Ambidextrous α,γ‐Hybrid Peptide Foldamers

Molecular chirality is ubiquitous in nature. The natural biopolymers, proteins and DNA, preferred a right‐handed helical bias due to the inherent stereochemistry of the monomer building blocks. Here, we are reporting a rare co‐existence of left‐ and right‐handed helical conformations and helix‐terminating property at the C‐terminus within a single molecule of α,γ‐hybrid peptide foldamers composed of achiral Aib (α‐aminoisobutyric acid) and 3,3‐dimethyl‐substituted γ‐amino acid (Adb; 4‐amino‐3,3‐dimethylbutanoic acid). At the molecular level, the left‐ and right‐handed helical screw sense of α,γ‐hybrid peptides are representing a macroscopic tendril perversion. The pronounced helix‐terminating behaviour of C‐terminal Adb residues was further explored to design helix–Schellman loop mimetics and to study their conformations in solution and single crystals. The stereochemical constraints of dialkyl substitutions on γ‐amino acids showed a marked impact on the folding behaviour of α,γ‐hybrid peptides.     

Chirality and Template‐Mediated Induction of Helical Preferences in Achiral β‐Peptides

This study describes chirality‐ or template‐mediated helical induction in achiral β‐peptides for the first time. A strategy of end capping β‐peptides derived from β‐hGly (the smallest achiral β‐amino acid) with a chiral β‐amino acid that possesses a carbohydrate side chain (β‐Caa; C‐linked carbo β‐amino acid) or a small, robust helical template derived from β‐Caas, was adopted to investigate folding propensity. A single chiral (R)‐β‐Caa residue at the C‐ or N‐terminus in these oligomers led to a preponderance of right‐handed 12/10‐helical folds, which was reiterated more strongly in peptides capped at both the C‐ and N‐terminus. Likewise, the presence of a template (a 12/10‐helical trimer) at both the C‐ and N‐terminus resulted in a very robust helix. The propagation of the helical fold and its sustenance was found in a homo‐oligomeric sequence with as many as seven β‐hGly residues. In both cases, the induction of helicity was stronger from the N terminus, whereas an anchor at the C terminus resulted in reduced helical propensity. Although these oligomers have been theoretically predicted to favor a 12/10‐mixed helix in apolar solvents, this study provides the first experimental evidence for their existence. Diastereotopicity was found in both the methylene groups of the β‐hGly moieties due to chirality. Additionally, the β‐hGly units have shown split behavior in the conformational space to accommodate the 12/10‐helix. Thus, end capping to assist chiralty‐ or template‐mediated helical induction and stabilization in achiral β‐peptides is a very attractive strategy.     

Remote Control of the Planar Chirality in Peptide‐Bound Metallomacrocycles and Dynamic‐to‐Static Planar Chirality Control Triggered by Solvent‐Induced 310‐to‐α‐Helix Transitions

The dynamic planar chirality in a peptide‐bound Ni^II‐salphen‐based macrocycle can be remotely controlled. First, a right‐handed (P)‐3₁₀‐helix is induced in the dynamic helical oligopeptides by a chiral amino acid residue far from the macrocyclic framework. The induced planar chirality remains dynamic in chloroform and acetonitrile, but is almost completely locked in fluoroalcohols as a result of the solvent‐induced transition of the peptide chains from a 3₁₀‐helix to a wider α‐helix, which freezes the rotation of the pendant peptide units around the macrocycle.     

Helical Structures of Bicyclic α‐Amino Acid Homochiral Oligomers with the Stereogenic Centers at the Side‐Chain Fused‐Ring Junctions

Chiral bicyclic α‐amino acid (R,R)‐Ab_5,6=c with stereogenic centers at the γ‐position of fused‐ring junctions, and its enantiomer (S,S)‐Ab_5,6=c, were synthesized. The CD spectra of (R,R)‐Ab_5,6=c oligomers indicated that the (R,R)‐Ab_5,6=c hexapeptide formed a mixture of right‐handed (P)‐ and left‐handed (M)‐3₁₀‐helices, while, in the (R,R)‐Ab_5,6=c nonapeptide, a right‐handed (P)‐3₁₀‐helix slightly dominated over the (M)‐helix. X‐Ray crystallographic analyses of (S,S)‐tripeptide and (R,R)‐hexapeptide revealed that both the tripeptide and hexapeptide formed a mixture of (P)‐ and (M)‐3₁₀‐helices, respectively. These results indicated that the side‐chain environments around the stereogenic centers are particularly important to control the helical‐screw handedness of foldamers.     

A microscopic view of a helical poly(γ‐peptide): Molecular dynamics simulations of a 20‐residue un‐ionized poly(γ‐D‐glutamic acid) in water

We present a molecular dynamics study of the helical conformation of the naturally occurring poly(γ‐D ‐glutamic acid) in the un‐ionized state. The study was conducted in both aqueous solution and gas‐phase considering a 20 residue polypeptide. The results indicated that the left‐handed helix with 19‐membered ring hydrogen bonds set between the CO of the amide group i and the NH of amide group i + 3 is very stable in aqueous solution. This conformation was recently proposed for this poly(γ‐amino acid) from a conformational search study. A detailed picture of the most relevant structural details of the helical conformation of poly(γ‐D ‐glutamic acid) is provided.     

Synthesis of β‐Peptides with β‐Helices from New C‐Linked Carbo‐β‐Amino Acids: Study on the Impact of Carbohydrate Side Chains

The design and synthesis of β‐peptides from new C‐linked carbo‐β‐amino acids (β‐Caa) presented here, provides an opportunity to understand the impact of carbohydrate side chains on the formation and stability of helical structures. The β‐amino acids, Boc‐(S)‐β‐Caa_(g)‐OMe 1 and Boc‐(R)‐β‐Caa_(g)‐OMe 2 , having a D ‐galactopyranoside side chain were prepared from D ‐galactose. Similarly, the homo C‐linked carbo‐β‐amino acids (β‐hCaa); Boc‐(S)‐β‐hCaa_(x)‐OMe 3 and Boc‐(R)‐β‐hCaa_(x)‐OMe 4 , were prepared from D ‐glucose. The peptides derived from the above monomers were investigated by NMR, CD, and MD studies. The β‐peptides, especially the shorter ones obtained from the epimeric (at the amine stereocenter C_β) 1 and 2 by the concept of alternating chirality, showed a much smaller propensity to form 10/12‐helices. This substantial destabilization of the helix could be attributed to the bulkier D ‐galactopyranoside side chain. Our efforts to prepare peptides with alternating 3 and 4 were unsuccessful. However, the β‐peptides derived from alternating geometrically heterochiral (at C_β) 4 and Boc‐(R)‐β‐Caa_(x)‐OMe 5 (D ‐xylose side chain) display robust right‐handed 10/12‐helices, while the mixed peptides with alternating 4 and Boc‐β‐hGly‐OMe 6 (β‐homoglycine), resulted in left‐handed β‐helices. These observations show a distinct influence of the side chains on helix formation as well as their stability.     

Conformation of Peptides Containing a Chiral α‐Ethylated α,α‐Disubstituted α‐Amino Acid: (S)‐α‐Ethylleucine (=(2S)‐2‐Amino‐2‐ethyl‐4‐methylpentanoic Acid) within Sequences of Dimethylglycine and Diethylglycine Residues

An optically active (S)‐α‐ethylleucine ((S)‐αEtLeu) as a chiral α‐ethylated α,α‐disubstituted α‐amino acid was synthesized by means of a chiral acetal auxiliary of (R,R)‐cyclohexane‐1,2‐diol. The chiral α‐ethylated α,α‐disubstituted amino acid (S)‐αEtLeu was introduced into the peptides constructed from 2‐aminoisobutyric acid (=dimethylglycine, Aib), and also into the peptide prepared from diethylglycine (Deg). The X‐ray crystallographic analysis revealed that both right‐handed (P) and left‐handed (M) 3₁₀‐helical structures exist in the solid state of CF₃CO‐(Aib)₂‐[(S)‐αEtLeu]‐(Aib)₂‐OEt ( 14 ) and CF₃CO‐[(S)‐αEtLeu]‐(Deg)₄‐OEt ( 18 ), respectively. The IR, CD, and ¹H‐NMR spectra indicated that the dominant conformation of pentapeptides 14 and CF₃CO‐[(S)‐αEtLeu]‐(Aib)₄‐OEt ( 16 ) in solution is a 3₁₀‐helical structure, and that of 18 in solution is a planar C₅ conformation. The conformation of peptides was also studied by molecular‐mechanics calculations.     

Conformational Study of Heteropentapeptides Containing an α‐Ethylated α,α‐Disubstituted Amino Acid: (S)‐Butylethylglycine (=2‐Amino‐2‐ethylhexanoic Acid) within a Sequence of Dimethylglycine (=2‐Aminoisobutyric Acid) Residues

Heteropentapeptides containing the α‐ethylated α,α‐disubstituted amino acid (S)‐butylethylglycine and four dimethylglycine residues, i.e., CF₃CO‐[(S)‐Beg]‐(Aib)₄‐OEt ( 4 ) and CF₃CO‐(Aib)₂‐[(S)‐Beg]‐(Aib)₂‐OEt ( 7 ), were synthesized by conventional solution methods. In the solid state, the preferred conformation of 4 was shown to be both a right‐handed (P) and a left‐handed (M) 3₁₀‐helical structure, and that of 7 was a right‐handed (P) 3₁₀‐helical structure. IR, CD, and ¹H‐NMR spectra revealed that the dominant conformation of both 4 and 7 in solution was the 3₁₀‐helical structure. These conformations were also supported by molecular‐mechanics calculations.     

One‐Handed Helical Screw Direction of Homopeptide Foldamer Exclusively Induced by Cyclic α‐Amino Acid Side‐Chain Chiral Centers

Chiral cyclic α,α‐disubstituted amino acids, (3S,4S)‐ and (3R,4R)‐1‐amino‐3,4‐(dialkoxy)cyclopentanecarboxylic acids ((S,S)‐ and (R,R)‐Ac₅c^dOR; R: methyl, methoxymethyl), were synthesized from dimethyl L ‐(+)‐ or D ‐(?)‐tartrate, and their homochiral homoligomers were prepared by solution‐phase methods. The preferred secondary structure of the (S,S)‐Ac₅c^dOMe hexapeptide was a left‐handed (M) 3₁₀ helix, whereas those of the (S,S)‐Ac₅c^dOMe octa‐ and decapeptides were left‐handed (M) α helices, both in solution and in the crystal state. The octa‐ and decapeptides can be well dissolved in pure water and are more α helical in water than in 2,2,2‐trifluoroethanol solution. The left‐handed (M) helices of the (S,S)‐Ac₅c^dOMe homochiral homopeptides were exclusively controlled by the side‐chain chiral centers, because the cyclic amino acid (S,S)‐Ac₅c^dOMe does not have an α‐carbon chiral center but has side‐chain γ‐carbon chiral centers.     

A Chirally Stable,Atropoisomeric, Cα‐Tetrasubstituted α‐Amino Acid: Incorporation into Model Peptides and Conformational Preference

A variety of model peptides, including four complete homologous series, to the pentamer level, characterized by the recently proposed binaphthyl‐based, axially chiral, C^α‐tetrasubstituted, cyclic α‐amino acid Bin, in combination with Ala, Gly, or Aib residues, was synthesized by solution methods and fully characterized. The solution conformational propensity of these peptides was determined by FT‐IR absorption and ¹H‐NMR techniques. Moreover, the molecular structures of the free amino acid (S)‐enantiomer and an N^α‐acylated dipeptide alkylamide with the heterochiral sequence ‐(R)‐Bin‐Phe‐ were assessed in the crystal state by X‐ray diffraction. Taken together, the results point to the conclusion that β‐bends and 3₁₀ helices are preferentially adopted by Bin‐containing peptides, although the fully extended conformation would also be adopted in solution by the short oligomers to some extent. We also confirmed the tendency of (R)‐Bin to fold a peptide chain into right‐handed bend and helical structures. The absolute configuration of the Bin residue(s) was correlated with the typically intense exciton‐split Cotton effect of the ¹B_b binaphthyl transition near 225 nm.     

Stereoselective Access to γ‐Nitro Carboxylates,Precursors for Highly Functionalized γ‐Lactams

A straightforward synthesis of the enantiomerically pure nitro derivatives 31 and epi‐ 32 , which are particularly useful intermediates for the synthesis of highly functionalized γ‐lactams, is presented. (+)‐(R)‐3‐Hydroxy‐3‐phenylpropanoic acid ( 20 ) and its ethyl ester 25 were prepared from (+)‐L ‐mandelic acid ( 21 ). Condensation of 20 with pivalaldehyde furnished the novel enantiomerically pure 1,3‐dioxan‐4‐one 17 , the absolute configuration of which was established by X‐ray crystal‐structure analysis. Treating the lithium enolate of 17 with the nitro alkene 18 led, in a Michael‐type addition, to a 1 : 1 mixture of two diastereoisomeric products. The stereocontrol of the addition was limited to the novel stereogenic center next to the lactone function. When the lithium enolate of 25 was treated with 18 , the same selectivity was observed but with a lower chemical yield. Very facile separation of the isomers was achieved later in the synthetic sequence, when one isomer cyclized selectively to the nitro lactone 31 , while the other one was isolated as hydroxy ester epi‐ 32 . The relative configuration of racemic epi‐ 32 could be established by X‐ray crystal‐structure analysis.     

The Design of α/β‐Peptides: Study on Three‐Residue Turn Motifs and the Influence of Achiral Glycine on Helix and Turn

Novel three‐residue helix‐turn secondary structures, nucleated by a helix at the N terminus, were generated in peptides that have ‘β‐Caa‐L ‐Ala‐L ‐Ala,’ ‘β‐Caa‐L ‐Ala‐γ‐Caa,’ and ‘β‐Caa‐L ‐Ala‐δ‐Caa’ (in which β‐Caa is C‐linked carbo‐β‐amino acid, γ‐Caa is C‐linked carbo‐γ‐amino acid, and δ‐Caa is C‐linked carbo‐δ‐amino acid) at the C terminus. These turn structures are stabilized by 12‐, 14‐, and 15‐membered (mr) hydrogen bonding between NH(i)/CO(i+2) (i+2 is the last residue in the peptide) along with a 7‐mr hydrogen bond between CO(i)/NH(i+2). In addition, a series of α/β‐peptides were designed and synthesized with alternating glycine (Gly) and (S)‐β‐Caa to study the influence of an achiral α‐residue on the helix and helix‐turn structures. In contrast to previous results, the three ‘β–α–β’ residues at the C terminus (α‐residue being Gly) are stabilized by only a 13‐mr forward hydrogen bond, which resembles an α‐turn. Extensive NMR spectroscopic and molecular dynamics (MD) studies were performed to support these observations. The influence of chirality and side chain is also discussed.     

Synthesis and Conformational Analysis of Hybrid α/β‐Dipeptides Incorporating S‐Glycosyl‐β2,2‐Amino Acids

We synthesized and carried out the conformational analysis of several hybrid dipeptides consisting of an α‐amino acid attached to a quaternary glyco‐β‐amino acid. In particular, we combined a S‐glycosylated β^2,2‐amino acid and two different types of α‐amino acid, namely, aliphatic (alanine) and aromatic (phenylalanine and tryptophan) in the sequence of hybrid α/β‐dipeptides. The key step in the synthesis involved the ring‐opening reaction of a chiral cyclic sulfamidate, inserted in the peptidic sequence, with a sulfur‐containing nucleophile by using 1‐thio‐β‐D ‐glucopyranose derivatives. This reaction of glycosylation occurred with inversion of configuration at the quaternary center. The conformational behavior in aqueous solution of the peptide backbone and the glycosidic linkage for all synthesized hybrid glycopeptides was analyzed by using a protocol that combined NMR experiments and molecular dynamics with time‐averaged restraints (MD‐tar). Interestingly, the presence of the sulfur heteroatom at the quaternary center of the β‐amino acid induced θ torsional angles close to 180° (anti). Notably, this value changed to 60° (gauche) when the peptidic sequence displayed aromatic α‐amino acids due to the presence of CH–π interactions between the phenyl or indole ring and the methyl groups of the β‐amino acid unit.     

Synthesis and Conformation of Star‐Shaped Poly(γ‐benzyl‐L‐glutamate)s on a Cyclotriphosphazene Core

The preparation of star‐shaped poly(γ‐benzyl‐L ‐glutamate)s by the ring‐opening polymerization of N‐carboxy anhydride γ‐benzyl‐L ‐glutamate (BLG‐NCA) with hexakis(4‐aminomethylphenoxy)‐ ( 4 ) and hexakis(4‐aminophenoxy)cyclotriphosphazenes ( 6 ), and the conformation of resulting polymers has been studied. The six amino groups in 4 can initiate the polymerization of BLG‐NCA to give star‐shaped polyglutamates ( 7 ) with narrow molecular weight distributions (M _w/M _n = 1.10–1.33). For the polymerization of BLG‐NCA with 6 , however, a high ratio of [BLG‐MCA]/[ 6 ] was required to obtain star‐shaped polyglutamates ( 8 ). The conformation of 7 changed from a β‐sheet form to a right‐handed α‐helix form, depending on the degree of polymerization per chain (DP _n/6). The helix content of hexa‐armed poly (γ‐benzyl‐L ‐glutamate‐co‐L ‐glutamic acid)s ( 9 ), prepared by partial hydrolysis of 7 , increased significantly compared with that of the corresponding linear analogue ( 10 ). As increasing of helix content of 9 , the fluorescence spectra of 8‐anilino‐1‐naphthalenesulfonic acid (ANS), a fluorescence probe, shifted to a short wavelength accompanied by the enhancement of intensity, suggesting that star‐shaped polymers are liable to form hydrophobic domains. From these results and the structural feature of the cyclotriphosphazene core, the formation of a 3α‐helix bundle structure of polyglutamates on both sides of the phosphazene ring has been suggested.

     

NMR‐Solution Structures in Methanol of an α‐Heptapeptide,of a β3/β2‐Nonapeptide,and of an all‐β3‐Icosapeptide Carrying the 20 Proteinogenic Side Chains

The NMR‐solution structure of an α‐heptapeptide with a central Aib residue was investigated in order to verify that, in contrast to β‐peptides, short α‐peptides do not form a helical structures in MeOH. Although the central Aib residue was found to induce a bend in the experimentally determined structure, no secondary structure typical for longer α‐peptides or proteins was found. A β²/β³‐nonapeptide with polar, positively charged side chains was subjected to NMR analysis in MeOH and H₂O. Whereas, in MeOH, it folds into a 10/12‐helix very similar to the structure determined for a corresponding β²/β³‐nonapeptide with only aliphatic side chains, no dominant conformation could be determined in H₂O. Finally, the NMR analysis of a β³‐icosapeptide containing the side chains of all 20 proteinogenic amino acids in MeOH is described. It revealed that this 20mer folds into a 3₁₄‐helix over its whole length forming six full turns, the longest 3₁₄‐helix found so far. Together, our findings confirm that, in contrast to α‐peptides, β‐peptides not only form helices with just six residues, but also form helices that are longer than helical sections usually observed in proteins or natural peptides. The higher helix‐forming propensity of long β‐peptides is attributed to the conformation‐stabilizing effect of the staggered ethane sections in β‐peptides which outweighs the detrimental effect of the increasing macrodipole.     

Unprecedented Chain‐Length‐Dependent Conformational Conversion Between 11/9 and 18/16 Helix in α/β‐Hybrid Peptides

α,β‐Hybrid oligomers of varying lengths with alternating proteogenic α‐amino acid and the rigid β^2,3,3‐trisubstituted bicyclic amino acid ABOC residues were studied using both X‐ray crystal and NMR solution structures. While only an 11/9 helix was obtained in the solid state regardless of the length of the oligomers, conformational polymorphism as a chain‐length‐dependent phenomenon was observed in solution. Consistent with DFT calculations, we established that short oligomers adopted an 11/9 helix, whereas an 18/16 helix was favored for longer oligomers in solution. A rapid interconversion between the 11/9 helix and the 18/16 helix occurred for oligomers of intermediate length.     

N‐Alkylacylamides in Thin Films Display Infrared Spectra of 310‐, α‐, and π‐Helices with Visible Static and Dynamic Growth Phases

A peptide model is a physical system containing a CONH group, the simplest being HCONHCH₃, N‐methylformamide (NMF). We have discovered that NMF and N‐methylacetamide (NMA), which form hydrogen‐bonded oligomers in thin films on a planar AgX fiber, display infrared (IR) spectra with peaks like those of polypeptide helices. Structures can be assigned by their amide I maxima near 1672 (3₁₀), 1655 (3₁₀), 1653 (α), 1655 (π), and 1635 cm^?1 (π), which are the first IR data for the π‐helix. Sharp peaks are an outcome of immobilization of polar species on the polar surface of silver halides. We report the first use of expanded thin‐film IR spectroscopy, in which plots of every spectrum over the amide I–II range show pauses or slow stages in the increase or decrease of absorption. These are identified as static phases followed by dynamic phases, with the incremental gain or loss of a helix turn. A general theory can be stated for such processes. Density functional calculations show that the NMA α‐helix pentamer (crystal structure geometry) is transformed into a π‐helix‐like form. For the first time, an entire sequence (3₁₀‐helix, α‐helix, π‐helix, quasiplanar species) of spectra has been recorded for NMA.     

Exploiting Aromatic Interactions for β‐Peptide Foldamer Helix Stabilization: A Significant Design Element

Tetrameric H10/12 helix stabilization was achieved by the application of aromatic side‐chains in β‐peptide oligomers by intramolecular backbone–side chain CH–π interactions. Because of the enlarged hydrophobic surface of the oligomers, a further aim was the investigation of the self‐assembly in a polar medium for the β‐peptide H10/12 helices. NMR, ECD, and molecular modeling results indicated that the oligomers formed by cis‐[1S,2S]‐ or cis‐[1R,2R]‐1‐amino‐1,2,3,4‐tetrahydronaphthalene‐2‐carboxylic acid (ATENAC) and cis‐[1R,2S]‐ or cis‐[1S,2R]‐2‐aminocyclohex‐3‐enecarboxylic acid (ACHEC) residues promote stable H10/12 helix formation with an alternating backbone configuration even at the tetrameric chain length. These results support the view that aromatic side‐chains can be applied for helical structure stabilization. Importantly, this is the first observation of a stable H10/12 helix with tetrameric chain‐length. The hydrophobically driven self‐assembly was achieved for the helix‐forming oligomers, seen as vesicles in transmission electron microscopy images. The self‐association phenomenon, which supports the helical secondary structure of these oligomers, depends on the hydrophobic surface area, because a higher number of aromatic side‐chains yielded larger vesicles. These results serve as an essential element for the design of helices relating to the H10/12 helix. Moreover, they open up a novel area for bioactive foldamer construction, while the hydrophobic area gained through the aromatic side‐chains may yield important receptor–ligand interaction surfaces, which can provide amplified binding strength.     

Solid‐state conformations of linear depsipeptide amides with an alternating sequence of α,α‐disubstituted α‐amino acid and α‐hydroxy acid

Depsipeptides and cyclodepsipeptides are analogues of the corresponding peptides in which one or more amide groups are replaced by ester functions. Reports of crystal structures of linear depsipeptides are rare. The crystal structures and conformational analyses of four depsipeptides with an alternating sequence of an α,α‐disubstituted α‐amino acid and an α‐hydroxy acid are reported. The molecules in the linear hexadepsipeptide amide in (S)‐Pms‐Acp‐(S)‐Pms‐Acp‐(S)‐Pms‐Acp‐NMe₂ acetonitrile solvate, C₄₇H₅₈N₄O₉·C₂H₃N, ( 3b ), as well as in the related linear tetradepsipeptide amide (S)‐Pms‐Aib‐(S)‐Pms‐Aib‐NMe₂, C₂₈H₃₇N₃O₆, ( 5a ), the diastereoisomeric mixture (S,R)‐Pms‐Acp‐(R,S)‐Pms‐Acp‐NMe₂/(R,S)‐Pms‐Acp‐(R,S)‐Pms‐Acp‐NMe₂ (1:1), C₃₂H₄₁N₃O₆, ( 5b ), and (R,S)‐Mns‐Acp‐(S,R)‐Mns‐Acp‐NMe₂, C₃₀H₃₇N₃O₆, ( 5c ) (Pms is phenyllactic acid, Acp is 1‐aminocyclopentanecarboxylic acid and Mns is mandelic acid), generally adopt a β‐turn conformation in the solid state, which is stabilized by intramolecular N—H…O hydrogen bonds. Whereas β‐turns of type I (or I′) are formed in the cases of ( 3b ), ( 5a ) and ( 5b ), which contain phenyllactic acid, the torsion angles for ( 5c ), which incorporates mandelic acid, indicate a β‐turn in between type I and type III. Intermolecular N—H…O and O—H…O hydrogen bonds link the molecules of ( 3a ) and ( 5b ) into extended chains, and those of ( 5a ) and ( 5c ) into two‐dimensional networks.