The Effect of the Side Chain on Gelation Properties of Bile Acid Alkyl Amides

Six bile acid alkyl amide derivatives were studied with respect to their gelation properties. The derivatives were composed of three different bile acids with hexyl or cyclohexyl side chains. The gelation behaviour of all six compounds were studied for 36 solvents with varying polarities. Gelation was observed mainly in aromatic solvents, which is characteristic for bile-acid-based low molecular weight gelators. Out of 108 bile acid-solvent combinations, a total of 44 gel systems were formed, 28 of which from lithocholic acid derivatives, only two from deoxycholic acid derivatives, and 14 from cholic acid derivatives. The majority of the gel systems were formed from bile acids with hexyl side chains, contrary to the cyclohexyl group, which seems to be a poor gelation moiety. These results indicate that the spatial demand of the side chain is the key feature for the gelation properties of the bile acid amides.     

不同功能基团的有机盐作为低相对分子质量凝胶因子对原油的成胶性能

低相对分子质量凝胶作为治理原油泄漏的材料具有一些优异的性能,但其在水油相中的成胶规律仍不明确,本文以有机酸及有机胺为原料设计合成了一系列有机盐。 通过核磁共振波谱仪(NMR)、傅里叶红外光谱仪(FTIR)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和倒挂实验等技术手段表征了有机盐的结构和成胶性能。 结果表明,有机盐A3C3(A3:肉桂酸;C3:月桂胺)在室温下能使原油形成稳定凝胶,成胶溶度为质量分数6%,该分子在溶剂中自组装形成树枝状三维网状结构。 凝胶的形成需要分子间π-π堆积作用、氢键、静电作用和范德华力等多种作用力协同作用,分子间的π-π堆积作用有利于凝胶的形成,含有多个苯环的凝胶因子更易在芳香族溶剂中形成凝胶。 这些成胶规律对处理原油泄漏的低相对分子质量凝胶因子的设计合成具有实际的指导意义。     

Creation of polynucleotide-assisted molecular assemblies in organic solvents: general strategy toward the creation of artificial DNA-like nanoarchitectures

The influence of added polynucleotide on the gelation ability of nucleobase-appended organogelators was investigated. Uracil-appended cholesterol gelator formed a stable organogel in polar organic solvents such as n-butanol. It was found that the addition of the complementary polyadenylic acid (poly(A)) not only stabilizes the gel but also creates the helical structure in the original gel phase. Thymidine and thymine-appended gelators can form stable gel in apolar solvents, such as benzene, where poly(A)-lipid complex can act as a complementary template for the gelator molecules to create the fibrous composites. Based on these findings, we can conclude that self-assembling modes and gelation properties of nucleobase-appended organogelators are controllable by the addition of their complementary polynucleotide in organic solvents. We believe, therefore, that the present system can open the new paths to accelerate development of well-controlled one-dimensional molecular assembly systems, which would be indispensable for the creation of novel nanomaterials based on organic compounds.     

Versatile supramolecular gelators that can harden water, organic solvents and ionic liquids

We developed novel supramolecular gelators with simple molecular structures that could harden a broad range of solvents: aqueous solutions of a wide pH range, organic solvents, edible oil, biodiesel, and ionic liquids at gelation concentrations of 0.1-2 wt %. The supramolecular gelators were composed of a long hydrophobic tail, amino acids and gluconic acid, which were prepared by liquid-phase synthesis. Among seven types of the gelators synthesized, the gelators containing L-Val, L-Leu, and L-Ile exhibited high gelation ability to various solvents. These gelators were soluble in aqueous and organic solvents, and also in ionic liquids at high temperature. The gelation of these solvents was thermally reversible. The microscopic observations (TEM, SEM, and CLSM) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements suggested that the gelator molecules self-assembled to form entangled nanofibers in a large variety of solvents, resulting in the gelation of these solvents. Molecular mechanics and density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicated the possible molecular packing of the gelator in the nanofibers. Interestingly, the gelation of an ionic liquid by our gelator did not affect the ionic conductivity of the ionic liquid, which would provide an advantage to electrochemical applications.     

Supramolecular Chemistry of Bile Acid Derivatives: Formation of Gels

This article describes some of the exciting results obtained during the study of the gelation behavior of bile acid derivatives in the authors laboratory. The serendipitous discovery of charge-transfer interaction promoted gelation of organic solvents by (steroid)pyrene derivatives/TNF is presented. In this class of molecules, the effect of the location of the chiral center in chiral gelators on the overall chirality of the aggregates in the gel was studied. Also described are the aggregation behavior of bile acid based aqueous gelators which led us to postulate design principals to obtain bile acid based aqueous/organogelators.     

光响应偶氮苯类小分子凝胶因子的合成及性能

合成了3个系列各6类的偶氮苯衍生物1a~6a, 1b~6b和1c~6c. 凝胶性能测试结果表明, 这些化合物均能在多种极性或非极性有机溶剂中形成凝胶. 运用扫描电子显微镜和核磁共振波谱仪对代表性化合物4b形成的凝胶结构和成胶驱动力进行了分析. 化合物4a~4c形成的凝胶在紫外光和可见光照射下, 能够发生凝胶-溶胶的相互转化. 计算了溶剂和凝胶因子的梯氏参数, 利用梯氏三角图分析了凝胶测试结果, 发现凝胶因子在溶剂中的4种行为(溶液、 半凝胶、 凝胶和沉淀)分别分布在三角图的不同区域; 在凝胶区域, 溶剂与凝胶因子之间的距离反映了凝胶的热稳定性, 距离越远表示凝胶的热稳定性越好.     

Structural and Solubility Parameter Correlations of Gelation Abilities for Dihydroxylated Derivatives of Long‐Chain,Naturally Occurring Fatty Acids

Creating structure–property correlations at different distance scales is one of the important challenges to the rational design of molecular gelators. Here, a series of dihydroxylated derivatives of long‐chain fatty acids, derived from three naturally occurring molecules—oleic, erucic and ricinoleic acids—are investigated as gelators of a wide variety of liquids. Conclusions about what constitutes a more (or less!) efficient gelator are based upon analyses of a variety of thermal, structural, molecular modeling, and rheological results. Correlations between the manner of molecular packing in the neat solid or gel states of the gelators and Hansen solubility data from the liquids leads to the conclusion that diol stereochemistry, the number of carbon atoms separating the two hydroxyl groups, and the length of the alkanoic chains are the most important structural parameters controlling efficiency of gel formation for these gelators. Some of the diol gelators are as efficient or even more efficient than the well‐known, excellent gelator, (R)‐12‐hydroxystearic acid; others are much worse. The ability to form extensive intermolecular H‐bonding networks along the alkyl chains appears to play a key role in promoting fiber growth and, thus, gelation. In toto, the results demonstrate how the efficiency of gelation can be modulated by very small structural changes and also suggest how other structural modifications may be exploited to create efficient gelators.     

Low-molecular-weight gelators: elucidating the principles of gelation based on gelator solubility and a cooperative self-assembly model

This paper highlights the key role played by solubility in influencing gelation and demonstrates that many facets of the gelation process depend on this vital parameter. In particular, we relate thermal stability ( T gel) and minimum gelation concentration (MGC) values of small-molecule gelation in terms of the solubility and cooperative self-assembly of gelator building blocks. By employing a van't Hoff analysis of solubility data, determined from simple NMR measurements, we are able to generate T calc values that reflect the calculated temperature for complete solubilization of the networked gelator. The concentration dependence of T calc allows the previously difficult to rationalize "plateau-region" thermal stability values to be elucidated in terms of gelator molecular design. This is demonstrated for a family of four gelators with lysine units attached to each end of an aliphatic diamine, with different peripheral groups (Z or Boc) in different locations on the periphery of the molecule. By tuning the peripheral protecting groups of the gelators, the solubility of the system is modified, which in turn controls the saturation point of the system and hence controls the concentration at which network formation takes place. We report that the critical concentration ( C crit) of gelator incorporated into the solid-phase sample-spanning network within the gel is invariant of gelator structural design. However, because some systems have higher solubilities, they are less effective gelators and require the application of higher total concentrations to achieve gelation, hence shedding light on the role of the MGC parameter in gelation. Furthermore, gelator structural design also modulates the level of cooperative self-assembly through solubility effects, as determined by applying a cooperative binding model to NMR data. Finally, the effect of gelator chemical design on the spatial organization of the networked gelator was probed by small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering (SANS/SAXS) on the native gel, and a tentative self-assembly model was proposed.     

基于豆甾醇衍生物的超分子凝胶的合成与性能

设计合成出两种含有不同结构单元的新型豆甾醇衍生物凝胶因子（化合物1和2）。通过扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、傅里叶变换红外光谱（FT-IR）和紫外-可见光谱（UV-Vis）等技术手段对形成凝胶的结构和性能进行研究。结果表明,两种凝胶因子可分别在二甲基亚砜及甲醇溶剂中形成稳定的凝胶。其中化合物1还可在二甲基亚砜/水混合溶液体积比分别为9∶1、8∶2和7∶3中形成稳定的凝胶。当化合物1和2在DMSO溶剂中以质量浓度均为12 mg/mL形成凝胶时,二者的凝胶-溶胶相转变温度（T_gel）分别为51和46 ℃,表明随着凝胶因子中甾体结构单元的增加,其形成凝胶的热稳定性显著下降。在此基础上,以化合物1制备的凝胶为载体,通过紫外-可见光谱对罗丹明B、亚甲基蓝和阿霉素的包封与释放应用进行了研究。结果表明,制备的凝胶可以作为药物载体,并在240 min时在水中达到的最大释放值为84％。本文为豆甾醇衍生物凝胶的制备,及将其作为药物载体在药物输送领域的应用提供了有益的思路。     

The Synthesis of Amide Dendritic Gelators and its Self-assembly Behavior in MMA

Three kinds of amide dendritic gelators, G₁-C₁₂-G₁, G₂-C₁₂-G₂ and gelator-1, were synthesized, and their self-assemble behavior in methyl methacrylate (MMA) was firstly investigated. The structures of the amide dendritic gelators were confirmed by ¹H-NMR and Mass spectra (MS). The gelation ability of the amide dendritic gelators was researched through tube inversion experiment, the results of which showed that different structures led to quite different gelation ability, including gel-sol temperature and critical concentration to form a stable gel. SEM experiments showed that three kinds of gelator formed different gel morphologies in MMA, all of which were nanoscale gel. All the three amide dendritic gelators could not only form stable gel network at certain temperature with different concentrations in MMA, but also in each case, an optically transparent gel was formed, which indicated dendrimers in the MMA had a good compatibility.     

Supramolecular gels formed by amphiphilic low-molecular-weight gelators of N alpha,N epsilon-diacyl-L-lysine derivatives

Simple L-lysine derivatives, N(alpha)-hexanoyl-N(epsilon)-lauroyl-L-lysine (1), its alkali metal salts (2-4), and two-component compounds that consist of 1 with 2 to 4, were synthesized and their hydrogelation and organogelation properties were studied. Addition of hydrochloric acid to an aqueous solution of the alkali metal salt at room temperature produced a translucent hydrogel. This hydrogelation occurred as a result of a change in nanostructure from micelle-like aggregates to nanofibers, which was induced by partial protonation of the carboxylate to form a carboxylic acid. On the other hand, two-component low-molecular-weight gelators exhibited amphiphilic gelation behavior and functioned as not only hydrogelators, but also as organogelators. FTIR studies revealed that lateral ionic interactions between the carboxylate, alkali metal cation, carboxylic acid, and protons, in addition to hydrogen-bonding and van der Waals interactions play a very important role in hydrogelation. Furthermore, it was found that the water-insoluble carboxylic acid compound underwent a precipitation-dissolution transition with a thermally reversible sol-gel transition in the two-component gelator systems.     

Amino acid derivatives of cholesterol as "latent" organogelators with hydrogen chloride as a protonation reagent

A series of low molecular weight organic gelator (LMOG) gel systems sensitive to alkaline/acidic stimuli was established by employing amino acid derivatives of cholesterol as "latent" gelators, which are cholesteryl glycinate (1), cholesteryl L-alaninate, cholesteryl D-alaninate, cholesteryl L-phenyl alaninate, and cholesteryl D-phenyl alaninate. The hydrochloric salts are denoted as 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, respectively. For the 18 solvents tested, one proved to be a weak gelator and gels only two of the solvents. Its gelation ability, however, was greatly improved by bubbling HCl gas, which was produced by reaction of concentrated sulfuric acid with NaCl, through its solution owing to protonation of its amino group. It was demonstrated that the protonated form of it gelled 14 of the solvents tested. Further investigation revealed that the gels changed into solution with addition of any of the amines, including triethylamine (TEA), diethylamine, ethylenediamine, and NH3. The phase transition could be reversed by further introduction of the acidic gas. SEM measurements showed that 1 self-assembled into different supramolecular structures in different gels. Salt effect studies proved that electrostatic interaction is one of the driving forces for formation of the gels.     

A Library of Multipurpose Supramolecular Supergelators: Fabrication of Structured Silica,Porous Plastics,and Fluorescent Gels

Supramolecular gels find applications in various fields. Usually, a specific gelator is useful only for a specific application. This one‐gelator‐one‐application format is one factor that limits the usefulness of supramolecular gels. We report the synthesis of a library of gelators from a common core by using a click‐chemistry approach. Thus, the click reaction of β‐azido‐4,6‐O‐benzylidene–galactopyranoside ( 1 ) with various alkynes gave 11 different gelators having varying gelation abilities. Whereas gelators having alkyl‐chain substituents congealed alkanes and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), the gelators having aromatic substituents congealed aromatic solvents. We exploited this difference in gelling behavior in the templated synthesis of silica rods and porous plastics. The styrene gel of gelator 2 j was polymerized, and the gelator was removed by washing to obtain porous polystyrene. The TEOS gel of gelator 2 b was polymerized to silica, and the gelator template was removed by calcination to give microstructured silica rods. We also developed fluorescent gelator 2 f by this method, which might find applications by virtue of its fluorescence in the assembled state.     

基于胆固醇的新型小分子胶凝剂的合成与胶凝行为

设计合成了3种以丙二胺为连接臂(L)、苯环为A单元的A(LS)2型双胆固醇(S)类小分子胶凝剂: 化合物1(邻位), 化合物2(间位)和化合物3(对位), 考察了其在30种溶剂中的胶凝行为. 结果表明, 苯环取代位置的不同对化合物的胶凝性质有决定性影响. 就胶凝溶剂的数量来讲, 对位取代的化合物3的胶凝能力明显高于邻位和间位取代的化合物1和2. 此外, 化合物2和3可以形成5个室温胶凝体系, 且化合物3/二甲苯凝胶透明、柔韧,以至于可以形成超分子薄膜. 傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱和核磁共振氢谱(¹H NMR)研究表明, 胶凝剂分子之间的氢键和π-π堆积作用在凝胶形成过程中发挥了一定的作用. X射线衍射(XRD)研究表明在化合物1/苯凝胶中, 胶凝剂分子聚集为六方堆积结构, 进而形成贯穿整个凝胶体系的网络结构.     

Water-induced physical gelation of organic solvents by N-(n-alkylcarbamoyl)-L-alanine amphiphiles

A series of amino acid-based gelators N-(n-alkylcarbamoyl)-L-alanine were synthesized, and their gelation abilities in a series of organic solvents were tested. No gelation was observed in pure solvents employed. All the amphiphilic molecules were found to form stable organogels in the solvents in the presence of a small amount of water, methanol, or urea. The volume of solvent gelled by a given amount of the gelator was observed to depend upon the volume of added water. The gelation behavior of the amphiphiles in a given solvent containing a known volume of water was compared. The effects of chirality and substitution on the acid group on the gelation ability were examined. Although the corresponding N-(n-tetradecylcarbamoyl)-DL-alanine was found to form only weak organogel in pure solvents, the achiral amphiphilic compound N-(n-tetradecylcarbamoyl)-β-alanine, however, did not form gel in the absence of water. The methyl ester of N-(n-tetradecylcarbamoyl)-L-alanine was also observed to form gels in the same solvents, but only in the presence of water. The organogels were characterized by several techniques, including (1)H NMR, Fourier transform IR, X-ray diffraction, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The thermal and rheological properties of the organogels were studied. The mechanical strength of the organogel formed by N-(n-tetradecylcarbamoyl)-DL-alanine was observed to increase upon the addition of water. It was concluded that water-mediated intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interaction between amphiphiles caused formation of supramolecular self-assemblies.     

New bisamides gelators: relationship between chemical structure and fiber morphology

Different dialkoxybenzoic acid derivatives with identical alkyl chain lengths were synthesized and their properties as organogelators evaluated. Only the compounds bearing amide groups behave like gelators. Their gelation abilities and phase diagrams were described. A structural study was conducted by freeze-fracture electron microscopy and showed that the methyl ester formed platelet-like aggregates whereas the corresponding free acid formed thin fibers in the gel.     

Organogels with Fe(III) complexes of phosphorus-containing amphiphiles as two-component isothermal gelators

The properties of thermally reversible organogels in which the gelators consist of a phosphonic acid monoester, phosphonic acid, or phosphoric acid monoester and a ferric salt are probed by IR and NMR spectroscopies, optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, rheology, and light and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) techniques. This is one of a small number of two-component molecular gelator systems in which gelation can be induced isothermally. The data indicate that complexation between the phosphonate moieties and Fe(III) is accompanied by their in situ polymerization to form self-assembled fibrillar networks that encapsulate and immobilize macroscopically the organic liquid component. From SANS measurements, the cross-sectional radii of the cyclindrical fibers are ca. 15 A. The efficiencies of the gelators (based on the diversity of the liquids gelated, the minimum concentration of gelator required to make a gel at room temperature, and the temporal and thermal stabilities of the gels) have been determined. With a common ferric salt and liquid component, phosphonic acid monoesters are generally more efficient than phosphinic acids or phosphoric acid esters. Of the phosphonic acid monoesters, monophosphonates are better gelator components than bisphosphonates, and introduction of an omega-hydroxy group on the alkyl chain directly attached to phosphorus reduces significantly gelation ability. Several of the gels are stable for very long periods at room temperature. When heated, they revert to sols over wide temperature ranges. The structures of the gelator complexes and the mechanism of their formation and transformation to gels in selected liquids are examined as well.     

Supramolecular Synthons in Designing Low Molecular Mass Gelling Agents: L‐Amino Acid Methyl Ester Cinnamate Salts and their Anti‐Solvent‐Induced Instant Gelation

Easy access to a class of chiral gelators has been achieved by exploiting primary ammonium monocarboxylate ( PAM ), a supramolecular synthon. A combinatorial library comprising of 16 salts, derived from 5 l ‐amino acid methyl esters and 4 cinnamic acid derivatives, has been prepared and scanned for gelation. Remarkably, 14 out of 16 salts prepared (87.5 % of the salts) show moderate to good gelation abilities with various solvents, including commercial fuels, such as petrol. Anti‐solvent induced instant gelation at room temperature has been achieved in all the gelator salts, indicating that the gelation process is indeed an aborted crystallization phenomenon. Rheology, optical and scanning electron microscopy, small angle neutron scattering, and X‐ray powder diffraction have been used to characterize the gels. A structure‐property correlation has been attempted, based on these data, in addition to the single‐crystal structures of 5 gelator salts. Analysis of the FT‐IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy data reveals that some of these salts can be used as supramolecular containers for the slow release of certain pest sex pheromones. The present study clearly demonstrates the merit of crystal engineering and the supramolecular synthon approach in designing new materials with multiple properties.     

Molecular mechanism of physical gelation of hydrocarbons by fatty acid amides of natural amino acids

A variety of fatty acid amides of different naturally occurring l-amino acids have been synthesized and they are found to form gels with various hydrocarbons. The gelation properties of these compounds were studied by a number of physical methods including FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, rheology, and it was found that gelation depended critically on the fatty acid chain length and the nature of the amino acid. Among them l-alanine based gelators were found to be the most efficient and versatile gelators as they self-assemble into a layered structure to form the gel network. Mechanisms for the assembly and formation of gels from these molecules are discussed.