pressure is caused by the n-pentane entering the channels at a lower pressure than MeOH due to the hydrophobic nature of the channels. This can be overcome by MeOH but not until substantially higher pressures, as seen in other MOFs that contain hydrophobic pores.²⁵On undergoing the transition to CuPyr-II at 2.78 GPa the unit cell volume quadruples, resulting in three symmetry independent channels (12 per unit cell), with the % pore volume continuing to decrease (Table S4^†). Additionally, the reflections become much broader, significantly depreciating the data quality. Nevertheless, changes in metal–ligand bond lengths and general packing features can be extracted. In particular, the transition to CuPyr-II results in two independent Cu-centres, with six independent Cu–N/O bond distances per Cu. Each exhibits a continuation of the trend seen in CuPyr-I, with the Cu–O bonds (equivalent to the Cu–O1 bond in CuPyr-I) remaining longer than the JT suppressed Cu–N bonds. However, the transition to CuPyr-II results in both an increase and decrease in three of the four Cu–N and Cu–O bonds respectively, compared to CuPyr-I at 2.15 GPa (Table S6^†). The net result is a framework which contains a Cu-centre where the coordination bonds are more equidistant, while the JT axis becomes much more prominent in the other Cu-centre, with the Cu–O dione bond continuing to increase in length. The data for CuPyr-II depreciates rapidly after the phase transition, and more work would be required to study the effect of the anisotropic compression of the JT axis in CuPyr-II on increasing pressure further.It is difficult to determine the mechanism behind the NLC behaviour observed upon compression of CuPyr-II because the phase transition results in a significant reduction in data quality. Further work will be carried out computationally in order to elucidate the structural mechanism that gives rise to the PLC followed by NLC. However, we propose this effect is inherent to this framework and the ingress of MeOH molecules into the channels allows the retention of crystallinity to allow this behaviour to be observed crystallographically.In order to determine whether the JT switch could be induced by decreasing temperature and remove any effect the ingress of hydrostatic media has into the pores on the JT switch, variable temperature X-ray diffraction measurements were undertaken on a powder and single-crystal sample. On cooling below 175 K and 150 K in a powder and single-crystal sample respectively, a phase transition was observed, however, this was to a completely different triclinic phase, hereafter referred to as CuPyr-III. The transition here appears to occur when the disordered diethyl ether becomes ordered in the pores, confirmed by determination of the structure by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, where the diethylether could be modelled inside the pore-channel (see ESI Sections 7 & 8 for details^†).In conclusion, we have presented a compression study on the newly synthesised Cu-based porous framework bis[1-(4-pyridyl)butane-1,3-dione]copper(ii), referred to as CuPyr, compressed in FC-70 to 1.56 GPa and MeOH to 4.90 GPa. In both FC-70 and MeOH hydrostatic media, the JT axis, which extends along the Cu–N pyridyl bond, steadily compresses and then switches to lie along one of the Cu–O dione bonds. Compression in MeOH results in ingress of the medium into the framework pores, which increases the JT switching pressure to 1.47 GPa, compared with 0.64 GPa during compression in Fluorinert® FC-70. Interaction of stored MeOH with the host framework prompts twisting of the ligand backbone, which is not observed in the absence of adsorbed guest. Suppression of the JT axis is accompanied by a piezochromic colour change in the single crystals from green to dark red, as confirmed by crystallographic and spectroscopic measurements. Increasing the applied pressure to at least 2.15 GPa causes the framework to undergo an isosymmetric phase transition to a previously unobserved phase, characterised by a doubling of the a/b axes. Between 2.15 GPa and 4.90 GPa, NLC behaviour is observed.This is to the best of our knowledge the first time a phase transition, NLC, piezochromic and pressure induced JT switching behaviour have been observed within the same material. We have also reported for the first time a pressure induced JT axis switch which is hydrostatic media dependent. In further analysis of this system, we intend to study the magnetic properties under ambient and high pressure.     

An engineered biosynthetic–synthetic platform for production of halogenated indolmycin antibiotics

Indolmycin is an antibiotic from Streptomyces griseus ATCC 12648 with activity against Helicobacter pylori, Plasmodium falciparum, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Here we describe the use of the indolmycin biosynthetic genes in E. coli to make indolmycenic acid, a chiral intermediate in indolmycin biosynthesis, which can then be converted to indolmycin through a three-step synthesis. To expand indolmycin structural diversity, we introduce a promiscuous tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase gene (trpS) into our E. coli production system and feed halogenated indoles to generate the corresponding indolmycenic acids, ultimately allowing us to access indolmycin derivatives through synthesis. Bioactivity testing against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus showed modest antibiotic activity for 5-, 6-, and 7-fluoro-indolmycin.

A semi-synthetic system for producing indolmycin, an antibiotic, was developed and used to make indole-substituted, halogenated derivatives of indolmycin, some with modest bioactivity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a great threat to human health,^1–4 and the rates of new antibiotic discoveries and clinical approvals have been in a steep decline since the 1980s.¹ Without the discovery and development of new antibiotics, drug-resistant pathogens, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), will become increasingly prevalent.^2–4 One strategy to increase antibiotic development has been to “rediscover” known, but underdeveloped, antibiotics.¹ One such example is indolmycin, which was originally discovered in 1960 from Streptomyces griseus ATCC 12648⁵ but was not originally developed for clinical use because of its narrow spectrum of activity^6–10 and its interference with tryptophan catabolism in the liver.^9,10 However, reignited interest in this old antibiotic led to the discovery of its activity against Helicobacter pylori,⁶Plasmodium falciparum,¹¹ and MRSA.¹² For MRSA, indolmycin was found to be active against mupirocin- and fuscidic acid-resistant MRSA strains, with strains resistant to indolmycin emerging infrequently and with reduced fitness compared to sensitive strains.¹² In addition, indolmycin has been shown to have minimal activity against common members of the human microbiota, suggesting that its narrow spectrum of activity is an asset.⁶ The first indole-substituted derivatives, 5-hydroxy and 5-methoxyindolmycin, were made by precursor-directed feeding of the indolmycin producer, Streptomyces griseus ATCC 12648, and they showed modest improvements in bioactivity against S. aureus and Escherichia coli.¹³ Two practical synthetic routes to indolmycin and some indole-substituted derivatives have been reported more recently,^14,15 which enabled access to a small variety of indole-substituted derivatives. Additionally, a previous patent has described synthetic methods to produce a variety of derivatives; however, these methods do not appear to offer stereochemical control, and some require tailoring steps specific to each analog.¹⁶ Therefore, further development of indolmycin would benefit from a simpler diversification method that could be applied to produce a wider variety of analogs with stereochemical control.Inspired by early biosynthetic studies,^17,18 our group previously identified the indolmycin gene cluster and elucidated the biosynthetic pathway, demonstrating that indolmycin (1) is assembled from tryptophan, arginine and S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) in a three-part process (Fig. 1).¹⁹ In the first part, l-arginine is oxidized by Ind4 in an oxygen- and PLP-dependent reaction to 4,5-dehydro-2-iminoarginine, which is then enantioselectively reduced by imine reductase Ind5 and its chaperone Ind6 to 4,5-dehydro-d-arginine. In the second part, tryptophan (2) is deaminated by PLP-dependent transaminases, giving indole pyruvate (3). Compound 3 is then methylated by SAM-dependent C-methyltransferase Ind1 to 3-methyl-indolepyruvate (4) which is reduced by NADH-dependent ketone reductase Ind2 to form indolmycenic acid (5). Then, in the third part, 4,5-dehydro-d-arginine and 5 are coupled in an ATP-dependent fashion by Ind3 and Ind6, resulting in an oxazolinone-cyclized molecule, N-desmethyl-indolmycin, which is finally N-methylated by Ind7, a SAM-dependent N-methyltransferase, to form 1.Open in a separate windowFig. 1Indolmycin biosynthesis from Streptomyces griseus ATCC 12648. (a) Indolmycin biosynthetic gene cluster. (b) Indolmycin biosynthetic pathway from Streptomyces griseus ATCC 12648. (c) Semi-synthetic scheme towards indolmycin and derivatives using indolmycin biosynthetic genes. The dashed arrow indicates a predicted side-product based on LC-MS analysis.Armed with the elucidated biosynthetic pathway for 1, we set out to create an in vivo system to make 1 in E. coli. We first cloned all necessary genes into four plasmids and co-expressed the genes in E. coli (Fig. S1^†), a strain which we named E. coli I1234670P5 (Table S1^†). We found that the genes needed to produce indolmycin in E. coli were ind1, ind2, ind3, ind4, ind6, ind7, ind0 and pel5, a homologous gene of ind5 from Paenibacillus elgii B69 showing better production of active protein in E. coli.^20,21 We also relied on the activity of endogenous E. coli aminotransferases to catalyze the initial tryptophan deamination step. However, only a small amount of 1 was produced (∼170 μg L⁻¹ of bacterial culture) and the yield could not be improved despite our best efforts (Fig. 2a). However, we found that this construct produced substantial amounts of 5 ([M + H]⁺ = 220 m/z) at 40–50 mg L⁻¹ of culture, along with a shunt product, C-desmethyl-indolmycenic acid (6; [M + H]⁺ = 206 m/z).Open in a separate windowFig. 2Biosynthetic production of 5 and semi-synthetic production of 1. (a) Extracted ion chromatograms show production of 5 with minimal production of 1 from E. coli I1234670P5. (b) Synthetic scheme to 1 from 5, adapted from literature methods.^14,15 (c) Total ion chromatogram of compound 1 isolated after semi-synthesis and final purification by semi-preparative HPLC. Compounds are indicated with coloured boxes and numbered.Compound 5 itself has been a focus of total synthetic efforts toward 1, as it is the key chiral precursor.^{14,15,22–26} Since production of 5 was much higher than that of 1 from E. coli I1234670P5, we pursued a semi-synthetic method of obtaining 1 using our biosynthetic platform to access 5, combined with a three-step chemical transformation (Fig. 2b). We attempted to remove extraneous genes from our biosynthetic platform by only including ind0, ind1, and ind2, but the changes resulted in reduced amounts of 5 (Fig. S2^†). At this time, it is unclear which of the other genes may be contributing to the production of compound 5. Therefore, we employed the full eight-gene construct toward synthesis of 5. We then adapted the three-step synthesis to make indolmycin,^14,15 in which purified 5 was esterified to make the ethyl ester (7; [M + H]⁺ = 248 m/z; Fig. S3a^†), cyclized to give N-desmethyl-indolmycin (8; [M + H]⁺ = 244 m/z; Fig. S3b and S4a^†), and methylated at the exocyclic nitrogen to give 1 ([M + H]⁺ = 258 m/z; Fig. 2, S4b and Table S4^†).Then, we wanted to make derivatives of 1 from indole derivatives, which are more widely accessible than derivatives of 2. The tryptophan synthase (TrpS) from Salmonella enterica has been previously shown to couple a wide variety of indole derivatives to l-serine to generate derivatives of 2.²⁷ We were able to replace pel5 with trpS in our biosynthetic platform without a reduction in the amount of 5 produced (Fig. S1b^†), and we named the resulting strain E. coli I1234670TS. When we fed 5-fluoroindole to E. coli I1234670TS, we observed increased production of fluorinated metabolites, 5-fluoro-indolmycenic acid (5F-5; [M + H]⁺ = 238 m/z) and 5-fluoro-C-desmethyl-indolmycenic acid (5F-6; [M + H]⁺ = 224 m/z) (Fig. 3a). We then optimized the feeding conditions, finding that 5F-5 amounts were optimal when we fed E. coli I1234670TS with 0.5 mM 5-fluoroindole per day over two days (Fig. S5^†).Open in a separate windowFig. 3Addition of the trpS gene to the biosynthetic platform allows incorporation of substituted indoles into 5. (a) LC-MS analysis of strains with and without trpS (E. coli I1234670TS and E. coli I1234670P5, respectively) when fed 5-fluoroindole. Chemical structures of compounds with the corresponding extracted ion chromatogram are shown to the right of the traces. (b) Indole derivatives tested. Dark blue shows indoles that were incorporated into an analog of 5 (>48% of underivatized 5 by LC-MS analysis; Table S5^†) and further purified; medium blue indicates indoles that were incorporated into an analog of 5 at lower levels (6–22% of underivatized 5 by LC-MS analysis; Table S5^†) but were not further verified by purification; and light blue indicates indoles that did not show detectable incorporation into 5.To determine the scope of indole derivatives accepted by our biosynthetic platform, we fed a variety of indoles to E. coli I1234670TS and monitored the production of 5 and its derivatives by LC-MS. Out of the indoles tested, we found that fluorinated and chlorinated indoles substituted at the 5-, 6- and 7-positions were the best accepted by the biosynthetic platform (Fig. 3b, S6 and S7^†). We predict that lower acceptance of indoles substituted at the 4-position may be due to steric hindrance, as 4-fluoroindole was moderately accepted, while 4-chloroindole was not observed at all. Although we observed LC-MS peaks consistent with conversion of some of the azaindoles and hydroxyindoles into 5 derivatives, further work is required to confirm, optimize and scale up the purification of these compounds (Fig. S7^†). Cultures producing derivatives of 5, substituted at 5-, 6- and 7-positions, were further scaled up for purification of the 5-derivatives and downstream synthesis of 1-derivatives (Fig. S8–S10 and Table S4^†). Each purified derivative of 5 and 1 was characterized by HR-MS and NMR (Table S3 and ESI Methods^†). Overall, cultures fed with the fluorinated indoles produced a higher amount of 5-derivatives than the cultures fed with the chlorinated indoles. 1 and its derivatives were tested against MRSA (Fig. S11^†). While the fluorinated derivatives showed bioactivity, the chlorinated derivatives of 1 did not show bioactivity at the maximum amount tested in the disk diffusion assay (30 μg). We determined MIC₅₀ values for each fluorinated compound (Table 1). The MIC₅₀ values demonstrate that 1 is a more potent inhibitor of MRSA than its derivatives, while 6F-1 showed the most potent inhibition of MRSA compared to any of the derivatives, followed by 7F-1 and 5F-1. The lack of bioactivity of the chlorinated compounds may be due to the bulky chlorinated substituent hindering the compounds'' abilities to bind to the tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (TrpRS) target, which is supported by docking studies of the analogs into a bacterial TrpRS structure (Fig. S12^†).MIC₅₀ values determined for 1 and its derivatives against MRSA. Values represent the average of three replicates ± the standard deviation. For 1, 5F-1, 6F-1 and 7F-1, concentrations ranging from 50 μg mL⁻¹ to 0.128 ng mL⁻¹ were tested, and for 5Cl-1, 6Cl-1 and 7Cl-1, concentrations ranging from 200 μg mL⁻¹ to 0.512 ng mL⁻¹ were tested. The reported MIC₅₀ value for indolmycin is 0.5 μg mL⁻¹ (range: 0.125–2 μg mL⁻¹) against MRSA¹²