Host Perturbation in a β‐Hydroquinone Clathrate Studied by Combined X‐ray/Neutron Charge‐Density Analysis: Implications for Molecular Inclusion in Supramolecular Entities

X‐ray/neutron (X/N) diffraction data measured at very low temperature (15 K) in conjunction with ab initio theoretical calculations were used to model the crystal charge density (CD) of the host–guest complex of hydroquinone (HQ) and acetonitrile. Due to pseudosymmetry, information about the ordering of the acetonitrile molecules within the HQ cavities is present only in almost extinct, very weak diffraction data, which cannot be measured with sufficient accuracy even by using the brightest X‐ray and neutron sources available, and the CD model of the guest molecule was ultimately based on theoretical calculations. On the other hand, the CD of the HQ host structure is well determined by the experimental data. The neutron diffraction data provide hydrogen anisotropic thermal parameters and positions, which are important to obtain a reliable CD for this light‐atom‐only crystal. Atomic displacement parameters obtained independently from the X‐ray and neutron diffraction data show excellent agreement with a |ΔU| value of 0.00058 Ų indicating outstanding data quality. The CD and especially the derived electrostatic properties clearly reveal increased polarization of the HQ molecules in the host–guest complex compared with the HQ molecules in the empty HQ apohost crystal structure. It was found that the origin of the increased polarization is inclusion of the acetonitrile molecule, whereas the change in geometry of the HQ host structure following inclusion of the guest has very little effect on the electrostatic potential. The fact that guest inclusion has a profound effect on the electrostatic potential suggests that nonpolarizable force fields may be unsuitable for molecular dynamics simulations of host–guest interaction (e.g., in protein–drug complexes), at least for polar molecules.     

Discriminating Influence of α‐ and Methylated β‐Cyclodextrins on Complexation and Polymerization of Diacrylate and Dimethacrylate Monomers

Summary: Host‐guest complexes of α‐cyclodextrin (α‐CD) and methylated β‐cyclodextrin (Me‐β‐CD) with diacrylates and dimethacrylates of butan‐1,4‐diol and hexan‐1,6‐diol at varying stoichiometries were studied. The complexes were analyzed by means of ¹H NMR, two‐dimensional ROESY spectroscopy and Job's curves, which clearly revealed the discriminating influence of the two hosts towards complex formation. The corresponding polymers were obtained using a redox initiator system in water. Thermal analysis and IR measurements of the polymers provided evidence for the existence of a polyrotaxane architecture.

Proposed structure of the cross‐linked polymers obtained by the redox polymerization of the Me‐β‐CD complexed monomers.     

Synthesis of α‐Cyclodextrin‐Conjugated Poly(ε‐lysine)s and Their Inclusion Complexation Behavior

Novel functional polymers utilizing specific host/guest interactions were designed by introducing α‐CD host molecules into poly(ε‐lysine) chains as side groups. An interesting phase separation was observed as a result of the inclusion complexation between the polymeric host and 3‐(trimethylsilyl)propionic acid as a model guest in aqueous media. This water‐soluble polymeric host would be useful for various applications, particularly drug delivery, due to its biodegradability, low toxicity, and unique functionality represented as a complexation‐induced phase separation.     

Synthesis of α‐Dawson‐Type Silicotungstate [α‐Si2W18O62]8− and Protonation and Deprotonation Inside the Aperture through Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonds

The design of structurally well‐defined anionic molecular metal–oxygen clusters, polyoxometalates (POMs), leads to inorganic receptors with unique and tunable properties. Herein, an α‐Dawson‐type silicotungstate, TBA₈[α‐Si₂W₁₈O₆₂] ? 3 H₂O ( II ) that possesses a ?8 charge was successfully synthesized by dimerization of a trivacant lacunary α‐Keggin‐type silicotungstate TBA₄H₆[α‐SiW₉O₃₄] ? 2 H₂O ( I ) in an organic solvent. POM II could be reversibly protonated (in the presence of acid) and deprotonated (in the presence of base) inside the aperture by means of intramolecular hydrogen bonds with retention of the POM structure. In contrast, the aperture of phosphorus‐centered POM TBA₆[α‐P₂W₁₈O₆₂]?H₂O ( III ) was not protonated inside the aperture. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that the basicities and charges of internal μ₃‐oxygen atoms were increased by changing the central heteroatoms from P⁵⁺ to Si⁴⁺, thereby supporting the protonation of II . Additionally, II showed much higher catalytic performance for the Knoevenagel condensation of ethyl cyanoacetate with benzaldehyde than I and III .     

Cyclodextrins in Polymer Synthesis: Photoinitiated Free‐Radical Polymerization of N‐Isopropylacrylamide in Water Initiated by a Methylated β‐Cyclodextrin/2‐Hydroxy‐2‐methyl‐1‐phenylpropan‐1‐one Host/Guest Complex

Methylated β‐cyclodextrin (Me‐β‐CD) was used to complex a free‐radical photoinitiator, 2‐hydroxy‐2‐methyl‐1‐phenylpropan‐1‐one ( 1 ), yielding the water‐soluble 1 : 1 host/guest complex 1 a . The structure of complex 1 a was verified by means of IR, UV/vis and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The influence of Me‐β‐CD as the host on the photopolymerization kinetics of N‐isopropylacrylamide was studied. Compared to the photopolymerization carried out under nearly identical conditions but without cyclodextrin, an increase in the polymerization rate was registered in the presence of complex 1 a .     

γ‐Cyclodextrin Derivatives Bearing Thymolphthalein Dyes in Their Secondary Hydroxyl Side as Guest‐Responsive Color Change Indicators

Two geometrically isomeric γ‐cyclodextrin derivatives with a thymolphthalein moiety in the secondary hydroxyl side were prepared as guest‐responsive color change indicators. The isomers exhibit a pH dependence of their absorption spectra and a remarkable change in the absorbance around 610 nm upon guest addition. One of the isomers formed complexes of 2 : 1, the other of 1 : 1 stoichiometry (host/guest).     

The spectrophotometric study of a fluorescence‐enhanced inclusion complex threaded with β‐cyclodextrin: Synthesis and characterization

A novel achiral monomer end‐capped with a phenyl‐[1,3,4]oxadiazolyl group and threaded through β‐cyclodextrin was synthesized to investigate the host‐guest interactions in the inclusion complex. ¹H NMR studies revealed that one or two cyclodextrin molecules were threaded onto the synthesized achiral monomer, leading to the formation of a fibrous construction of self‐assembled inclusion complexes. The formation of a self‐assembled inclusion complex was identified using SEM and TEM. The highly ordered alignment of self‐assembled supramolecules was confirmed using polarized optical microscopy. We demonstrate an easy process for the fabrication of nano‐structured self‐assembled inclusion complexes in pyridine/ethanol (1 mL/10 mL) as well as the enhancement of photo‐induced fluorescence via monomers end‐capped with a phenyl‐[1,3,4]oxadiazolyl moiety threaded with β‐cyclodextrins. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 3368–3374, 2010     

An Open‐Cage Fullerene That Mimics the C60H10 (5,5)‐Carbon Nanotube Endcap to Host Acetylene and Hydrogen Cyanide Molecules

Treatment of the open‐cage fullerene C₆₃H₄NO₂(Ph)₂(Py)(N₂C₆H₄) ( 1 ) with methanol at 150 °C results in an orifice‐enlargement reaction to give C₆₉H₈NO(CO₂Me)(Ph)(Py)(N₂C₆H₄) ( 2 ). The overall yield from C₆₀ to isolated 2 is 6.1 % (four steps). Compound 2 contains a 24‐membered elliptic orifice that spans 8.45 Å along the major axis and 6.37 Å along the minor axis. The skeleton of 2 resembles the hypothetic C₆₀H₁₀ (5,5)‐carbon nanotube endcap. The cup‐shaped structure of 2 is able to include water, hydrogen cyanide, and acetylene, forming H₂O@ 2 , HCN@ 2 , and C₂H₂@ 2 , respectively. The molecular structures of H₂O@ 2 and HCN@ 2 have been determined by X‐ray crystallography. The ¹H NMR spectra reveal substantial upfield shifts for the endohedral species, such as δ=?10.30 (for H₂O), ?2.74 and ?14.26 (for C₂H₂), and ?1.22 ppm (for HCN), owing to the strong shielding effects of the fullerene cage.     

Distribution of Butane in the Host Water Cage of Structure II Clathrate Hydrates

To understand host–guest interactions of hydrocarbon clathrate hydrates, we investigated the crystal structure of simple and binary clathrate hydrates including butane (n‐C₄H₁₀ or iso‐C₄H₁₀) as the guest. Powder X‐ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis using the information on the conformation of C₄H₁₀ molecules obtained by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations was performed. It was shown that the guest n‐C₄H₁₀ molecule tends to change to the gauche conformation within host water cages. Any distortion of the large 5¹²6⁴ cage and empty 5¹² cage for the simple iso‐C₄H₁₀ hydrate was not detected, and it was revealed that dynamic disorder of iso‐C₄H₁₀ and gauche‐nC₄H₁₀ were spherically extended within the large 5¹²6⁴ cages. It was indicated that structural isomers of hydrocarbon molecules with different van der Waals diameters are enclathrated within water cages in the same way owing to conformational change and dynamic disorder of the molecules. Furthermore, these results show that the method reported herein is applicable to structure analysis of other host–guest materials including guest molecules that could change molecular conformations.     

Effect of Guest–Host Hydrogen Bonding on the Structures and Properties of Clathrate Hydrates

To provide improved understanding of guest–host interactions in clathrate hydrates, we present some correlations between guest chemical structures and observations on the corresponding hydrate properties. From these correlations it is clear that directional interactions such as hydrogen bonding between guest and host are likely, although these have been ignored to greater or lesser degrees because there has been no direct structural evidence for such interactions. For the first time, single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography has been used to detect guest–host hydrogen bonding in structure II (sII) and structure H (sH) clathrate hydrates. The clathrates studied are the tert‐butylamine (tBA) sII clathrate with H₂S/Xe help gases and the pinacolone + H₂S binary sH clathrate. X‐ray structural analysis shows that the tBA nitrogen atom lies at a distance of 2.64 Å from the closest clathrate hydrate water oxygen atom, whereas the pinacolone oxygen atom is determined to lie at a distance of 2.96 Å from the closest water oxygen atom. These distances are compatible with guest–water hydrogen bonding. Results of molecular dynamics simulations on these systems are consistent with the X‐ray crystallographic observations. The tBA guest shows long‐lived guest–host hydrogen bonding with the nitrogen atom tethered to a water HO group that rotates towards the cage center to face the guest nitrogen atom. Pinacolone forms thermally activated guest–host hydrogen bonds with the lattice water molecules; these have been studied for temperatures in the range of 100–250 K. Guest–host hydrogen bonding leads to the formation of Bjerrum L‐defects in the clathrate water lattice between two adjacent water molecules, and these are implicated in the stabilities of the hydrate lattices, the water dynamics, and the dielectric properties. The reported stable hydrogen‐bonded guest–host structures also tend to blur the longstanding distinction between true clathrates and semiclathrates.     

Cucurbit[7]uril: A High‐Affinity Host for Encapsulation of Amino Saccharides and Supramolecular Stabilization of Their α‐Anomers in Water

Cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]), an uncharged and water‐soluble macrocyclic host, binds protonated amino saccharides (D ‐glucosamine, D ‐galactosamine, D ‐mannosamine and 6‐amino‐6‐deoxy‐D ‐glucose) with excellent affinity (K_a=10³ to 10⁴ M ^?1). The host–guest complexation was confirmed by NMR spectroscopy, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), and MALDI‐TOF mass spectral analyses. NMR analyses revealed that the amino saccharides, except D ‐mannosamine, are bound as α‐anomers within the CB[7] cavity. ITC analyses reveal that CB[7] has excellent affinity for binding amino saccharides in water. The maximum affinity was observed for D ‐galactosamine hydrochloride (K_a=1.6×10⁴ M ^?1). Such a strong affinity for any saccharide in water using a synthetic receptor is unprecedented, as is the supramolecular stabilization of an α‐anomer by the host.     

Cyclopolymerization of α,ω‐heterodifunctional monomers containing styrene and maleimide moieties

A series of α,ω‐heterodifunctional monomers with styrene (St) and maleimide moieties bridged by a varied length of oligo‐ethylene glycol (OEG) linkers were synthesized. Cyclopolymerizations of these monomers through reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer‐mediated alternating radical copolymerization between intramolecular St and maleimide moieties were investigated. For the monomers with three or more ethylene glycol (EG) units, their cyclopolymerizations can be realized properly in low monomer feeding concentrations, affording well‐defined cyclopolymers with crown ether encircled in their main chains. Importantly, the cyclopolymerizations of monomers with six or seven EG units in the presence of KPF₆ could be enhanced by the supramolecular effects between the OEG linkers and the potassium metal ion. Thus, the monomer feeding concentration could be largely improved, which may benefit preparation of the cyclopolymers with high degrees of copolymerization. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 330–338     

Improvement in Hydrogen Desorption from β‐ and γ‐MgH2 upon Transition‐Metal Doping

A thorough study of the structural, electronic, and hydrogen‐desorption properties of β‐ and γ‐MgH₂ phases substituted by selected transition metals (TMs) is performed through first‐principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). The TMs considered herein include Sc, V, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Y, Zr, and Nb, which substitute for Mg at a doping concentration of 3.125 % in both the hydrides. This insertion of TMs causes a variation in the cell volumes of β‐ and γ‐MgH₂. The majority of the TM dopants decrease the lattice constants, with Ni resulting in the largest reduction. From the formation‐energy calculations, it is predicted that except for Cu and Ni, the mixing of all the selected TM dopants with the MgH₂ phases is exothermic. The selected TMs also influence the stability of both β‐ and γ‐MgH₂ and cause destabilization by weakening the Mg?H bonds. Our results show that doping with certain TMs can facilitate desorption of hydrogen from β‐ and γ‐MgH₂ at much lower temperatures than from their pure forms. The hydrogen adsorption strengths are also studied by density‐of‐states analysis.     

Aqueous Anion Receptors through Reduction of Subcomponent Self‐Assembled Structures

To prepare new functional covalent architectures that are difficult to synthesize using conventional organic methods, we developed a strategy that employs metal–organic assemblies as precursors, which are then reduced and demetalated. The host–guest chemistry of the larger receptor thus prepared was studied using NMR spectroscopy and fluorescence experiments. This host was observed to strongly bind aromatic polyanions in water, including the fluorescent dye molecule pyranine with nanomolar affinity, thus allowing for the design of an indicator‐displacement assay.