Bidentate Boron Lewis Acids: Selectivity in Host–Guest Complex Formation

Bidentate boron Lewis acids based on 1,8‐diethynylanthracene were synthesised in two steps by initial stannylation of the terminal alkynes and subsequent tin–boron exchange with different chloroboranes. The reactions were very selective, and the target compounds were obtained in high purity and good to excellent yields. Complexation experiments of 1,8‐bis[(diphenylboranyl)ethynyl]anthracene with nitrogen bases (pyridine, pyrimidine, TMEDA) afforded three stable adducts, which were structurally characterised by X‐ray diffraction. Competition experiments demonstrated the selective exchange of guests, and quantum‐chemical calculations provided information on their energetics. NMR experiments at low temperature gave insight into the dynamic behaviour of the TMEDA adduct.     

Tailored Host–Guest Lipidic Cubic Phases: A Protocell Model Exhibiting Nucleic Acid Recognition

A classical conundrum in origin‐of‐life studies relates to the nature of the first chemical system: was it a carrier of genetic information or a facilitator of cellular compartmentalization? Here we present a system composed of tailor‐made nucleolipids and hydrated monoolein, which assemble at ambient temperatures to form host–guest lipidic cubic phase (LCP) materials that are stable in bulk water and can perform both functions. As such, they may represent a molecular model for a protocell in origin‐of‐life studies. Nucleolipids within the lipidic material sequester and bind selectively complementary oligonucleotide sequences from solution by virtue of base‐pairing; noncomplementary sequences diffuse freely between the LCP material and the bulk aqueous environment. Sequence specific enrichment of nucleic acids within the LCP material demonstrates an effective mechanism for selection of genetic material in these cell‐mimetic systems.     

A Host–Guest Supramolecular Complex with Photoregulated Delivery of Nitric Oxide and Fluorescence Imaging Capacity in Cancer Cells

Herein we report the design, preparation, and properties of a supramolecular system based on a tailored nitric oxide (NO) photodonor and a rhodamine‐labeled β‐cyclodextrin conjugate. The combination of spectroscopic and photochemical experiments shows the absence of significant interchromophoric interactions between the host and the guest in the excited states. As a result, the complex is able to release NO under the exclusive control of visible light, as unambiguously demonstrated by direct detection of this transient species through an amperometric technique, and exhibits the typical red fluorescence of the rhodamine appendage. The supramolecular complex effectively internalizes in HeLa cancer cells as proven by fluorescence microscopy, shows a satisfactory biocompatibility in the dark, and induces about 50 % of cell mortality upon irradiation with visible light. The convergence of all these properties in one single complex makes the present host–guest ensemble an appealing candidate for further delevopment of photoactivatable nanoscaled systems addressed to photostimulated NO‐based therapy.     

Three‐Component Cucurbit[6]uril Framework with 1:2 Host‐Guest Motif and Dimeric Boric Acid

Three‐component framework of cucurbit[6]uril, 3‐(1‐methylimidazolium‐3‐yl)propane‐1‐sulfonate and boric acid has been constructed. The crystal structure reveals 1:2 host‐guest motif of cucurbit[6]uril and 3‐(1‐methyl‐imidazolium‐3‐yl)propane‐1‐sulfonate, demonstrating both cation binding of imidazolium moiety and anion binding of sulfonate moiety for the first time. Incorporation of dimeric boric acid facilitates the formation of metal‐free three‐dimensional framework.     

Autophagy Caught in the Act: A Supramolecular FRET Pair Based on an Ultrastable Synthetic Host–Guest Complex Visualizes Autophagosome–Lysosome Fusion

A supramolecular FRET pair based on the ultrahigh binding affinity between cyanine 3 conjugated cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]‐Cy3) and cyanine 5 conjugated adamantylamine (AdA‐Cy5) was exploited as a new synthetic tool for imaging cellular processes in live cells. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that CB[7]‐Cy3 and AdA‐Cy5 were intracellularly translocated and accumulated in lysosomes and mitochondria, respectively. CB[7]‐Cy3 and AdA‐Cy5 then formed a host–guest complex, reported by a FRET signal, as a result of the fusion of lysosomes and mitochondria. This observation not only indicated that CB[7] forms a stable complex with AdA in a live cell, but also suggested that this FRET pair can visualize dynamic organelle fusion processes, such as those involved in the degradation of mitochondria through autophagy (mitophagy), by virtue of its small size, chemical stability, and ease of use.     

Host–Guest Complexation of Perethylated Pillar[5]arene with Alkanes in the Crystal State

Activated perethylated pillar[5]arene crystals show an unexpected alkane‐shape‐ and ‐length‐selective gate‐opening behavior. Activated crystals were obtained upon removing solvents from perethylated pillar[5]arene crystals by heating. The activated crystals could quantitatively take up n‐alkanes with carbon chains containing more than five carbon atoms as a consequence of their gate‐opening pressure. As the chain length of the n‐alkanes increased, the gate pressure decreased. A transformation into a herringbone structure was induced when n‐hexane was used as a guest. By contrast, cyclic and branched alkanes were not taken up and could not induce a crystal transformation because they were too large to fit in the cavities of the pillar[5]arene. Alkane‐shape‐selective molecular recognition of pillar[5]arenes in the solution state was translated into the vapor/crystal state.