Influence of a Change in Helical Twisting Power of Photoresponsive Chiral Dopants on Rotational Manipulation of Micro‐Objects on the Surface of Chiral Nematic Liquid Crystalline Films

Herein we report a group of five planar chiral molecules as photon‐mode chiral switches for the reversible control of the self‐assembled superstructures of doped chiral nematic liquid crystals. The chiral switches are composed of an asymmetrically substituted aromatic moiety and a photoisomerizing azobenzene unit connected in a cyclic manner through methylene spacers of varying lengths. All the molecules show conformational restriction in the rotation of the asymmetrically substituted aromatic moiety in both the E and Z states of the azobenzene units resulting in planar chirality with separable enantiomers. Our newly synthesized compounds in pure enantiomeric form show high helical twisting power (HTP) in addition to an improved change in HTP between the E and Z states. The molecule with a diphenylnaphthalene unit shows the highest ever known initial helical twisting power among chiral dopants with planar chirality. In addition to the reversible tuning of reflection colors, we employed the enantiomers of these five compounds in combination with four nematic liquid crystalline hosts to study their properties as molecular machines; the change in HTP of the chiral dopant upon photoisomerization induces rotation of the texture of the liquid crystal surfaces. Importantly, this study has revealed a linear dependence of the ratio of the difference between HTPs before and after irradiation against the absolute value of the initial HTP, not the absolute value of the change in helical twisting power between two states, on the angle of rotation of micro‐objects on chiral nematic liquid crystalline films. This study has also revealed that a change in irradiation intensity does not affect the maximum angle of rotation, but it does affect the speed of rotational reorganization of the cholesteric helix.     

Dynamic control of racemization rate through E-Z photoisomerization of azobenzene and subsequent partial photoresolution under circular polarized light

We have synthesized bicyclic azobenzene dimers that possess enantiomers whose racemization rates could be controlled reversibly through E-Z photoisomerization of the azobenzene units. Upon alternating the exposure to r- and l-CPL, we were able to repeatedly perform partial enrichment of (S)- and (R)- enantiomers, respectively.     

Induction of molecular chirality by circularly polarized light in cyclic azobenzene with a photoswitchable benzene rotor

New phototriggered molecular machines based on cyclic azobenzene were synthesized in which a 2,5‐dimethoxy, 2,5‐dimethyl, 2,5‐difluorine or unsubstituted‐1,4‐dioxybenzene rotating unit and a photoisomerizable 3,3′‐dioxyazobenzene moiety are bridged together by fixed bismethylene spacers. Depending upon substitution on the benzene moiety and on the E/Z conformation of the azobenzene unit, these molecules suffer various degrees of restriction on the free rotation of the benzene rotor. The rotation of the substituted benzene rotor within the cyclic azobenzene cavity imparts planar chirality to the molecules. Cyclic azobenzene 1 , with methoxy groups at both the 2‐ and 5‐positions of the benzene rotor, was so conformationally restricted that free rotation of the rotor was prevented in both the E and Z isomers and the respective planar chiral enantiomers were resolved. In contrast, compound 2 , with 2,5‐dimethylbenzene as the rotor, demonstrated the property of a light‐controlled molecular brake, whereby rotation of the 2,5‐dimethylbenzene moiety is completely stopped in the E isomer (brake ON, rotation OFF), while the rotation is allowed in the Z isomer (brake OFF, rotation ON). The cyclic azobenzene 3 , with fluorine substitution on the benzene rotor, was in the brake OFF state regardless of E/Z photoisomerization of the azobenzene moiety. More interestingly, for the first time, we demonstrated the induction of molecular chirality in a simple monocyclic azobenzene by circular‐polarized light. The key characteristics of cyclic azobenzene 2 , that is, stability of the chiral structure in the E isomer, fast racemization in the Z isomer, and the circular dichroism of enantiomers of both E and Z isomers, resulted in a simple reversible enantio‐differentiating photoisomerization directly between the E enantiomers. Upon exposure to r‐ or l‐circularly polarized light at 488 nm, partial enrichment of the (S)‐ or (R)‐enantiomers of 2 was observed.     

A Light‐Controlled Molecular Brake with Complete ON–OFF Rotation

A light‐controlled molecular machine based on cyclic azobenzenophanes consisting of a dioxynaphthalene rotating unit and a photoisomerizable dioxyazobenzene unit bridged by methylene spacers is reported. In compounds 1 and 2 , 1,5‐ and 2,6‐dioxynaphthalene moieties, respectively, are linked to p‐dioxyazobenzene by different methylene spacers (n=2 in 1 a and 2 ; n=3 in 1 b ), whereas a 1,5‐dioxynaphthalene moiety is bonded to m‐dioxyazobenzene by bismethylene spacers in 3 . In 1 b and 2 , the naphthalene ring can rotate freely in both the trans and cis states at room temperature. The rotation speed can be controlled either by photoinduced reversible trans–cis (E–Z) isomerization of the azobenzene or by keeping the system at low temperature, as is evident from its NMR spectra. Furthermore, for the first time, we demonstrate a light‐controlled molecular brake, wherein the rotation of the naphthalene moiety through the cyclophane is completely OFF in the trans isomer of compound 3 due to its smaller cavity size. Such restricted rotation imparts planar chirality to the molecule, and the corresponding enantiomers could be resolved by chiral HPLC. However, the rotation of the naphthalene moiety is rendered ON in the cis isomer due to its increased cavity size, and it is manifested experimentally by the racemization of the separated enantiomers by photoinduced E–Z isomerization.     

Thioamides and selenoamides with chirality solely due to hindered rotation about the C–N bond: enantioselective complexation with optically active hosts

Several thioformamides and selenoformamides, with chirality solely due to restricted rotation about the C–N bond, were resolved to enantiomers by inclusion crystallization with optically active diols (TADDOLs). The absolute configuration of the guest molecules was deduced from the X-ray crystal structures of the inclusion complexes. The optical activity of the resolved compounds is manifested by their CD spectra showing relatively strong Cotton effects in the region of thioamide or selenoamide n–π* transition. The optically active thioformamides and selenoformamides are configurationally labile compounds and gradually racemize in solution but are stable in the form of the inclusion complexes. The first-order kinetics of the racemization in solution allowed us to assign the C–N rotation barriers of thioformamides by spectropolarimetric measurements.     

Postsynthesis racemization and place exchange reactions. Another step to unravel the origin of chirality for chiral ligand-capped gold nanoparticles

We examine how postsynthesis nanoparticle ligand shell modifications as a general approach can help in the understanding of currently proposed mechanisms for gold nanoparticle chirality. We compare the CD response of chirally decorated mixed-monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles synthesized in situ with quasi-identical gold nanoparticles either prepared by place exchange reactions or subjected to an aqueous base, resulting in partial hydrolysis and simultaneous partial racemization. We find that the CD response at wavelengths where the free chiral ligand does not absorb strongly depends on the preparation conditions, i.e., in situ synthesis vs place exchange, and that postsynthesis racemization of the chiral ligand produces racemic nanoparticles with no CD response, i.e., no induction of a chiral bias during reductive nanoparticle formation. Considering all experimental results for the described gold nanoparticle system with a C12H24 spacer between the nanoparticle surface and chiral center, the so-called "vicinal effect" with the formation of a supramolecular assembly of the chiral moieties seems to be active. Finally, we argue that postsynthesis nanoparticle ligand shell modifications such as racemization and/or place exchange reactions are very powerful tools to unravel contributions of the different gold nanoparticle chirality mechanisms.     

Chiral Recognition and Separation by Chirality‐Enriched Metal–Organic Frameworks

Endowed with chiral channels and pores, chiral metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are highly useful; however, their synthesis remains a challenge given that most chiral building blocks are expensive. Although MOFs with induced chirality have been reported to avoid this shortcoming, no study providing evidence for the ee value of such MOFs has yet been reported. We herein describe the first study on the efficiency of chiral induction in MOFs using inexpensive achiral building blocks and fully recoverable chiral dopants to control the handedness of racemic MOFs. This method yielded chirality‐enriched MOFs with accessible pores. The ability of the materials to form host–guest complexes was probed with enantiomers of varying size and coordination and in solvents with varying polarity. Furthermore, mixed‐matrix membranes (MMMs) composed of chirality‐enriched MOF particles dispersed in a polymer matrix demonstrated a new route for chiral separation.     

Multiple‐Stimulus‐Responsive Supramolecular Gels and Regulation of Chiral Twists: The Effect of Spacer Length

A new class of homologous gelators, LG₁₂‐(CH₂)_n‐BSA, composed of bipyridinyl groups, L ‐glutamic moieties having double dodecyl chains, and linked alkyl spacers with different lengths were synthesized. It was found that these gelators could immobilize medium‐polarity solvents readily and the behaviors of these gels showed a dependence on the spacer length. Of all the gels, the LG₁₂‐(CH₂)₁₁‐BSA gels exhibited self‐healing property and multiple‐stimulus responsibility, such as heating, shaking, and sonication. The investigation of CD spectra indicated that the supramolecular chirality, which was attributed to the chiral transfer from the chiral center to the assemblies, was also closely related to the length of methylene spacers. The longer the alkyl spacers, the weaker the transmitted supramolecular chirality. Only LG₁₂‐(CH₂)₁‐BSA gelators, which had the shortest spacers, formed right‐handed nanoscale chiral twists owing to crowded hydrogen bonding interactions. Moreover, the high‐polarity solvent DMF was found to be able to regulate the chiral twist as well as its pitch length readily.     

Metastable Chiral Azobenzenes Stabilized in a Double Racemate

The self‐assembly of chiral organic chromophores is gaining huge significance due to the abundance of supramolecular chirality found in natural systems. We report an interdigitated molecular assembly involving axially chiral octabrominated perylenediimide (OBPDI) which transfers chiral information to achiral aromatic moieties. The crystalline two‐component assemblies of OBPDI and electron‐rich aromatic units were facilitated through π‐hole???π donor–acceptor interactions, and the charge‐transfer characteristics in the ground and excited states of the OBPDI cocrystals were established through spectroscopic and theoretical techniques. The OBPDI cocrystals entail a remarkable homochiral segregation of P and M enantiomers of both molecular entities in the same crystal system, leading to twisted double‐racemic arrangements. Synergistically engendered cavities with the stored chiral information of the twisted OBPDI stabilize higher‐energy P/M enantiomers of trans‐azobenzene through non‐covalent interactions.     

Self-assembly properties of some chiral N-palmitoyl amino acid surfactants in aqueous solution

Various chiral N-palmitoyl amino acid surfactants (AAS) derived from methionine, proline, leucine, threonine, phenylalanine and phenylglycine were prepared and converted to their sodium salt. The properties of the aggregates formed in aqueous solution were studied for both the optically-active compounds and their racemic mixture. Characterization was made by surface tensiometry, fluorimetry, dynamic light scattering, circular dichroism (CD) and transmission electron microscopy. It appeared that most of the AAS studied in this work spontaneously formed different types of aggregates, including micrometer-sized aggregates. No significant difference could be found between the critical aggregation concentration (cac) value of pure enantiomers and that of the racemic forms. CD spectra did not reveal any aggregation-induced chirality.     

Synthesis and chiral discrimination of cyclic aromatic amides and the determination of their absolute configuration by TD-DFT calculations

Novel chiral cyclic molecules composed of aromatic triamides were constructed in modest yield from 4-N-(4′-methoxybenzyl)amino-3-decyloxybenzoic acid using dichlorotriphenylphosphorane, because of the preorganized component of the tertiary benzanilide moieties. A racemic mixture of two diastereomers, syn and anti conformers of cyclic aromatic triamides, was resolved into enantiomers by HPLC using a preparative chiral column. The absolute configuration of each enantiomer in both diastereomers was determined by comparison of the time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculated circular dichroic (CD) spectra with the experimentally derived CD spectra recorded on each sample.     

Chiral HPLC and physical characterisation of orthoconic antiferroelectric liquid crystals

New orthoconic antiferroelectric liquid crystalline materials were synthesised and characterised in their racemic forms and as (S) enantiomers. The materials possess oligo-methylene spacers of different lengths in semi-fluorinated achiral chains and lateral substitution by fluorine at two different positions of the molecular core. For comparison purposes, analogical materials without fluorine lateral substitutions were also prepared. Polysaccharide chiral stationary phases based on two different chiral selectors were used for the separation of the enantiomers of the individual racemic mixtures by high-performance liquid chromatography. A baseline separation of (S) and (R) enantiomers was obtained for four of the six studied liquid crystalline materials. Two of the materials were partially separated under the optimised separation conditions. The elution order of the individual enantiomers in the racemic mixtures was successfully assigned, as pure (S) enantiomers of all the studied materials were available. Both the position of the fluorine atom within the molecular core and the size of the achiral moiety had significant effects on the separation of the individual enantiomers of the studied compounds. Moreover, it was also found that the structure of the chiral stationary phase selector significantly influenced the enantiomeric resolution.     

Enantiomeric purity determination by NMR: proving the purity of a single enantiomer

The NMR spectra of separate samples of an analyte complexed with each enantiomer of a chiral solvating agent (CSA) give an accurate estimate of the chemical shifts of racemic analytes in the presence of a single enantiomer of the CSA. This effect allows a CSA-based chiral NMR method to be developed when only a single enantiomer of analyte is available. The ability to develop a method capable of discriminating between enantiomers in these circumstances is useful, for example, to resolve the question of whether racemization has occurred during the synthesis of a chiral molecule.     

Photoinversion of cisoid/transoid binaphthyls

Axially chiral binaphthyl-azobenzene cyclic dyads in which the two moieties are connected by two linkers of different lengths were synthesized. In the case of benzylated-binaphthyl analogue 2b, photoirradiation resulted in a dramatic change of the CD spectrum and optical rotation. Experimental and theoretical analyses indicated that the dihedral angle of the two naphthalene rings is strongly coupled to the azobenzene photoisomerization; cis-azobenzene induces a transoid-binaphthyl structure, while trans-azobenzene induces a cisoid-binaphthyl structure.     

Separation of the enantiomers of phenprocoumon and warfarin by high-performance liquid chromatography using a chiral stationary phase. Determination of the enantiomeric ratio of phenprocoumon in human plasma and urine

The enantiomers of the chiral coumarin-type anticoagulants phenprocoumon, warfarin and p-chlorophenprocoumon were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography on a chiral stationary phase (Nucleosil-Chiral 2) and normal-phase conditions. Chromatographic peak identification was performed with authentic reference compounds of the enantiomers and on-line UV spectra comparison. This method was applied to the determination of the enantiomeric ratio of phenprocoumon in plasma and urine extracts from patients under racemic drug therapy. The limit of detection (50 and 80 ng/ml) and precision (less than 5%) of the method are adequate for pharmacokinetic and enantioselective disposition studies, respectively, of phenprocoumon. No racemization was detected during the extraction procedures.     

From Symmetry Breaking to Unraveling the Origin of the Chirality of Ligated Au13Cu2 Nanoclusters

A general method, using mixed ligands (here diphosphines and thiolates) is devised to turn an achiral metal cluster, Au₁₃Cu₂, into an enantiomeric pair by breaking (lowering) the overall molecular symmetry with the ligands. Using an achiral diphosphine, a racemic [Au₁₃Cu₂(DPPP)₃(SPy)₆]⁺ was prepared which crystallizes in centrosymmetric space groups. Using chiral diphosphines, enantioselective synthesis of an optically pure, enantiomeric pair of [Au₁₃Cu₂((2r,4r)/(2s,4s)‐BDPP)₃(SPy)₆]⁺ was achieved in one pot. Their circular dichroism (CD) spectra give perfect mirror images in the range of 250–500 nm with maximum anisotropy factors of 1.2×10^?3. DFT calculations provided good correlations with the observed CD spectra of the enantiomers and, more importantly, revealed the origin of the chirality. Racemization studies show high stability (no racemization at 70 °C) of these chiral nanoclusters, which hold great promise in applications such as asymmetry catalysis.     

Lewis acid-catalyzed one-pot, three-component route to chiral 3,3'-bipyrroles

3,3'-Bipyrroles 3 could be synthesized using a double Michael addition reaction involving diaroyl acetylene 1 and the appropriate 1,3-dicarbonyls 2 using ammonium acetate as a nitrogen source. The axial chirality of bipyrrole was anticipated from the X-ray crystal structure and DFT calculations and confirmed by separating the racemates on a chiral column and subsequent CD spectra of the enantiomers. The absolute configuration of the enantiomers was achieved by theoretical CD spectra calculation using the ZINDO method.     

Difference in chiral recognition of gel and liquid-crystalline phases of phosphatidylcholine vesicles as determined by circular dichroism spectroscopy

The circular dichroism (CD) spectra of three types of (L)phosphatidylcholine (PC) vesicles in aqueous solution showed differences in the sign and intensity of the Cotton effect compared with those of monomers in ethanol, indicating the existence of chiral environments in these vesicles. From the temperature dependence of CD intensities, the main phase transition temperatures between gel (Gel) and liquid-crystalline (LC) phases of the vesicles were estimated to be 40, 23, and 55 degrees C for dipalmitoyl PC, dimyristoyl PC and distearoyl PC, respectively. Furthermore, both low-fluidity Gel and high-fluidity LC phases recognized the chirality of incorporated 2-hydroxymethyl[5]thiaheterohelicene (5HM) with a helical structure, which undergoes a rapid racemization owing to a weak repulsion between the terminal hydrogen atoms. The ability for chiral recognition was evaluated using thermodynamic parameters for the equilibrium between P and M enantiomers of 5HM in the vesicles; the Gel phase manifested a higher recognition ability than the LC phase.     

“First Come,First Served” and Threshold Effects in a Central-to-Planar-to-Helical Hierarchical Chiral Induction

Perylene diimide tethered pillar[5]arene derivatives form aggregates in non-polar organic solvents, and the complexation of cationic amino acid ethyl ester (cAA-OEt) with the aggregates induce a central-to-planar-to-helical chirality transfer, leading to intensive circular dichroism (CD) signals having dissymmetric factors (g_abs) of up to 3.67×10⁻². The hierarchical chiral induction exhibited an intriguing threshold dose effect, namely, the chiral induction does not occur in the low concentration range of cAA-OEt but is triggered when cAA-OEt exceeds a threshold concentration. The inhibited interconversion between the Rp and Sp conformers of pillar[5]arene, which is further restricted in the aggregation, plays a crucial role in the threshold effect. When adding enantiopure cAA-OEt first to the threshold concentration and then adding an equal amount of the antipodal cAA-OEt to give cAA-OEt in racemic form, CD spectra having the same sign as the CD induced by first adding pure cAA-OEt were induced, thus showing an unprecedented “first come, first served” effect.     

Chiral 1,2-subnaphthalocyanines

Following the first suggestion of inherent molecular chirality in asymmetrically substituted subphthalocyanines by Torres and co-workers in 2000, elucidation of the relationship between structure and chirality has become an important issue. However, separation of the enantiomers has been prevented by the low solubility of the molecules synthesized to date, and it has not been possible to link the CD signs and intensities to their absolute structures. Recently, we observed that 1,2-subnaphthalocyanines possess two diastereomers with respect to the arrangement of the naphthalene moieties and that these novel chiral molecules exhibit moderate solubility in common organic solvents. This has enabled us to separate all of the diastereomers and enantiomers. The two diastereomers have been completely characterized by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The absorption and magnetic circular dichroism spectra, together with theoretical calculation, reveal a small variation in the frontier molecular orbitals of the 1,2-subnaphthalocyanines compared with conventional subphthalocyanines, except for destabilization of the HOMO-3, which results in a characteristic absorption in the Soret band region. The chirality of 1,2-subnaphthalcyanines, including the CD signs and intensities, is discussed in detail for the first time with enantiomerically pure molecules whose absolute structures have been elucidated by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.