α-Amino-iso-Butyric Acid Foldamers Terminated with Rhodium(I) N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalysts

To investigate how remotely induced changes in ligand folding might affect catalysis by organometallic complexes, dynamic α-amino-iso-butyric acid (Aib) peptide foldamers bearing rhodium(I) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes have been synthesized and studied. X-ray crystallography of a foldamer with an N-terminal azide and a C-terminal Rh(NHC)(Cl)(diene) complex showed a racemate with a chiral axis in the Rh(NHC) complex and a distorted 3₁₀ helical body. Replacing the azide with either one or two chiral L-α-methylvaline (L-αMeVal) residues gave diastereoisomeric foldamers that each possessed point, helical and axial chirality. NMR spectroscopy revealed an unequal ratio of diastereoisomers for some foldamers, indicating that the chiral conformational preference of the N-terminal residue(s) was relayed down the 1 nm helical body to the axially chiral Rh(NHC) complex. Although the remote chiral residue(s) did not affect the stereoselectivity of hydrosilylation reactions catalysed by these foldamers, these studies suggest a potential pathway towards remote conformational control of organometallic catalysts.     

Structure Elucidation of Helical Aromatic Foldamer–Protein Complexes with Large Contact Surface Areas

The development of large synthetic ligands could be useful to target the sizeable surface areas involved in protein–protein interactions. Herein, we present long helical aromatic oligoamide foldamers bearing proteinogenic side chains that cover up to 450 Ų of the human carbonic anhydrase II (HCA) surface. The foldamers are composed of aminoquinolinecarboxylic acids bearing proteinogenic side chains and of more flexible aminomethyl-pyridinecarboxylic acids that enhance helix handedness dynamics. Crystal structures of HCA-foldamer complexes were obtained with a 9- and a 14-mer both showing extensive protein–foldamer hydrophobic contacts. In addition, foldamer–foldamer interactions seem to be prevalent in the crystal packing, leading to the peculiar formation of an HCA superhelix wound around a rod of stacked foldamers. Solution studies confirm the positioning of the foldamer at the protein surface as well as a dimerization of the complexes.     

Introducing the Chiral Constrained α-Trifluoromethylalanine in Aib Foldamers to Control,Quantify and Assign the Helical Screw-Sense**

Oligomers of α-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) are achiral peptides that adopt 3₁₀ helical structures with equal population of left- and right-handed conformers. The screw-sense preference of the helical chain may be controlled by a single chiral residue located at one terminus. ¹H and ¹⁹F NMR, X-ray crystallography and circular dichroism studies on new Aib oligomers show that the incorporation of a chiral quaternary α-trifluoromethylalanine at their N-terminus induces a reversal of the screw-sense preference of the 3₁₀-helix compared to that of a non-fluorinated analogue having an l -α-methyl valine residue. This work demonstrates that, among the many particular properties of introducing a trifluoromethyl group into foldamers, its stereo-electronic properties are of major interest to control the helical screw sense. Its use as an easy-to-handle ¹⁹F NMR probe to reliably determine both the magnitude of the screw-sense preference and its sign assignment is also of remarkable interest.     

Structure of a Complex Formed by a Protein and a Helical Aromatic Oligoamide Foldamer at 2.1 Å Resolution

In the search of molecules that could recognize sizeable areas of protein surfaces, a series of ten helical aromatic oligoamide foldamers was synthesized on solid phase. The foldamers comprise three to five monomers carrying various proteinogenic side chains, and exist as racemic mixtures of interconverting right‐handed and left‐handed helices. Functionalization of the foldamers by a nanomolar ligand of human carbonic anhydrase II (HCA) ensured that they would be held in close proximity to the protein surface. Foldamer–protein interactions were screened by circular dichroism (CD). One foldamer displayed intense CD bands indicating that a preferred helix handedness is induced upon interacting with the protein surface. The crystal structure of the complex between this foldamer and HCA could be resolved at 2.1 Å resolution and revealed a number of unanticipated protein–foldamer, foldamer–foldamer, and protein–protein interactions.     

Designing Foldamer–Foldamer Interactions in Solution: The Roles of Helix Length and Terminus Functionality in Promoting the Self‐Association of Aminoisobutyric Acid Oligomers

The biological activity of antibiotic peptaibols has been linked to their ability to aggregate, but the structure–activity relationship for aggregation is not well understood. Herein, we report a systematic study of a class of synthetic helical oligomer (foldamer) composed of aminoisobutyric acid (Aib) residues, which mimic the folding behavior of peptaibols. NMR spectroscopic analysis was used to quantify the dimerization constants in solution, which showed hydrogen‐bond donors at the N terminus promoted aggregation more effectively than similar modifications at the C terminus. Elongation of the peptide chain also favored aggregation. The geometry of aggregation in solution was investigated by means of titrations with [D₆]DMSO and 2D NOE NMR spectroscopy, which allowed the NH protons most involved in intermolecular hydrogen bonds in solution to be identified. X‐ray crystallography studies of two oligomers allowed a comparison of the inter‐ and intramolecular hydrogen‐bonding interactions in the solid state and in solution and gave further insight into the geometry of foldamer–foldamer interactions. These solution‐based and solid‐state studies indicated that the preferred geometry for aggregation is through head‐to‐tail interactions between the N and C termini of adjacent Aib oligomers.     

Conformational Adaptation of β-Peptide Foldamers for the Formation of Metal–Peptide Frameworks

Metal-coordinated frameworks derived from small peptidic ligands have received much attention thanks to peptides’ vast structural and functional diversity. Various peptides with partial conformational preferences have been used to build metal–peptide frameworks, however, the use of conformationally constrained β-peptide foldamers has not been explored yet. Herein we report the first metal-coordination-mediated assembly of β-peptide foldamers with 12-helical folding propensity. The coordination of Ag⁺ to the terminal pyridyl moieties afforded a set of metal–peptide frameworks with unique entangled topologies. Interestingly, formation of the network structures was accompanied by notable conformational distortions of the foldamer ligands. As the first demonstration of new metal–peptide frameworks built from modular β-peptide foldamers, we anticipate that this work will be an important benchmark for further structural evolution and mechanistic investigation.     

Oligoamide Foldamers as Helical Chloride Receptors—the Influence of Electron‐Withdrawing Substituents on Anion‐Binding Interactions

The anion‐binding properties of three closely related oligoamide foldamers were studied using NMR spectroscopy, isothermal titration calorimetry and mass spectrometry, as well as DFT calculations. The ¹H NMR spectra of the foldamers in [D₆]acetone solution revealed partial preorganization by intramolecular hydrogen bonding, which creates a suitable cavity for anion binding. The limited size of the cavity, however, enabled efficient binding by the inner amide protons only for the chloride anion resulting in the formation of a thermodynamically stable 1:1 complex. All 1:1 chloride complexes displayed a significant favourable contribution of the entropy term. Most likely, this is due to the release of ordered solvent molecules solvating the free foldamer and the anion to the bulk solution upon complex formation. The introduction of electron‐withdrawing substituents in foldamers 2 and 3 had only a slight effect on the thermodynamic constants for chloride binding compared to the parent receptor. Remarkably, the binding of chloride to foldamer 3 not only produced the expected 1:1 complex but also open aggregates with 1:2 (host:anion) stoichiometry.     

Enforcing periodic secondary structures in hybrid peptides: a novel hybrid foldamer containing periodic gamma-turn motifs

This note describes the design, synthesis, and conformational studies of a novel hybrid foldamer that adopts a definite compact, three-dimensional structure determined by a combined effect of the special conformational properties of the foldamer constituents. The striking feature of this de novo designed foldamer is its ability to display periodic gamma-turn conformations stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Conformational investigations by single-crystal X-ray studies, solution-state NMR, and ab initio MO theory at the HF/6-31G* level strongly support the prevalence of gamma-turn motifs in both the di- and tetrapeptide foldamers, which are presumably stabilized by bifurcated hydrogen bonds in the solid and solution states. The strategy disclosed herein for the construction of hybrid foldamers with periodic gamma-turn motifs has the potential to significantly augment the conformational space available for foldamer design with diverse backbone structures and conformations.     

Flaws in foldamers: conformational uniformity and signal decay in achiral helical peptide oligomers

Although foldamers, by definition, are extended molecular structures with a well-defined conformation, minor conformers must be populated at least to some extent in solution. We present a quantitative analysis of these minor conformers for a series of helical oligomers built from achiral but helicogenic α-amino acids. By measuring the chain length dependence or chain position dependence of NMR or CD quantities that measure screw-sense preference in a helical oligomer, we quantify values for the decay constant of a conformational signal as it passes through the molecular structure. This conformational signal is a perturbation of the racemic mixture of M and P helices that such oligomers typically adopt by the inclusion of an N or C terminal chiral inducer. We show that decay constants may be very low (<1% signal loss per residue) in non-polar solvents, and we evaluate the increase in decay constant that results in polar solvents, at higher temperatures, and with more conformationally flexible residues such as Gly. Decay constants are independent of whether the signal originates from the N or the C terminus. By interpreting the decay constant in terms of the probability with which conformations containing a screw-sense reversal are populated, we quantify the populations of these alternative minor conformers within the overall ensemble of secondary structures adopted by the foldamer. We deduce helical persistence lengths for Aib polymers that allow us to show that in a non-polar solvent a peptide helix, even in the absence of chiral residues, may continue with the same screw sense for approximately 200 residues.     

Metal-induced chiral folding of depsipeptide dendrimers

The synthesis and metal complexation of chiral depsipeptide dendrimers 3 and 7 containing an ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) ester-derived core is reported. The EDTA ester cavity of these dendrimers selectively complexes Zn(2+) and Cu(2+) ions leading to diastereoselective folding. To elucidate the coordination motif in the resulting "foldamers" of 3-ZnCl(2), 7-ZnCl(2), 3-CuCl(2), and 7-CuCl(2), the coordination behavior of the tetramethyl ester of EDTA (8) has been investigated as a model case. The corresponding complexes 8-ZnCl(2) and 8-CuCl(2) have been structurally characterized by (1)H NMR spectroscopy and X-ray analysis. The complexes involve the inherently chiral octahedral cis-alpha coordination motif, in which 8 serves as a tetradentate ligand. In the case of the Zn(II) complex 8-ZnCl(2), both Deltacis-alpha(S,S,lambda) and Lambdacis-alpha(R,R,lambda) stereoisomers were found in the unit cell. For the Cu(II) complex 8-CuCl(2), only one stereoisomer, namely Deltacis-alpha(S,S,lambda) was found in the crystal under investigation. (1)H NMR spectroscopy has shown that the same coordination motif is diastereoselectively formed in the chiral Zn(2+) dendrimers 3-ZnCl(2) and 7-ZnCl(2). Likewise, the calculated CD spectrum of the Deltacis-alpha(S,S,lambda) stereoisomer of the model complex 8-CuCl(2) shows good agreement with the experimental spectrum of the Cu(II) dendrimers 3-CuCl(2) and 7-CuCl(2), allowing assignment of the absolute configurations of the preferred foldamers as Lambdacis-alpha(R,R,lambda) for 3-CuCl(2) and Deltacis-alpha(S,S,lambda) for 7-CuCl(2). This work represents the first example of metal-complexation-mediated diastereoselective folding of chiral dendrimers with known absolute configuration.     

Chiral alignment of OPV chromophores: exploitation of the ureidophthalimide-based foldamer

The ability of foldamers to adopt a secondary structure in solution has been exploited to organize peripheral functionality. Our previously reported poly(ureidophthalimide) foldamer proved to be an excellent scaffold for the chiral organization of peripherally positioned oligo(p-phenylenevinylene) (OPV) chromophores. Facile high-yielding synthesis gave access to the required OPV-decorated building blocks. A condensation polymerization provided polymers of sufficient length to allow construction of a helical architecture comprising several turns. Short and long chains were separated by chromatography. Circular dichroism studies in THF of the longer chains indicate the presence of helically arranged OPVs. However, such an effect is not observed in CHCl3. Remarkable are the measurements of the OPV foldamers in heptane. A bisignate Cotton effect is observed in heptane of a sample with a THF history. No Cotton effect is observed in heptane of a sample with a CHCl3 history. In this example of supramolecular synthesis, the solvent dictates the expression of supramolecular chirality in a secondary structure. The short-chain oligomeric fractions that are unable to create a full turn revealed on scanning tunneling microscopy analysis the presence of circular architectures at the graphite/1-phenyloctane interface. This is in full agreement with the proposed conformation of the decorated foldamers.     

Aromatic foldamers with iminodicarbonyl linkers: their structures and optical properties

[structure: see text] Carboxamides possessing naphthalene rings connected by multiple iminodicarbonyl linkers were synthesized. These molecules forced the naphthalene rings to be placed in the positions facing each other, and they form helical foldamers both in solution and in the crystalline state. Their folding structures were investigated by single-crystal X-ray analysis and (1)H NMR spectroscopy. Their absorption and fluorescence spectra showed a red shift as the number of naphthalene moieties increased. This remarkable change is based on the intramolecular interaction between naphthalene moieties. Helicity of the foldamer can be controlled by the introduction of chiral auxiliaries at imide nitrogen atoms, which results in an observation of induced circular dichroism.     

Racemic atropisomeric N,N-chelate ligands for recognizing chiral carboxylates via Zn(II) coordination: structure, fluorescence, and circular dichroism

Two racemic atropisomeric N,N'-chelate ligands, bis{3,3'-[N-Ph-2-(2'-py)indolyl]} (1) and bis{3,3'-N-4-[N-2-(2'-py)indolyl]phenyl-2-(2'-py)indolyl} (2), have been found to be able to distinguish the enantiomers of Zn((R)-BrMeBu)2 and Zn((S)-BrMeBu)2 where BrMeBu = O2CCH(Br)CHMe2, with a distinct and intense CD spectral response at approximately the 10 microM concentration range. Computational studies established that the (R)-1-Zn((R)-BrMeBu)2 or (S)-1-Zn((S)-BrMeBu)2 diastereomer is more stable than (R)-1-Zn((S)-BrMeBu)2 or (S)-1-Zn((R)-BrMeBu)2. In addition, computational studies showed that the CD spectra of (S)-1-Zn((S)-BrMeBu)2 and (S)-1-Zn((R)-BrMeBu)2 are similar. (1)H NMR spectra confirmed that these two diastereomers exist in solution in about a 2:1 ratio for both complexes of 1 and 2. The distinct CD response of the racemic ligands 1 and 2 toward the chiral zinc(II) carboxylate is therefore attributed to the preferential formation of one diastereomer. The binding modes of the zinc(II) salt with ligands 1 and 2 were established by the crystal structures of the model compounds 1-Zn(tfa)2 and 2-Zn(tfa)2 (tfa = CF3CO2(-)), where the Zn(II) ion is chelated by the two central pyridyl groups in the ligand. Fluorescent titration experiments with various zinc(II) salts showed that the fluorescent spectrum of the atropisomeric ligand displays an anion-dependent change. The zinc(II) binding strength to the N,N'-chelate site of the atropisomeric ligand has been found to play a key role in the selective recognition of different chiral zinc(II) carboxylate derivatives by the racemic atropisomeric ligands.     

Solvent induced folding of conformationally bistable helical imide triads

Foldamer population of imide triads derived from (R,R)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane was studied with the use of ¹H NMR and CD spectroscopy, as well as computational modeling. Two stable foldamers of C and S shape, having correspondingly M and P helicity, are found to differ very little in energy. However, their interaction with the solvent results in significant shift of the equilibrium. For the interaction with aromatic solvent molecules a sandwich-type donor-acceptor model, stabilizing the S foldamer, is proposed. The limitations of the NMR and CD methods for studying the foldamer equilibrium in solution are discussed, pointing to the inadequacy of static computational models of CD spectra, not including the effect of rotation of the imide chromophores in the dynamic model of real molecules.     

Foldamers in pseudo[2]rotaxanes and [2]rotaxanes: tuning the switching kinetics and metastability

Hydrogen bonded arylamide foldamers have been introduced in switchable pseudo[2]rotaxanes and [2]rotaxanes, which also include a cyclobisparaquat(p-phenylene) (CBPQT⁴⁺) ring and a ‘dumbbell’ containing tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and 1,5-dioxynaphthalene (DNP, for rotaxanes). The foldamer size changes through folding and unfolding serve as a steric handle to modulate the mechanical movement of the CBPQT⁴⁺ ring along the dumbbell of the pseudo[2]rotaxanes and [2]rotaxanes. By varying the number of the repeating units in the foldamer, the kinetics of the solvent-dependent slippage/deslippage of pseudo[2]rotaxanes and the switching of the ring between TTF and DNP of the [2]rotoxanes can be tuned remarkably, with the time scope ranging from several minutes to several days, in twelve solvents of varying polarity, which have been confirmed by the ¹H NMR, UV–vis spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammogram experiments.     

Synthesis and characterization of water-soluble zinc(II) Schiff-base complexes derived from amino acids and 3-formyl-4-hydroxybenzyl-triphenylphosphonium chloride

Tridentate Schiff-base ligands derived from condensation of 3-formyl-4-hydroxybenzyl-triphenylphosphonium chloride with glycine, L-alanine, L-valine, L-leucine and L-phenylalanine in the presence of Zn(OAc)₂ · 2H₂O form five new water-soluble Zn(II) complexes, which were characterized by elemental analyses, IR, electronic absorption and ¹H, ¹³C NMR spectroscopies. In the IR spectra of the complexes, the difference between the asymmetric and the symmetric carboxylate stretching frequencies is larger than ～210 cm^?1, which implies that the carboxylate groups are monodentate. UV-Vis electronic absorption studies show that Zn(II) functions as a trap for the Schiff-base intermediate. Schiff-base complexes formation were confirmed by the appearance of new signals in the ¹H NMR for the azomethine hydrogen at ～8 ppm and condensed L-amino acids at 3.4–3.8 ppm (C(3)–H). These complexes are formed through coordination of the ONO from the carboxyl, imino and phenoxy groups of the ligands to Zn(II).     

Conformationally constrained aliphatic-aromatic amino-acid-conjugated hybrid foldamers with periodic beta-turn motifs

In this note, we describe the design, synthesis, and structural studies of novel hybrid foldamers derived from Aib-Pro-Adb building blocks that display repeat beta-turn structure motif. The foldamer having a conformationally constrained aliphatic-aromatic amino acid conjugate adopts a well-defined, compact, three-dimensional structure, governed by a combined conformational restriction imposed by the individual amino acids with which it is made of. Conformational investigations by single-crystal X-ray and solution-state NMR studies were undertaken to investigate the conformational preference of these foldamers with a hetero-backbone. Our findings suggest that constrained aliphatic-aromatic amino acid conjugates would offer new avenues for the de novo design of hybrid foldamers with distinctive structural architectures.     

Synthesis and Spectroscopic Characterization of Some Ferrocenyl Schiff Bases Containing Pyridine Moiety and Their Complexation with Cobalt,Nickel, Copper and Zinc

Three novel ferrocenyl Schiff base ligands containing pyridine moiety have been formed by 1:2 molar condensation of 1,1′‐diacetylferrocene with 2‐aminopyridine, 2‐amino‐5‐picoline or 2‐amino‐5‐chloropyridine, respectively. The ligands are 1,1′‐bis[1‐(pyridyl‐2‐imino)‐ethyl]ferrocene (L1); 1,1′‐bis[1‐(5‐methyl‐pyridyl‐2‐imino)ethyl]ferrocene (L2) and 1,1′‐bis[1‐(5‐chloropyridyl‐2‐imino)ethyl]ferrocene (L3). These ligands form 1:1 complexes with Co(II), Cu(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) ions. The prepared ligands and their complexes have been characterized by IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, UV/Vis spectra as well as elemental analysis. The spectral data of the ligands and their complexes are discussed in connection with the structural changes due to complexation.     

Spectral characterization and anti-inflammatory activity of Schiff-base complexes derived from leucine and 2-acetylpyridine

Schiff-base complexes [ML·nH₂OAc]mH₂O (where L =?Schiff base derived from condensation of 2-acetylpyridine and leucine; M =?Cu(II), Ni(II) or Co(II); n =?0–2 and m =?3/2–2) and [ZnLOH]H₂O have been synthesized and characterized using elemental analyses, spectral analyses (UV-Vis, IR, ¹H NMR), conductance, thermal analyses, magnetic moments and QSAR analyses. The results showed that the ligand is mononegative tridentate coordinating the metal through pyridyl nitrogen, azomethine nitrogen, and carboxylate oxygen after deprotonation of the hydroxyl. Cu(II) forms square-planar and Ni(II) and Zn(II) form tetrahedral complexes, while Co(II) is octahedral. Prediction from quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) for anti-inflammatory activity in rats (% edema inhibition) has been made. The copper complex showed a significant analgesic and antirheumatic effect.     

Foldamer‐Mediated Remote Stereocontrol: >1,60 Asymmetric Induction

An N‐terminal L ‐α‐methylvaline dimer induces complete conformational control over the screw sense of an otherwise achiral helical peptide foldamer formed from the achiral quaternary amino acids Aib and Ac₆c. The persistent right‐handed screw‐sense preference of the helix enables remote reactive sites to fall under the influence of the terminal chiral residues, and permits diastereoselective reactions such as alkene hydrogenation or iminium ion addition to take place with 1,16‐, 1,31‐, 1,46‐ and even 1,61‐asymmetric induction. Stereochemical information may be communicated in this way over distances of up to 4 nm.