Exohedral functionalization of fullerenes and supramolecular chemistry

We have investigated the exohedral functionalization of [60]fullerene, especially bisaddition; we have revealed the regioselectivity of bisaddition and the properties of obtained bisadducts. The bisaddition without any restriction generally shows low regioselectivity. The electronic and photophysical properties of bisadducts mainly depend on the addition patterns and are almost independent of the nature of addends. We have also attained the regioselective synthesis of bisadducts by controlling the distance and orientation between two reactive species with suitable covalent templates and their application into some functional materials. The synthesis of fullerene‐containing interlocked molecules, such as catenanes and rotaxanes, was accomplished by using a noncovalent interaction, mainly a donor‐acceptor interaction, in addition to the covalent functionalization. The bistable rotaxanes, which can serve as a molecular shuttle or switch, were also successfully prepared. DOI 10.1002/tcr.201000036     

Novel triptycene-derived hosts: synthesis and their applications in supramolecular chemistry

The development of new classes of macrocyclic hosts has always been one of the most important topics in supramolecular chemistry. During the past several years, based on the triptycene with unique three-dimensional rigid structure, several different kinds of novel triptycene-derived hosts including triptycene-derived cylindrical macrotricyclic polyether, triptycene-derived tris(crown ether)s, triptycene-derived molecular tweezers, triptycene-derived calixarenes, triptycene-derived heterocalixarenes, triptycene-derived tetralactam macrocycles and molecular cage have been designed and synthesized. Then, by exploring the applications of some of the triptycene derived hosts in molecular recognition and molecular assemblies, a series of new supramolecular systems with specific structures and properties have been developed. This feature article highlights our recent advances in the synthesis of triptycene-derived hosts and their applications in supramolecular chemistry.     

Emergences of supramolecular chemistry: from supramolecular chemistry to supramolecular science

We describe the field of supramolecular chemistry as a consequence of the progress of chemistry from its premises to recent achievements. Supramolecular chemistry has been claimed to be an emergent field of research taking its roots in chemistry. According to the definitions of emergences related to hierarchy or more recently to scope, supramolecular chemistry is shown to have bottom-up or top-down emergences. The bottom-up emergence, directly related to hierarchy by definition, opens up the world of nanochemistry and nanomaterials while the top-down one, attributable to scope due to the implication of supramolecular chemistry in other fields of research, open the world of supramolecular biochemistry. Both emergences lead supramolecular chemistry to become a supramolecular science. Combining supramolecular chemistry with biology opens new direction in the study of life and it origin.     

Wraparound hosts for fullerenes: tailored macrocycles and cages

Custom-made macrocyclic receptors for fullerenes are proving a valuable alternative to achieve the affinity and selectivity required to meet challenges such as the selective extraction of higher fullerenes, their chiral resolution, or the self-assembly of functional molecular materials. In this Minireview, we highlight some of the important breakthroughs that this class of fullerene hosts has already produced.     

Spin-labelled cyclodextrins as hosts for large supramolecular assemblies

EPR spectroscopy was used to study formation of inclusion complexes of monofunctionalised spin-labelled beta-cyclodextrins; this method is very sensitive to the interactions of cyclodextrins with large guest molecules.     

3]rotaxane-porphyrin conjugate as a novel supramolecular host for fullerenes

A new supramolecular host with good affinity toward fullerenes has been developed. This host having a tweezer-like shape is built on a [3]rotaxane scaffold and contains two free-base porphyrin moieties as recognition units for fullerenes. The ability of this tweezer to bind fullerenes strongly depends on the solvent system used and the size of fullerene.     

Main group supramolecular chemistry

Metal directed self-assembly has yielded a wide array of two- and three-dimensional structures with fascinating new chemical properties. These structures have typically been prepared utilizing transition metals as directing units, owing to the well-defined coordination preferences these metals exhibit. An area of growing research interest involves the preparation of structures containing main group elements as directing units. This tutorial review surveys the wide range of structure types available through this approach, specifically covering unique structure types accessible from the unusual coordination geometries often exhibited by the elements in Groups 12-17 of the periodic table. This review should be of interest to supramolecular and main group chemists, and researchers in the fields of crystal engineering, host-guest chemistry, and molecular recognition.     

超分子化学发展简介

本文综述了超分子化学的定义 , 范围及内容. 着重介绍了分子识别, 分子自组装, 超分子催化, 超分子器件及超分子材料等概念. 对由此可能形成的新的前沿科学如分子电子学, 分子离子学, 分子光子学及超分子工艺学等作了扼要介绍 .     

Emerging supramolecular chemistry of gases

Molecular recognition of gases is an emerging area of chemistry. Supramolecular chemistry helps us to understand how gases interact with biological molecules and offers delicate insights into the mechanisms of their physiological activity. Principles of molecular recognition have been used for gas sensing, and have provided fundamental knowledge about the structure and dynamics of receptor-analyte complexes, and novel materials for gas sensing and storage have been developed. Supramolecular chemistry is also enabling us to learn how to transform gases into synthetically useful reagents. The rational design of novel catalysts for gas conversion and, more recently, encapsulation complexes with gases open novel directions in preparative synthetic chemistry.     

New strapped porphyrins as hosts for fullerenes: synthesis and complexation study

New strapped porphyrin-based hosts with different π-conjugated moieties and linkers have been prepared and their ability to bind with fullerenes was studied in dilute solution. We found that the ability of these hosts to bind with fullerenes strongly depends on their chemical nature and more precisely on the substitution pattern of the porphyrin deck. As expected, the more electron-rich hosts containing either an exTTF or a porphyrin unit as the strap bind fullerenes more efficiently with association constants of up to 3.9 × 10(5) M(-1). The results clearly demonstrate the potential of such hosts as a supramolecular scaffold for surface immobilization of pristine fullerenes.     

From supramolecular chemistry towards constitutional dynamic chemistry and adaptive chemistry

Supramolecular chemistry has developed over the last forty years as chemistry beyond the molecule. Starting with the investigation of the basis of molecular recognition, it has explored the implementation of molecular information in the programming of chemical systems towards self-organisation processes, that may occur either on the basis of design or with selection of their components. Supramolecular entities are by nature constitutionally dynamic by virtue of the lability of non-covalent interactions. Importing such features into molecular chemistry, through the introduction of reversible bonds into molecules, leads to the emergence of a constitutional dynamic chemistry, covering both the molecular and supramolecular levels. It considers chemical objects and systems capable of responding to external solicitations by modification of their constitution through component exchange or reorganisation. It thus opens the way towards an adaptive and evolutive chemistry, a further step towards the chemistry of complex matter.     

Nanochannels: hosts for the supramolecular organization of molecules and complexes

Nanochannels have been used as hosts for supramolecular organization for a large variety of guests. The possibilities for building complex structures based on 2D and especially 3D nanochannel hosts are larger than those based on 1D nanochannel hosts. The latter are, however, easier to understand and to control. They still give rise to a rich world of fascinating objects with very distinguished properties. Important changes are observed if the channel diameter becomes smaller than 10 nm. The most advanced guest-nanochannel composites have been synthesized with nanochannels bearing a diameter of about 1 nm. Impressive complexity has been achieved by interfacing these composites with other objects and by assembling them into specific structures. This is explained in detail. Guest-nanochannel composites that absorb all light in the right wavelength range and transfer the electronic excitation energy via FRET to well-positioned acceptors offer a unique potential for developing FRET-sensitized solar cells, luminescent solar concentrators, color-changing media, and devices for sensing in analytical chemistry, biology, and diagnostics. Successful 1D nanochannel hosts for synthesizing guest-host composites have been zeolite-based. Among them the largest variety of guest-zeolite composites with appealing photochemical, photophysical, and optical properties has been prepared by using zeolite L (ZL) as a host. The reasons are the various possibilities for fine tuning the size and morphology of the particles, for inserting neutral molecules and cations, and for preparing rare earth complexes inside by means of the ship-in-a-bottle procedure. An important fact is that the channel entrances of ZL-based composites can be functonalized and completely blocked, if desired, and furthermore that targeted functionalization of the coat is possible. Different degrees of organizational levels and prospects for applications are discussed, with special emphasis on solar energy conversion devices.     

Halogen bonding in supramolecular chemistry

Halogen bonding is the noncovalent interaction where halogen atoms function as electrophilic species. The energetic and geometrical features of the interaction are described along with the atomic characteristics that confer molecules with the specific ability to interact through this interaction. Halogen bonding has an impact on all research fields where the control of intermolecular recognition and self-assembly processes plays a key role. Some principles are presented for crystal engineering based on halogen-bonding interactions. The potential of the interaction is also shown by applications in liquid crystals, magnetic and conducting materials, and biological systems.     

Carbon dioxide and supramolecular chemistry

Concepts and techniques of supramolecular chemistry are applied to the century-old chemistry between CO2 and amines to design novel sensing systems and nanoscale, self-assembling polymeric materials and networks.     

Physical chemistry of supramolecular polymer networks

Supramolecular polymer networks are three-dimensional structures of crosslinked macromolecules connected by transient, non-covalent bonds; they are a fascinating class of soft materials, exhibiting properties such as stimuli-responsiveness, self-healing, and shape-memory. This critical review summarizes the current state of the art in the physical-chemical characterization of supramolecular networks and relates this knowledge to that about classical, covalently jointed and crosslinked networks. We present a separate focus on the formation, the structure, the dynamics, and the mechanics of both permanent chemical and transient supramolecular networks. Particular emphasis is placed on features such as the formation and the effect of network inhomogeneities, the manifestation of the crosslink relaxation dynamics in the macroscopic sample behavior, and the applicability of concepts developed for classical polymer melts, solutions, and networks such as the reptation model and the principle of time-temperature superposition (263 references).