| Institution: | 1. School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT UK
Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT UK;2. Department of Theoretical Chemistry and Amsterdam Centre for Multiscale Modelling, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1081, Amsterdam, 1081 HV The Netherlands;3. School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9JT UK |
| Abstract: | A current objective in supramolecular chemistry is to mimic the transitions between complex self-sorted systems that represent a hallmark of regulatory function in nature. In this work, a self-sorting network, comprising linear hydrogen motifs, was created. Selecting six hydrogen-bonding motifs capable of both high-fidelity and promiscuous molecular recognition gave rise to a complex self-sorting system, which included motifs capable of both narcissistic and social self-sorting. Examination of the interactions between individual components, experimentally and computationally, provided a rationale for the product distribution during each phase of a cascade. This reasoning holds through up to five sequential additions of six building blocks, resulting in the construction of a biomimetic network in which the presence or absence of different components provides multiple unique pathways to distinct self-sorted configurations. |
