Control of Chiral Nanostructures by Self‐Assembly of Designed Amphiphilic Peptides and Silica Biomineralization

Peptides, the fundamental building units of biological systems, are chiral in molecular scale as well as in spatial conformation. Shells are exquisite examples of well‐defined chiral structures produced by natural biomineralization. However, the fundamental mechanism of chirality expressed in biological organisms remains unclear. Here, we present a system that mimics natural biomineralization and produces enantiopure chiral inorganic materials with controllable helicity. By tuning the hydrophilicity of the amphiphilic peptides, the chiral morphologies and mesostructures can be changed. With decreasing hydrophilicity of the amphiphilic peptides, we observed that the nanostructures changed from twisted nanofibers with a hexagonal mesostructure to twisted nanoribbons with a lamellar mesostructure, and the extent of the helicity decreased. Defining the mechanism of chiral inorganic materials formed from peptides by noncovalent interactions can improve strategies toward the bottom‐up synthesis of nanomaterials as well as in the field of bioengineering.     

Coulombic interactions,hydrogen bonding and supramolecular chirality in pyridinium trifluoromethanesulfonate

The title compound, C₅H₆N⁺·CF₃SO₃⁻, was serendipitously crystallized in the chiral space group P4₃2₁2. The component entities associate into hydrogen‐bonded helical chains, which propagate along the a and b axes of the crystal, with an alternating disposition of the cations and anions along the chain. N—H...O charge‐assisted hydrogen bonds, from each pyridinium cation to two adjacent trifluoromethanesulfonate anions and from every anion to two different cations, direct the formation of the supramolecular chiral arrays. The crystal packing exhibits nonconventional C—H...O and C—H...F hydrogen bonds between the components. The observed structure demonstrates induction of supramolecular chirality by a combination of Coulombic attractions and intermolecular hydrogen bonds.     

The peptide Z‐Aib‐Aib‐Aib‐L‐Ala‐OtBu

The title peptide, N‐benzyloxycarbonyl‐α‐aminoisobutyryl‐α‐aminoisobutyryl‐α‐aminoisobutyryl‐L‐alanine tert‐butyl ester or Z‐Aib‐Aib‐Aib‐L‐Ala‐OtBu (Aib is α‐aminoisobutyric acid, Z is benzyloxycarbonyl and OtBu indicates the tert‐butyl ester), C₂₇H₄₂N₄O₇, is a left‐handed helix with a right‐handed conformation in the fourth residue, which is the only chiral residue. There are two 4→1 intramolecular hydrogen bonds in the structure. In the lattice, molecules are hydrogen bonded to form columns along the c axis.     

N-乙氧羰基-N'-取代芳基硫脲晶体中的弱相互作用及超分子结构研究

合成了3种N-乙氧羰基-N'-取代芳基硫脲并确定了其晶体结构, 晶体结构表明, 在这些化合物中存在分子内及分子间的氢键, 分子间的氢键将化合物1和2组装成了一维链状的超分子结构, 由于空间因素, 化合物3没有形成类似于1, 2中的氢键组装成的链状超分子结构, 而是形成了氢键链接的二聚体. 同时在化合物1, 3中还存在分子间的芳环间的π-π相互作用. 在化合物1的晶体中, 这种π-π相互作用使相邻的超分子链之间相互关联. 化合物3的晶体中, 相邻的二聚体间又通过π-π相互作用连接成了无限延伸的一维链状结构.     

Fabrication of Chiral Materials via Self‐Assembly and Biomineralization of Peptides

With different scales of chirality, chiral materials have various particular properties and potential applications in many fields. Peptides are the fundamental building units of biological systems, and a variety of ordered functional nanostructures are produced through self‐assembly and biomineralization of peptides in nature. This Personal Account describes chiral silica materials fabricated by using amphiphilic peptides as building blocks. Three particular biomineralization approaches are described based on different kinds of geometry of amphiphilic peptides: the influence of the specific amino acid proline in the peptide sequence, the hydrophilicity of amphiphilic peptides, and different kinds of hydrophobic tails in amphiphilic peptides. These strategies are useful for designing peptides toward the bottom‐up synthesis of nanomaterials as well as improving the understanding of the mechanism of peptide self‐assembly.     

Manganese(II) Coordination Polymer with μ1,1‐Azido Bridge: Synthesis,Crystal Structure,and Magnetic Properties

The manganese(II) coordination polymer [Mn(2‐Meimi)₂(μ_1,1‐N₃)₂]_n · nH₂O ( 1 ) (Meimi = 2‐methyl‐imidazole) with μ_1,1‐N₃ (end‐on, EO) bridge was synthesized by hydrothermal reaction of MnCl₂, NaN₃, and Meimi. It was characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, powder XRD, and magnetic measurements. Single crystal X‐ray analysis revealed that compound 1 features a one‐dimensional (1D) catenated structure and the 1D chains are further connected by strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds to a 3D supramolecular framework. Variable‐temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements revealed that compound 1 displays dominant ferromagnetic interactions through the μ_1,1‐N₃ (end‐on, EO) bridging mode.     

Racemic dipeptide glycyl‐dl‐leucine at 120 K

The structure of glycyl‐dl ‐leucine, C₈H₁₆N₂O₃, has been determined at 120 K by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. In addition to three N—H?O‐type hydrogen bonds of the positively charged RNH₃⁺ group of the zwitterionic mol­ecule, an intermolecular N—H?O contact exists between the peptide bond and the carboxyl­ate group. Four hydrogen‐bond cycles were identified, giving a complex pattern.     

Characterization,crystal structure and cytotoxic activity of a rare iridoid glycoside from Lonicera saccata

A new iridoid glycoside, methyl (3R,4R,4aS,7S,7aR)‐3‐hydroxy‐7‐methyl‐5‐oxooctahydrocyclopenta[c]pyran‐4‐carboxylate‐3‐O‐β‐d ‐(1′S,2′R,3′S,4′S,5′R)‐glucopyranoside, named loniceroside A, C₁₇H₂₆O₁₀, ( 1 ), was obtained from the aerial parts of Lonicera saccata. Its structure was established based on an analysis of spectroscopic data, including 1D NMR, 2D NMR and HRESIMS, and the configurations of the chiral C atoms were determined by X‐ray crystallographic analysis. The single‐crystal structure reveals that the cyclopenta[c]pyran scaffold is formed from a five‐membered ring and a chair‐like six‐membered ring connected through two bridgehead chiral C atoms. In the solid state, the glucose group of ( 1 ) plays an important role in constructing an unusual supramolecular motif. The structure analysis revealed adjacent molecules linked together through intermolecular O—H…O hydrogen bonds to generate a banded structure. Furthermore, the banded structures are linked into a three‐dimensional network by interesting hydrogen bonds. Biogenetically, compound ( 1 ) carries a glucopyranosyloxy moiety at the C‐3 position, representing a rare structural feature for naturally occurring iridoid glycosides. The growth inhibitory effects against human cervical carcinoma cells (Hela), human lung adenocarcinoma cells (A549), human acute mononuclear granulocyte leukaemia (THP‐1) and the human liver hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (HepG2) were evaluated by the MTT method.     

C—H…Cl Hydrogen Bond and π-π Interaction Based Two 3D Supramolecular Architectures of Cu(II) and Co(II) Complexes with Chiral 1,2-Bis(benzimidazol-2-yl) ethane Ligand Containing 2D Grids

合成了两个新的配合物CuLCl₂•2EtOH(1) 和CoLCl₂ (2) [L是( S , S )－1,2－二N－甲基苯并咪唑－1,2－二甲氧基－乙烷],并通过单晶X衍射确定它们的结构。配合物1中,L作为三齿[N, N, O]配体,而配合物2 中,L作为二齿[N, N]配体。这两个配合物共同的结构特点都是通过分子内氢键形成2维的格子结构,然后通过分子间的C－H···Cl型氢键和π–π堆积作用形成3维结构。     

2,2,5,5,8,8‐Hexa­methyl‐2,3,5,6,7,8‐hexa­hydro­imidazo­[1,2‐a]­pyrazine‐3,6‐dione,a bicyclic product of α‐amino­isobutyric acid condensation

The title compound, C₁₂H₁₉N₃O₂, is an unusual product of silica‐catalyzed intermolecular condensation of α‐amino­isobutyric acid. The mol­ecule has three types of C—N bonds: a double bond, a cis‐amide bond and single bonds, two of which are typical and two having intermediate lengths due to π‐electron delocalization between C=N and C=O groups. The cis‐amide moieties interact to form dimers via hydrogen bonds which stack in parallel layers.     

Pseudopolyrotaxanes of Cucurbit[6]uril: A Three‐Dimensional Network Self‐assembled by ClO4−(H2O)2 Water Clusters

A pseudorotaxane of cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]) with guest molecule N,N′‐hexamethylenebis (pyrazinyl perchlorate) (BPHP) was synthesized and characterized by ¹H NMR spectra, IR, single crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. The structure of the pseudorotaxane (CB[6]·BPHP) is stabilized by host‐guest hydrogen bonds. Self‐assembly of the pseudorotaxane produces infinite one‐dimensional and two‐dimensional networks with intermolecular hydrogen bonds. In the molecular packing of the CB[6]·BPHP, ClO₄^?(H₂O)₂ water clusters serve as bridges to associate these pseudorotaxanes and form three‐dimensional networked pseudopolyrotaxane.     

Polymorphs and Polymorphic Cocrystals of Temozolomide

Crystal polymorphism in the antitumor drug temozolomide (TMZ), cocrystals of TMZ with 4,4′‐bipyridine‐N,N′‐dioxide (BPNO), and solid‐state stability were studied. Apart from a known X‐ray crystal structure of TMZ (form 1), two new crystalline modifications, forms 2 and 3, were obtained during attempted cocrystallization with carbamazepine and 3‐hydroxypyridine‐N‐oxide. Conformers A and B of the drug molecule are stabilized by intramolecular amide N? H???N_imidazole and N? H???N_tetrazine interactions. The stable conformer A is present in forms 1 and 2, whereas both conformers crystallized in form 3. Preparation of polymorphic cocrystals I and II (TMZ?BPNO 1:0.5 and 2:1) were optimized by using solution crystallization and grinding methods. The metastable nature of polymorph 2 and cocrystal II is ascribed to unused hydrogen‐bond donors/acceptors in the crystal structure. The intramolecularly bonded amide N–H donor in the less stable structure makes additional intermolecular bonds with the tetrazine C?O group and the imidazole N atom in stable polymorph 1 and cocrystal I, respectively. All available hydrogen‐bond donors and acceptors are used to make intermolecular hydrogen bonds in the stable crystalline form. Synthon polymorphism and crystal stability are discussed in terms of hydrogen‐bond reorganization.     

The effect of partial methylation of the glycine amino group on crystal structure in N,N‐dimethylglycine and its hemihydrate

N,N‐Dimethylglycine, C₄H₉NO₂, and its hemihydrate, C₄H₉NO₂·0.5H₂O, are discussed in order to follow the effect of the methylation of the glycine amino group (and thus its ability to form several hydrogen bonds) on crystal structure, in particular on the possibility of the formation of hydrogen‐bonded `head‐to‐tail' chains, which are typical for the crystal structures of amino acids and essential for considering amino acid crystals as mimics of peptide chains. Both compounds crystallize in centrosymmetric space groups (Pbca and C2/c, respectively) and have two N,N‐dimethylglycine zwitterions in the asymmetric unit. In the anhydrous compound, there are no head‐to‐tail chains but the zwitterions form R₄⁴(20) ring motifs, which are not bonded to each other by any hydrogen bonds. In contrast, in the crystal structure of N,N‐dimethylglycinium hemihydrate, the zwitterions are linked to each other by N—H...O hydrogen bonds into infinite C₂²(10) head‐to‐tail chains, while the water molecules outside the chains provide additional hydrogen bonds to the carboxylate groups.     

A Two‐Tailed Phosphopeptide Crystallizes to Form a Lamellar Structure

The crystal structure of a designed phospholipid‐inspired amphiphilic phosphopeptide at 0.8 Å resolution is presented. The phosphorylated β‐hairpin peptide crystallizes to form a lamellar structure that is stabilized by intra‐ and intermolecular hydrogen bonding, including an extended β‐sheet structure, as well as aromatic interactions. This first reported crystal structure of a two‐tailed peptidic bilayer reveals similarities in thickness to a typical phospholipid bilayer. However, water molecules interact with the phosphopeptide in the hydrophilic region of the lattice. Additionally, solid‐state NMR was used to demonstrate correlation between the crystal structure and supramolecular nanostructures. The phosphopeptide was shown to self‐assemble into semi‐elliptical nanosheets, and solid‐state NMR provides insight into the self‐assembly mechanisms. This work brings a new dimension to the structural study of biomimetic amphiphilic peptides with determination of molecular organization at the atomic level.     

A supramolecular ladder‐like network from trimesic acid and pyrazine N,N′‐dioxide

In the title complex, benzene‐1,3,5‐tricarboxylic acid–pyrazine N,N′‐dioxide (2/1), C₉H₆O₆·0.5C₄H₄N₂O₂, cocrystallized trimesic acid (TMA) and pyrazine N,N′‐dioxide (PNO) molecules form strong O—H...O hydrogen bonds, but also important weak C—H...O and dipole–dipole intermolecular interactions, to generate a densely packed three‐dimensional network. PNO molecules lie on inversion centres where they connect pairs of TMA sheets into distinct two‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded layers perpendicular to the crystallographic ab diagonal.     

Dibenzylammonium hydrogen maleate and a redetermination at 120 K of bis(dibenzylamino)methane

In dibenzylammonium hydrogen maleate [or dibenzylammonium (2Z)‐3‐carboxyprop‐2‐enoate], C₁₄H₁₆N⁺·C₄H₃O₄⁻, (I), the anion contains a fairly short and nearly linear O—H...O hydrogen bond, with an O...·O distance of 2.4603 (16) Å, but with the H atom clearly offset from the mid‐point of the O...O vector. The counter‐ions in (I) are linked by two N—H...O hydrogen bonds to form C₂²(6) chains and these chains are weakly linked into sheets by a C—H...O hydrogen bond. Bis(dibenzylamino)methane, C₂₉H₃₀N₂, (II), crystallizes with two independent molecules lying across twofold rotation axes in the space group C2/c, and the molecules are conformationally chiral; there are no direction‐specific intermolecular interactions in the crystal structure of (II).     

Preparation of silica microspheres with a broad pore size distribution and their use as the support for a coated cellulose derivative chiral stationary phase

A templating strategy using crosslinked and functionalized polymeric beads to synthesize silica microspheres with a broad pore size distribution has been developed. The polymer/silica hybrid microspheres were prepared by utilizing the combination of a templating weak cation exchange resin, a structure‐directing agent N‐trimethoxysilylpropyl‐N,N,N‐trimethylammonium chloride, and a silica precursor tetraethyl orthosilicate. The silica microspheres were then obtained after calcinating the hybrid microspheres. The as‐prepared materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, mercury intrusion porosimeter, and thermal gravimetric analysis. The results showed that the starting templating beads were about 5 μm in diameter and the formed silica microspheres were less than 3 μm with a pore size range of 10–150 nm, some pores were even extended to beyond 250 nm. It was demonstrated that cellulose tris(3,5‐dimethylphenylcarbamate) was readily coated onto the surface of the as‐synthesized silica microspheres without any additional surface pretreatment. The coated silica microspheres were uniformly dispersed even with high loading of the chiral stationary phase, which exhibited high resolution chiral separations in high‐performance liquid chromatography.     

Functionalized Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica: A Highly Enantioselective Catalyst for the Michael Addition of 1,3‐Dicarbonyl Compounds to Nitroalkenes

A functionalized periodic mesoporous organosilica with incorporated chiral bis(cyclohexyldiamine)‐based Ni^II complexes within the silica framework was developed by the co‐condensation of (1R,2R)‐cyclohexyldiamine‐derived silane and ethylene‐bridge silane, followed by the complexation of NiBr₂ in the presence of (1R,2R)‐N,N′‐dibenzylcyclohexyldiamine. Structural characterization by XRD, nitrogen sorption, and TEM disclosed its orderly mesostructure, and FTIR and solid‐state NMR spectroscopy demonstrated the incorporation of well‐defined single‐site bis(cyclohexyldiamine)‐based Ni^II active centers within periodic mesoporous organosilica. As a chiral heterogeneous catalyst, this functionalized periodic mesoporous organosilica showed high catalytic activity and excellent enantioselectivity in the asymmetric Michael addition of 1,3‐dicarbonyl compounds to nitroalkenes, comparable to those with homogeneous catalysts. In particular, this heterogeneous catalyst could be recovered easily and reused repeatedly up to nine times without obviously affecting its enantioselectivity, thus showing good potential for industrial applications.     

Polymorphs of the antiviral drug ganciclovir

Ganciclovir (GCV; systematic name: 2‐amino‐9‐{[(1,3‐dihydroxypropan‐2‐yl)oxy]methyl}‐6,9‐dihydro‐1H‐purin‐6‐one), C₉H₁₃N₅O₄, an antiviral drug for treating cytomegalovirus infections, has two known polymorphs (Forms I and II), but only the structure of the metastable Form II has been reported [Kawamura & Hirayama (2009). X‐ray Struct. Anal. Online , 25 , 51–52]. We describe a successful preparation of GCV Form I and its crystal structure. GCV is an achiral molecule in the sense that its individual conformers, which are generally chiral objects, undergo fast interconversion in the liquid state and cannot be isolated. In the crystalline state, GCV exists as two inversion‐related conformers in Form I and as a single chiral conformer in Form II. This situation is similar to that observed for glycine, also an achiral molecule, whose α‐polymorph contains two inversion‐related conformers, while the γ‐polymorph contains a single conformer that is chiral. The hydrogen bonds are exclusively intermolecular in Form I, but both inter‐ and intramolecular in Form II, which accounts for the different molecular conformations in the two polymorphs.     

Solid state self‐assembly of the single‐walled carbon nanotubes and poly(γ‐benzyl‐l‐glutamate)s with different conformations

A series of pyrenyl‐terminated poly(γ‐benzyl‐l ‐glutamate)s (py‐PBLGs) with controlled polymer molecular weight (M_W = 2.3–14.8 kg mol^?1) and molecular weight distribution (PDI = 1.17–1.55) have been prepared from 1‐pyrenemethylamine hydrochloride‐mediated ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) of γ‐benzyl‐l ‐glutamic acid based N‐carboxyanhydride (BLG‐NCA). FTIR analysis revealed that the py‐PBLG₉ was conformationally heterogeneous with 35.0% α‐helix, 55.6% β‐sheet, and 9.4% random coil conformations in the solid state, whereas the py‐PBLG₆₆ adopts 100% α‐helix conformation. Py‐PBLGs promote the dispersion of SWCNTs in organic solvents and in the PBLG solid through π–π interaction, as evidenced by the Raman spectroscopic studies. WAXD analysis revealed that the SWCNTs significantly affect the ordering of the py‐PBLG self‐assembly: the long range hexagonal packing of py‐PBLG₆₆ rods is notably enhanced by the addition of SWCNTs, whereas the lamellar packing of py‐PGLG₉ β‐sheets is weakened. In the hexagonal lattice, the SWCNTs are intercalated parallel to the py‐PBLG₆₆ rods, in contrast to the normal orientation of the SWCNTs with respect to the extended py‐PBLG₉ chains in the β‐sheets. The relative packing structure also affects the intermolecular interaction among the PBLGs: SWCNTs promote the interaction among the py‐PBLG₉ chains packed in a lamellar structure and weaken the intermolecular interaction among the py‐PBLG₆₆ columnar hexagonal array. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013 , 51, 4489–4497