Chiral poly(ureidophthalimide) foldamers in water

Poly(ureidophthalimide)s decorated with hydrophilic side chains, that ensure solubility in aqueous media, have been synthesized and characterized by UV/Vis and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Temperature and concentration dependent CD measurements in water have revealed an almost temperature and concentration independent Cotton effect, indicative for a strong intramolecular organization. Similar studies in THF demonstrate the dynamic nature of the secondary architecture, a characteristic of foldamers. In addition, the bisignated Cotton effect in water is opposite in sign to that in THF, suggestive for a solvent-dependent preference for one helical handedness. Mixing experiments prove the dominance of water in determining the handedness of the helical architecture. The solvent allows for control over the helical architecture and thus governs the supramolecular synthesis.     

Induced helix of 2-(2-aminophenoxy)alkanoic acid oligomers as a δ-peptidomimetic foldamer

Peptidomimetic foldamers were synthesized by oligomerizing derivatives of the δ-amino acid analogue, 2-(2-aminophenoxy)alkanoic acid. Single-crystal analysis of the tetramer reveals a 2₁-helical secondary structure stabilized by hydrogen bonding and the coiled stacking of aromatic rings. The M-helicity of 2-aminophenoxyacetic acid oligomers was induced by the incorporation of only a single chiral carbon of the N-terminal (R)-2-(2-nitrophenoxy)propionamide moiety. The solution state CD spectra demonstrated that the resulting helix induced a substantial Cotton effect. The secondary structure was further characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy.     

Effect of solvent on the lithium-bromine exchange of aryl bromides: reactions of n-butyllithium and tert-butyllithium with 1-bromo-4-tert-butylbenzene at 0 degrees C

The outcome of reactions of 1-bromo-4-tert-butylbenzene (1), a representative aryl bromide, with n-BuLi or t-BuLi at 0 degrees C in a variety of solvent systems has been investigated. The products of reactions of 1 with n-BuLi vary significantly with changes in solvent composition: 1 does not react with n-BuLi in pure heptane; the exchange reaction to give (4-tert-butylphenyl)lithium, which is slow in pure diethyl ether, is virtually quantitative in heptane containing a small quantity of THF; and the reaction of 1 with n-BuLi in THF leads to considerable coupling. Lithium-bromine exchange is the virtually exclusive outcome of reactions of 1 with t-BuLi in every solvent studied except pure heptane: the presence of a small quantity of any of a variety of structurally diverse ethers (Et(2)O, THF, THP, MTBE) in the predominantly hydrocarbon medium affords (4-tert-butylphenyl)lithium, assayed as tert-butylbenzene, in yields exceeding 97%. The only side products observed from reactions of 1 with t-BuLi are small amounts of benzyne-derived hydrocarbons.     

Anion-directed self-assembly of coordination polymer into tunable secondary structure

A bent-shaped bipyridine ligand containing a dendritic aliphatic side chain has been synthesized as a ligand and complexed with silver ion through a self-assembling process. The resulting complexes were observed to self-assemble into supramolecular structures that differ significantly as a function of the counteranion size in the solid state, as confirmed by 1-D and 2-D X-ray diffraction experiments. The secondary structure of a cationic coordination chain appears to be dependent on the size of the counteranion. As the size of anion increases, the secondary structure of the coordination chain changes, from a helical chain, via a dimeric cycle, to a zigzag chain in the solid state. Interestingly, dilute solutions of the complexes exhibiting a columnar structure in polar solvents undergo spontaneous gelation and the resulting gels display a significant Cotton effect in the chromophore of the aromatic unit. These results represent a significant example that small variation in the anion size can provide a useful strategy to manipulate the secondary structure of linear chain and thereby solid-state supramolecular structure.     

Dendrimer-influenced supramolecular structure formation of block copolymers

The water content-dependent supramolecular structure formation of polystyrene-block-poly(acrylic acid) (PS-b-PAA) copolymer in the presence of a fourth-generation amine-terminated poly(amido amine) dendrimer (PAMAM) is investigated by dynamic light scattering, turbidity measurements, and transmission electron microscopy. The solvent system for this study is a mixture of dioxane/THF and water. A very complex turbidity profile is observed with increasing water content in the system and is explained by the presence of various aggregated structures based on strong interactions between the amine-containing dendrimers and the poly(acrylic acid) blocks of the polymer. The onset of the self-assembly of single chains of PS-b-PAA (primary structure) into single and multiple dendrimer core inverse micelles (secondary structure) is detected as very low water contents of cw < 2% wt (cwc). These micelles consist of dendrimers coated with PAA blocks, which are connected to the corresponding PS chains that form the corona. Further addition of water leads to an association of these micelles into compound multiple dendrimer core inverse micelles (tertiary structure) in the range of cw = approximately 6 to approximately 10% wt. At still higher water content, some of the acrylic acid chains of the block copolymer move from the vicinity of the dendrimer to the outside of the aggregates, resulting in a decrease in the size of the formed structures and the acquisition of progressively increasing hydrophilic character of the aggregates. Multiple dendrimer core inverse onion micelles are formed, which agglomerate into compound multiple dendrimer core inverse onion micelles at cw = approximately 12 to approximately 18% wt. Above this water content, vesicular structures are formed. The complexity is unusual for block copolymer systems and illustrates the importance of strong interactions in structure formation.     

Finely Controlled Circularly Polarized Luminescence of a Mechano‐Responsive Supramolecular Polymer

Finely controlled circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) supramolecular polymerization based on a tetraphenylethene core with four l ‐ or d ‐alanine branch side chains (l ‐ 1 and d ‐ 1 ) in the solution state is presented, resulting from the tuning of mechanical stimulus. Weak, green emissions of l ‐ 1 and d ‐ 1 in tetrahydrofuran (THF) were converted into strong blue emissions by tuning the mechanical stimulus. The strong blue emissions were caused by an aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) effect during the formation of a supramolecular polymer. Lag time in the supramolecular polymerization was drastically reduced by the mechanical stimulus, which was indicative of the acceleration of the supramolecular polymerization. A significant enhancement of circular dichroism (CD) and CPL signals of l ‐ 1 and d ‐ 1 was observed by tuning the rotational speed of the mechanical stimulus, implying that the chiral supramolecular polymerization was accelerated by the mechanical stimulus.     

Helical self-organization and hierarchical self-assembly of an oligoheterocyclic pyridine-pyridazine strand into extended supramolecular fibers

The synthesis and characterization of an alternating pyridine-pyridazine strand comprising thirteen heterocycles are described. Spontaneous folding into a helical secondary structure is based on a general molecular self-organization process enforced by the conformational information encoded within the primary structure of the molecular strand itself. Conformational control based on heterocyclic "helicity codons" illustrates a strategy for designing folding properties into synthetic oligomers (foldamers). Strong intermolecular interactions of the highly ordered lock-washer subunits of compound 3 results in hierarchical supramolecular self-assembly into protofibrils and fibrils. Compound 3 also forms mechanically stable two-dimensional Langmuir-Blodgett and cast thin films.     

Porphyrin-carborane organometallic assemblies based on 1, 2-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane (12) ligands

The assembly of soluble, air-stable, supramolecular structures {(Zn-TPyP)[Cp*Ir{S2C2(B10H10)}]4(THF)2}(2), {(Cu-TPyP)[Cp*Ir{S2C2(B10H10)}]4(THF)2}(3) and {(Zn-TPyP)[Cp*Ir{S2C2(B10H10)}]2.6(CHCl3)}n (4), based on metal-containing moieties [Cp*Ir{S2C2(B10H10)}] (1) bridged by nitrogen-based organic spacers, are described.     

Chiral supramolecular polymers formed by host-guest interactions

alpha-Cyclodextrin with a p-t-butoxyaminocinnamoylamino group in the 3-position (3-p-(t)()BocCiNH-alpha-CD) has been found to form a supramolecular polymer in an aqueous solution. The degree of polymerization of the supramolecular polymer is higher than 15 at 20 mM, as proved by VPO (vapor pressure osmometry) measurements and turbo ion spray TOF MS measurements. The existence of substitution/substitution interactions between adjacent monomers of the supramolecular polymer have been confirmed by the observation of positive and negative Cotton bands in circular dichroism spectra. The mechanism for the induction of the chirality was confirmed using model compounds. The substituents were found to exist as a left-handed anti configuration in supramolecular polymers. The supramolecular polymer was found to take a helical structure. The structure of the supramolecular polymer was observed by STM measurements.     

Synthesis, redox, and magnetic properties of a neutral, mixed-valent heptanuclear manganese wheel with S = 27/2 high-spin ground state

Reaction of lithium tetrachloromanganate(II) with N-n-butyldiethanolamine H2L3 (3) in the presence of LiH leads to the formation of wheel-shaped, mixed-valent heptanuclear, neutral complex {MnII subset[MnII2MnIII4Cl6(L3)6]} (4). The manganese wheel crystallizes in the triclinic space group P as 4.2CHCl3 or 4.3THF when either diethyl ether or n-pentane was allowed to diffuse into solutions of 4 in chloroform or tetrahydrofuran. The oxidation states of each manganese ion in 4.2CHCl3 or 4.3THF were assigned on the basis of detailed symmetry, bond length, and charge considerations, as well as by the Jahn-Teller axial elongation observed for the manganese(III) ions, and were further supported by cyclic voltammetry. The analysis of the SQUID magnetic susceptibility data for complex 4.2CHCl3 showed that the intramolecular magnetic coupling of the manganese(II,III) ions is dominated by ferromagnetic exchange interactions. This results in an S = 27/2 ground-state multiplet at low magnetic field. At fields higher than 0.68 T, the energetically lowest state is given by the mS = 31/2 component of the S = 31/2 multiplet due to the Zeeman effect. The ligand-field-splitting parameters were determined by anisotropy SQUID measurements on single crystalline samples along the crystallographic x, y, and z axes (D = -0.055 K, E = 6.6 mK) and by high-frequency electron spin resonance measurements on a polycrystalline powder of 4.2CHCl3 (D = -0.068 K, E = 9.7 mK). The resulting barrier height for magnetization reversal amounts to U approximately 10 K. Finally, 2DEG Hall magnetization measurements revealed that 4.2CHCl3 shows single-molecule magnet behavior up to the blocking temperature of about 0.6 K with closely spaced steps in the hysteresis because of the quantum tunneling of the magnetization.     

Helical peptoid mimics of lung surfactant protein C

Among the families of peptidomimetic foldamers under development as novel biomaterials and therapeutics, poly-N-substituted glycines (peptoids) with alpha-chiral side chains are of particular interest for their ability to adopt stable, helical secondary structure in organic and aqueous solution. Here, we show that a peptoid 22-mer with a biomimetic sequence of side chains and an amphipathic, helical secondary structure acts as an excellent mimic of surfactant protein C (SP-C), a small protein that plays an important role in surfactant replacement therapy for the treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. When integrated into a lipid film, the helical peptoid SP mimic captures the essential surface-active behaviors of the natural protein. This work provides an example of how an abiological oligomer that closely mimics both the hydrophobic/polar sequence patterning and the fold of a natural protein can also mimic its biophysical function.     

苯基(苯乙炔基)对甲苯磺酸碘(Ⅲ)的应用──5-烃基-5-苯乙炔基丙二酸亚异丙酯的合成

近年来，随着元素周期表中第VA，VIA族元素有机化合物在合成中得到了广泛的应用，激起人们对有机高价碘化物在合成中应用的兴趣［’－‘j．苯基（快基）碘盐（1）是具有多个亲电中心的化合物，在不同亲核试剂的作用下，分子中有3个部位可受到进攻［‘”j．由于通常的炔基卤化物对许多条核试剂的反应比较惰性，或者产物较为复杂，在合成上的应用受到限制．而化合物1作为快基的阳离子等效体的反应在会成上则很有价值＊，。‘．5一烃基丙二酸亚异丙酯在有机合成中是具有多种反应性能的试剂，同时又是许多热解反应的有效前体．至今，有关5一取…     

甲壳素类液晶高分子的研究Ⅶ.N,O-苄基壳聚糖的胆甾螺旋行为

N ,O-苄基壳聚糖在浓溶液中形成胆甾液晶相 .用圆偏光二向色性谱 (CD)研究了这一聚合物的螺旋行为 ,主要包括螺距和螺旋方向 .浓度越高 ,螺距P越大 ,意味着胆甾相的扭转力随浓度增加而减弱 .CD谱图上观测到两类吸收 ,即在 5 70nm附近较宽但较强的吸收和 330nm附近较尖但较弱的吸收 .前者归属于胆甾相层片的超分子螺旋构象 ,而后者可以归属于分子链的螺旋构象 .改变浓度或溶剂性质时这两个层次的构象都会发生符号的变化 .提高浓度 (固定二氧六环为溶剂 )时两种螺旋结构先后发生反转 .以氯仿为溶剂 (固定浓度为 6 5 % )时两种螺旋结构均为左旋 (正Cotton效应 ) ,但二氧六环和四氢呋喃为溶剂时均变为右旋 (负Cotton效应 ) .溶剂的影响可能与溶剂和高分子间形成氢键的能力有关     

Phenylene Ethynylene‐Tethered Perylene Bisimide Folda‐Dimer and Folda‐Trimer: Investigations on Folding Features in Ground and Excited States

In this work, we have elucidated in detail the folding properties of two perylene bisimide (PBI) foldamers composed of two and three PBI units, respectively, attached to a phenylene ethynylene backbone. The folding behaviors of these new PBI folda‐dimer and trimer have been studied by solvent‐dependent UV/Vis absorption and 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, revealing facile folding of both systems in tetrahydrofuran (THF). In CHCl₃ the dimer exists in extended (unfolded) conformation, whereas partially folded conformations are observed in the trimer. Temperature‐dependent ¹H NMR spectroscopic studies in [D₈]THF revealed intramolecular dynamic processes for both PBI foldamers due to, on the one hand, hindered rotation around C?N imide bonds and, on the other hand, backbone flapping; the latter process being energetically more demanding as it was observed only at elevated temperature. The structural features of folded conformations of the dimer and trimer have been elucidated by different 2D‐NMR spectroscopy (e.g., ROESY and DOSY) in [D₈]THF. The energetics of folding processes for the PBI dimer and trimer have been assessed by calculations applying various methods, particularly the semiempirical PM6‐DH2 and the more sophisticated B97D approach, in which relevant dispersion corrections are included. These calculations corroborate the results of NMR spectroscopic studies. Folding features in the excited states of these PBI foldamers have been characterized by using time‐resolved fluorescence and transient absorption spectroscopy in THF and CHCl₃, exhibiting similar solvent‐dependent behavior as observed for the ground state. Interestingly, photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process from electron‐donating backbone to electron‐deficient PBI core for extended, but not for folded, conformations was observed, which can be explained by a fast relaxation of excited PBI stacks in the folded conformation into fluorescent excimer states.     

Supramolecular control over donor-acceptor photoinduced charge separation

A novel donor-bridge-acceptor system has been synthesized by covalently linking a p-phenylene vinylene oligomer (OPV) and a perylene diimid (PERY) at opposite ends of a m-phenylene ethynylene oligomer (FOLD) of twelve phenyl rings, containing nonpolar (S)-3,7-dimethyl-1-octanoxy side chains. For comparison, model compounds have been prepared in which either the donor or acceptor is absent. In chloroform, the oligomeric bridge is in a random coil conformation. Upon addition of an apolar solvent (heptane) the oligomeric bridge first folds into a helical stack and subsequently intermolecular self-assembly of the stacks into columnar architectures occurs. Photoexcitation in the random coil conformation, where the interaction between the donor and acceptor chromophores is small, results only in long-range intramolecular energy transfer in which the OPV singlet-excited state is transformed into the PERY singlet-excited state. In the folded conformation of the bridge, donor and acceptor are closer and their enhanced interaction favors the formation the OPV(*)(+)-FOLD-PERY(*)(-) charge-separated state upon photoexcitation. As a result, the extent of photoinduced charge separation depends on the degree of folding of the bridge between donor and acceptor and therefore on the apolar nature of the medium. As a consequence, and contrary to conventional photoinduced charge separation processes, the formation of the OPV(*)(+)-FOLD-PERY(*)(-) charge-separated state is more favored in apolar media.     

Supramolecular chirogenesis in bis(zinc porphyrin): An absolute configuration probe highly sensitive to guest structure

The role of the ligand's structure and absolute configuration in the supramolecular chirality induction in achiral bis(zinc porphyrin) has been studied. The amines with bulkier substituents resulted in stronger CD signals due to increased helical displacement in the anti conformer. All the amines with an R absolute configuration gave a negative first Cotton effect and positive second Cotton effect, while the ligands with an S absolute configuration produced CD signals with opposite signs due to formation of the left- and right-handed screw diastereomers, respectively.     

Effect of chloroform on complexation and chiral aggregation of bilirubin-bovine serum albumin at heptane/water interface

The effect of chloroform on the chiroselective reaction between bilirubin (BR) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) at the interface between a heptane phase (including CHCl(3)) and an aqueous phase was investigated by means of the absorption and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies combined with a centrifugal liquid membrane (CLM) method, and a CLM microscopic fluorescence spectroscopy as well. The observed absorption, CD and fluorescence spectra disclosed the interfacial complexation process of BR with BSA for the first time, suggesting further aggregation of the BR-BSA complex at the interface. It was noticed more that, due to the formation of the chiral aggregates of BR-BSA complex, the interfacial CD signal of M(-) conformation of BR was appeared gradually. However, higher content of CHCl(3) in the organic phase, resulting in the increase in fluorescence intensity, evidently affected the formation of the aggregates of the complex at the interface. The addition of extra CHCl(3) to the interfacial aggregates induced temporal inversion of CD sign of BR, which should be caused by the local structural change of BSA brought about by the specific solvation of CHCl(3).     

Extraordinarily robust polyproline type I peptoid helices generated via the incorporation of α-chiral aromatic N-1-naphthylethyl side chains

Peptoids, or oligomers of N-substituted glycines, are a class of foldamers that have shown extraordinary functional potential since their inception nearly two decades ago. However, the generation of well-defined peptoid secondary structures remains a difficult task. This challenge is due, in part, to the lack of a thorough understanding of peptoid sequence-structure relationships and, consequently, an incomplete understanding of the peptoid folding process. We seek to delineate sequence-structure relationships through the systematic study of noncovalent interactions in peptoids and the design of novel amide side chains capable of such interactions. Herein, we report the synthesis and detailed structural analysis of a series of (S)-N-(1-naphthylethyl)glycine (Ns1npe) peptoid homo-oligomers by X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Four of these peptoids were found to adopt well-defined structures in the solid state, with dihedral angles similar to those observed in polyproline type I (PPI) peptide helices and in peptoids with α-chiral side chains. The X-ray crystal structure of a representative Ns1npe tetramer revealed an all cis-amide helix, with approximately three residues per turn, and a helical pitch of approximately 6.0 ?. 2D-NMR analysis of the length-dependent Ns1npe series showed that these peptoids have very high overall backbone amide K(cis/trans) values in acetonitrile, indicative of conformationally homogeneous structures in solution. Additionally, CD spectroscopy studies of the Ns1npe homo-oligomers in acetonitrile and methanol revealed a striking length-dependent increase in ellipticity per amide. These Ns1npe helices represent the most robust peptoid helices to be reported, and the incorporation of (S)-N-(1-naphthylethyl)glycines provides a new approach for the generation of stable helical structure in this important class of foldamers.     

Mimicking helical antibacterial peptides with nonpeptidic folding oligomers

Unnatural oligomeric scaffolds designed to adopt defined secondary structures (e.g., helices), while retaining the chemical diversity of amino acid side chains, are of practical value to elaborate functional mimetics of bioactive alpha-polypeptides. Enantiopure N,N'-linked oligoureas as short as seven residues long have been previously shown to fold into a stable helical structure, stabilized by 12- and 14-membered H-bonded rings. We now report that eight-residue oligoureas designed to mimic globally amphiphilic alpha-helical host-defense peptides are effective against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria (including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus [MRSA]) and exhibit selectivity for bacterial versus mammalian cells. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy studies suggest enhanced helical propensity of oligoureas in the presence of phospholipid vesicles. The utility of this new class of nonpeptidic foldamers for biological applications is highlighted by high resistance to proteolytic degradation.     

Enthalpies of formation of primary, secondary, and tertiary amineborane adducts in tetrahydrofuran solution

The enthalpies of solution of primary, secondary, and tertiary amines in THF were determined from calorimetric experiments for five primary, five secondary, and three tertiary amines. The enthalpies of formation of amineborane adducts from borane and the corresponding amines in THF solution were also determined. The differences in adduct formation enthalpies from borane and the corresponding amines can be explained by taking into account steric effects and the chain length of the substituents on the amine. In general, as the alkyl chain length, branching, or the number of chains increases, the formation enthalpy of amineborane adducts is less exothermic. That is to say, the steric effect is more important in tertiary and secondary amines than in primary ones. The enthalpy of solution of linear primary amines in THF was more endothermic as the alkyl chain increased and a similar behavior was observed with linear secondary and tertiary ones. An analysis is made of the amine structural factors which affect the amineborane adduct formation.