Effect of guest hydrophobicity on water sorption behavior of oligomer/alpha-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes

Cyclomaltohexaose (alpha-cyclodextrin, alpha-CD) can form inclusion complexes (ICs) with polymer molecules in the columnar crystal structure in which alpha-CD molecules stack to form a molecular tube. Complementary water vapor sorption and wide-angle X-ray diffractomery (WAXD) were performed on oligomer/alpha-CD ICs to determine their structures and stabilities. To discern the effect of guest molecule hydrophobicity on water adsorption isotherms, polyethylene glycol (PEG, MW = 600 g/mol) and hexatriacontane (HTC) guests were used. Sorption isotherms for PEG/alpha-CD IC are similar to those obtained for pure alpha-CD and PEG, suggesting the presence of dethreaded PEG in the sample. WAXD collected before and after water vapor sorption of PEG/alpha-CD IC indicated a partial conversion from columnar to cage crystal structure, the thermodynamically preferred structure for pure alpha-CD, due to dethreading of PEG. This behavior does not occur for HTC/alpha-CD IC. Sorption isotherms collected at 20, 30, 40, and 50 degrees C allowed the calculation of the isosteric heats of adsorption and the integral entropies of adsorbed water which are characterized by minima that indicate the monolayer concentration of water in the ICs.     

Supramolecular hydrogel formation based on inclusion complexation between poly(ethylene glycol)-modified chitosan and alpha-cyclodextrin

Supramolecular hydrogels have been prepared on the basis of polymer inclusion complex (PIC) formation between poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-modified chitosans and alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD). A series of PEG-modified chitosans were synthesized by coupling reactions between chitosan and monocarboxylated PEG using water-soluble carbodiimide (EDC) as coupling agent. With simple mixing, the resultant supramolecular assembly of the polymers and alpha-CD molecules led to hydrogel formation in aqueous media. The supramolecular structure of the PIC hydrogels was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction, and (13)C cross-polarized/magic-angle spinning (CP/MAS) NMR characterization. The PEG side-chains on the chitosan backbones were found to form inclusion complexes (ICs) with alpha-CD molecules, resulting in the formation of channel-type crystalline micro-domains. The IC domains play an important role in holding together hydrated chitosan chains as physical junctions. The gelation property was affected by several factors including the PEG content in the polymers, the solution concentration, the mixing ratio of host and guest molecules, temperature, pH, etc. All the hydrogels in acidic conditions exhibited thermo-reversible gel-sol transitions under appropriate conditions of mixing ratio and PEG content in the mixing process. The transitions were induced by supramolecular association and dissociation. These supramolecular hydrogels were found to have phase-separated structures that consist of hydrophobic crystalline PIC domains, which were formed by the host-guest interaction between alpha-CD and PEG, and hydrated chitosan matrices below the pK(a).The formation of inclusion complexes between alpha-cyclodextrin and PEG-modified chitosan leads to the formation of hydrogels that can undergo thermo-reversible supramolecular dissociation.     

Rheological properties of a telechelic associative polymer in the presence of alpha- and methylated beta-cyclodextrins

The viscosity of hydrophobic ethoxylated urethane (HEUR) solution decreased in the presence of alpha-CD or m-beta-CD; however their interactions were quite different. When the alpha-CD/hydrophobe molar ratio exceeded 5.0, the viscosity was close to that of a PEO solution of similar molecular weight. Oscillatory shear indicated that the mechanically active chains in HEUR solution decreased with the addition of alpha-CD. This agreed with the hypothesis that alpha-CD formed an inclusion complex with the hydrophobic moiety of the HEUR polymer, thereby destroying the transient hydrophobic associative network. The viscosity/temperature relationship of the alpha-CD/HEUR system (for HEUR with 70% of the PEO chains capped at both ends) did not obey the Arrhenius relationship for alpha-CD/hydrophobe molar ratio in the range 0.8-5.0. The low shear viscosity increased with increasing temperature at molar ratio of 1.0, and this was attributed to the competitive complexation of the alpha-CD/hydrophobe and the alpha-CD/PEO chain. Increasing temperature favored alpha-CD/PEO complexation. Comparison between the behavior of alpha-CD/HEUR and m-beta-CD/HEUR resulting from the different binding characteristics was discussed.     

Spatial arrangement of alpha-cyclodextrins in a rotaxane. Insights from free-energy calculations

The rotaxane formed by alpha-cyclodextrins (alpha-CDs) threaded onto a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chain was investigated in the gas phase and in an aqueous solution by means of molecular dynamics simulations. The free-energy difference between the three possible spatial arrangements of consecutive alpha-CD--viz.. head-to-head (HH), head-to-tail (HT), and tail-to-tail, was determined using free-energy perturbation calculations. These simulations reveal that the interaction of alpha-CD with the PEG chain is very similar in the two surroundings, whereas the mutual interaction of the macrocycles is stronger in the gas phase than in the aqueous solution. Moreover, difference in the overall interaction appears to stem primarily from changes in the electrostatic contribution. Analysis of intermolecular hydrogen bonds indicates that hydrogen bonds created between alpha-CD and water molecules weaken the hydrogen-bonding interaction of adjacent alpha-CDs. Comparison of the free-energy differences characteristic of the three possible spatial arrangements of contiguous alpha-CDs reveals that the HH motif of the rotaxane is the most stable in the gas phase due to the hydrogen-bond formation between the secondary hydroxyl groups of the two alpha-CDs, and the slight preference for the HT motif in aqueous solution, which can be related to the directionality of the dipole moment borne by the macrocycles in these two motifs.     

Preparation and characterization of polypseudorotaxanes based on block-selected inclusion complexation between poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) triblock copolymers and alpha-cyclodextrin

A series of new polypseudorotaxanes were synthesized in high yields when the middle poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) block of poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) (PPO-PEO-PPO) triblock copolymers was selectively recognized and included by alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD) to form crystalline inclusion complexes (ICs), although the middle PEO block was flanked by two thicker PPO blocks, and a PPO chain had been previously thought to be impenetrable to alpha-CD. X-ray diffraction studies demonstrated that the IC domains of the polypseudorotaxanes assumed a channel-type structure similar to the necklace-like ICs formed by alpha-CD and PEO homopolymers. Solid-state CP/MAS (13)C NMR studies showed that the alpha-CD molecules in the polypseudorotaxanes adopted a symmetrical conformation due to the formation of ICs. The compositions and stoichiometry of the polypseudorotaxanes were studied using (1)H NMR, and a 2:1 (ethylene oxide unit to alpha-CD) stoichiometry was found for all polypseudorotaxanes although the PPO-PEO-PPO triblock copolymers had different compositions and block lengths, suggesting that only the PEO block was closely included by alpha-CD molecules, whereas the PPO blocks were uncovered. The hypothesis was further supported by the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies of the polypseudorotaxanes. The glass transitions of the PPO blocks in the polypseudorotaxanes were clearly observed because they were uncovered by alpha-CD and remained amorphous, whereas the glass-transition temperatures increased, because the molecular motion of the PPO blocks was restricted by the hard crystalline phases of the IC domains formed by alpha-CD and the PEO blocks. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that the polypseudorotaxanes had better thermal stability than their free components due to the inclusion complexation. Finally, the kinetics of the threading process of alpha-CD onto the copolymers was also studied. The findings reported in this article suggested interesting possibilities in designing other cyclodextrin ICs and polypseudorotaxanes with block structures.     

Theoretical study of the alpha-cyclodextrin dimer

The molecular structure, stabilization energy, and thermodynamic properties of the plausible modes of the interaction for the three possible alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD) dimers (head-to-head, tail-to-tail, and head-to-tail) with a water cluster were obtained using quantum chemical methods for the first time. Nine distinct spatial arrangements were investigated. The head-to-head mode of interaction with water is preferred by more than 10 kcal.mol(-1) (BLYP/6-31G(d,p)//PM3 Gibbs free energy difference value at room temperature) in relation to the next stable structure, with a water dimer structure placed inside each cavity and cyclic water tetramers surrounding each tail end. The inter alpha-CD hydrogen bonds play a major role to stabilize the dimeric structures, with no water tetramer being found between the two alpha-CD subunits for the preferred global minimum structure. Therefore, a theoretical model aimed to describe the behavior of alpha-CD dimer, or their inclusion complexes, in the aqueous media should take into account this preference for binding of the water molecules.     

Face-selective [2]- and [3]rotaxanes: kinetic control of the threading direction of cyclodextrins

New [2]- and [3]pseudorotaxanes containing alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CDs) molecules as rotors and alkyl pyridinium derivatives as axles were prepared by a slipping process. The inclusion behavior of these rotaxanes was investigated by using one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. The methyl group at the 2-position of the pyridinium moiety at the end of each axle molecule was found to control the rates of threading of the alpha-CD onto the axle molecules. alpha-CD can approach axle molecules from a particular direction to form inclusion complexes. Axle molecules that contain a 2-methylpyridinium moiety at one end and a bulky stopper at the other end can regulate the direction of approach to give a [2]pseudorotaxane such as 2 b-alpha-CD. A [3]pseudorotaxane in which two alpha-CD molecules are arranged facing in the same direction at two stations of the tetracationic axle molecule was also obtained. These face-selective behaviors are dominated by kinetic processes rather than thermodynamic processes.     

Two-phase channel structures based on alpha-cyclodextrin-polyethylene glycol inclusion complexes

Wide-angle X-ray scattering observations of alpha-cyclodextrin (CD)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) inclusion complexes (ICs) have shown for the first time that two crystalline columnar modifications (forms I and II) are produced in the process of their formation. This was made possible by precise azimuthal X-ray diffraction scanning of oriented IC samples. Form I is characterized by CDs threaded onto PEG chains and arranged along channels in the order head-to-head/tail-to-tail, while form II is formed by unbound CDs also arranged into columns in a head-to-tail and also possibly a head-to-head/tail-to-tail manner, probably as a result of template crystallization on the form I IC crystals. It was shown that similar structural peculiarities are inherent for channel structures based on ICs obtained with PEG with a wide range of molecular weights (MWs). The characteristic feature of ICs based on PEG, especially with MW > 8000, is the presence of unbound polymer in the composition of the complex. The amount of unbound PEG was shown to rise with increasing MW of PEG, resulting in greater imperfections in the IC crystalline structure. The polyblock structure of ICs based on alpha-CD and PEG was therefore proposed.     

Molecular electrostatic potentials and hydrogen bonding in alpha-, beta-, and gamma-cyclodextrins

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are cyclic oligomers of glucose having the toroid of sugars elaborating a central cavity of varying size depending on the number of glucoses. The central hydrophobic cavity of CD shows a binding affinity toward different guest molecules, which include small substituted benzenes to long chain surfactant molecules leading to a variety of inclusion complexes when the size and shape complementarity of host and guest are compatible. Further, interaction of guest molecules with the outer surface of alpha-CD has also been observed. Primarily it is the electrostatic interactions that essentially constitute a driving force for the formation of inclusion complexes. To gain insights for these interactions, the electronic structure and the molecular electrostatic potentials in alpha-, beta-, and gamma-CDs are derived using the hybrid density functional theory employing the three-parameter exchange correlation functional due to Becke, Lee, Yang, and Parr (B3LYP). The present work demonstrates how the topography of the molecular electrostatic potential (MESP) provides a measure of the cavity dimensions and understanding of the hydrogen-bonded interactions involving primary and secondary hydroxyl groups. In alpha-CD, hydrogen-bonded interactions between primary -OH groups engender a "cone-like" structure, while in beta- or gamma-CD the interactions from the primary -OH with ether oxygen in glucose ring facilitates a "barrel-like" structure. Further, the strength of hydrogen-bonded interactions of primary -OH groups follows the rank order alpha-CD > beta-CD > gamma-CD, while the secondary hydrogen-bonded interactions exhibit a reverse trend. Thus weak hydrogen-bonded interactions prevalent in gamma-CD manifest in shallow MESP minima near hydroxyl oxygens compared to those in alpha- or beta-CD. Furthermore, electrostatic potential topography reveals that the guest molecule tends to penetrate inside the cavity forming the inclusion complex in beta- or gamma-CD.     

On conformation of molecules of aromatic polyamides in solutions

On the basis of experimental data concerning the equilibrium rigidity of molecules of aromatic polyamides, possible structures of molecules of poly-?-benzamide (PPBA) and other aromatic polyamides with phenyl rings included in the chain in the para position have been considered.It is shown that extremely high equilibrium rigidity of these polymer molecules is due to the coplanar trans-structure of their amide groups leading to a “crankshaft”-like conformation of the chain.The equilibrium rigidity of the chain estimated with the aid of this model is in good agreement with experimental data.It is shown that the main factors determining the equilibrium flexibility of the PPBA molecules are the inequality of valence angles at carbon and nitrogen atoms of the amide group and also a departure from coplanarity of the amide group due to thermal motion of the chain.     

Inclusion of Poly(ethylene glycol)s by Crystalline (R)-(1-Naphthyl)glycyl-(R)-phenylglycine

Abstract

Crystallization of (R)-(1-naphthyl)glycyl-(R)-phenyl-glycine [(R,R)-1] in the presence of oligo(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ethers 2(n) or poly(ethylene glycol)s (PEGs, 3(M_n )) afforded inclusion compounds. The ratio of (R,R)-1/the guest polymer (2 or 3) was proportional to the length of the polymer chain. The crystal structure of a hepta(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether-included compound was disclosed by X-ray crystallography which showed that (R,R)-1 molecules form a sheet and the guest molecule penetrates the crystal lattice of (R,R)-1 through a one-dimensional channel on the sheet. Powder X-ray analysis revealed that, regardless of the length of the guest polymer, the distance between the neighboring sheets remains unchanged (12.0–12.3 Å) in these inclusion crystals. By thermal analysis, it was shown that the decomposition points of these inclusion compounds became higher with the longer PEG included. The inclusion phenomenon enabled the fractionation of PEGs with various molecular weights, among which longer PEG was preferably included.     

Inclusion complex formation between alpha-cyclodextrin and biodegradable aliphatic polyesters

Inclusion complexes (ICs) between alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD) and three kinds of biodegradable aliphatic polyesters with different sequence lengths of the monomeric repeating units poly(3-hydroxypropionate) [P(3HP)], poly(4-hydroxybutyrate) [P(4HB)] and poly(epsilon-caprolactone)(PCL) were prepared by mixing a solution of alpha-CD with that of the polymer, followed by stirring. The ICs were obtained as insoluble precipitates and characterized by FT-IR, WAXD and DSC. All measurements showed that the polymer chains of all three kinds of polyester were included into the alpha-CD cavity and formed ICs with different stoichiometries. WAXD patterns and thermal analysis indicated that these ICs possessed a channel structure and the crystallization of the polyester chains was suppressed upon inclusion into the alpha-CD cavity.     

Effect of the mobility of ligands in polyrotaxanes on order structure of water clusters

The effect of the mobility of ligands (maltose groups) in the polyrotaxanes (pRXs) on the structure of the surrounding water molecules was investigated. Raman spectra of collective OH stretching vibration of water molecules in aqueous solutions of maltose-pRX conjugates with different alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD) threading on a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chain was measured. The mobility of maltose groups was estimated by measuring the relaxation time T2 of the C1 protons in maltose groups bound on alpha-CD by NMR experiment. A positive correlation between the Raman intensity of the collective band and the relaxation time T2 was obtained. This result indicates that the degree of order of the water clusters is higher as the mobility of maltose groups increases in these conjugate solutions. It is suggested that rapid motion of maltose groups in the pRX conjugate can contribute to preserving ordered structure of the bulk water clusters.     

溶菌酶蛋白在聚合物防污膜表面的吸附

采用分子动力学模拟方法比较了溶菌酶蛋白在两种典型聚合物防污材料聚乙二醇(PEG)和聚二甲基硅氧烷(PDMS)表面的吸附行为, 在微观上探讨了聚合物膜表面性质对蛋白质吸附的影响. 根据蛋白质与聚合物膜之间的相互作用、能量变化及表面水化层分子的动力学行为, 解释了PEG防污涂层相对于PDMS表面具有更佳防污效果的原因: (1) 相比PDMS涂层, 蛋白质与PEG涂层的结合能量较低, 使其结合更加疏松; (2) 蛋白质吸附到材料表面要克服表面水化层分子引起的能障, PEG表面与水分子之间结合紧密, 结合水难于脱附, 造成蛋白质在其表面的吸附需要克服更高的能量, 不利于蛋白质的吸附.     

溶菌酶蛋白在聚合物防污膜表面的吸附

采用分子动力学模拟方法比较了溶菌酶蛋白在两种典型聚合物防污材料聚乙二醇(PEG)和聚二甲基硅氧烷(PDMS)表面的吸附行为,在微观上探讨了聚合物膜表面性质对蛋白质吸附的影响.根据蛋白质与聚合物膜之间的相互作用、能量变化及表面水化层分子的动力学行为,解释了PEG防污涂层相对于PDMS表面具有更佳防污效果的原因:(1)相比PDMS涂层,蛋白质与PEG涂层的结合能量较低,使其结合更加疏松;(2)蛋白质吸附到材料表面要克服表面水化层分子引起的能障,PEG表面与水分子之间结合紧密,结合水难于脱附,造成蛋白质在其表面的吸附需要克服更高的能量,不利于蛋白质的吸附.     

A polyrotaxane series containing alpha-cyclodextrin and naphthalene-modified alpha-cyclodextrin as a light-harvesting antenna system

Supramolecular light-harvesting antenna systems were constructed by using polyrotaxanes, in which cyclodextrin (CD) rings of alpha-CD and naphthalene (energy donor)-appended alpha-CD are threaded by a poly(ethylene glycol) chain with anthracene (energy acceptor) units at both ends (5-8). The effects of the component ratio of the polyrotaxanes on the efficiencies of energy migration and energy transfer were examined by fluorescence emission and excitation spectra and anisotropy and by fluorescence decay measurements. The observed results were explained by using the Forster mechanism.     

Determination of preferential interaction parameters by multicomponent diffusion. applications to poly(ethylene glycol)-salt-water ternary mixtures

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is a hydrophilic nonionic polymer used in many biochemical and pharmaceutical applications. We report the four diffusion coefficients for the PEG-KCl-water ternary system at 25 degrees C using precision Rayleigh interferometry. Here, the molecular weight of PEG is 20 kg mol(-1), which is comparable to that of proteins. The four diffusion coefficients are examined and used to determine thermodynamic preferential interaction coefficients. We find that the PEG preferential hydration in the presence of KCl is 1 order of magnitude larger than that previously obtained under the same conditions for lysozyme, a protein of similar molecular weight. In correspondence, the coupled diffusion in the PEG case was greater than that observed in the lysozyme case. We attribute this difference to the greater exposure of polymer coils to the surrounding fluid compared to that of globular compact proteins. Moreover, we observe that the PEG preferential hydration significantly decreases as salt concentration increases and attribute this behavior to the polymer collapse. Finally, we have also employed the equilibrium isopiestic method to validate the accuracy of the preferential interaction coefficients extracted from the diffusion coefficients. This experimental comparison represents an important contribution to the relation between diffusion and equilibrium thermodynamics.     

Molecular recognition of alpha-cyclodextrin (CD) to choral amino acids based on methyl orange as a molecular probe

The molecular recognition interaction of alpha-CD to chiral amino acids was investigated by using spectrophotometry based on methyl orange as a molecular probe. The molecular recognition ability depended on the inclusion formation constants. The molecular recognition of alpha-CD to aromatic amino acids was the order: DL-tryptophan > L-tryptophan > L-phenylalanine > L-tyrosine approximately DL-beta-3,4-dihydroxy-phenylalanine; whereas for aliphatic amino acids, the order was: L-iso-leucine > L-leucine approximately L-methionine approximately DL-mehtionine > D-leucine. The effect of temperature on the inclusion interaction was examined and the thermodynamic parameters of inclusion process, delta G, delta H, delta S, were determined. The experimental results indicated that the inclusion process was an exothermic and enthalpy-driven process accompanied with a negative or minor positive entropic contribution. The inclusion interaction between alpha-CD and amino acids satisfied the law of enthalpy-entropy compensation. The compensation temperature was 291 K.     

Nitrosation of 2-acetylcyclohexanone. 2. Reaction in water in the absence and presence of cyclodextrins

The kinetic study of the nitrosation of the enol of 2-acetylcyclohexanone (ACHE) has been performed in aqueous acid media in the absence and presence of alpha- and beta-cyclodextrin. The reaction is first-order with respect to both reactants concentration: [nitrite] and [ACHE]; but, unexpectly, the dependence of both [H(+)] or [X(-)] (X(-) = Cl(-), Br(-), or SCN(-)) is not simple first-order. The experimental findings have been explained on the basis of a reaction mechanism that considers the formation of a chelate-nitrosyl complex intermediate in steady-state. Addition of both alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD) or beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) diminishs strongly the observed rate constant, k(o), measured either for enol-nitrosation or for enol-ketonization reactions. In the case of beta-CD, the inhibition effect is explained through the formation of nonproductive inclusion complexes between the enol (EH) and beta-CD of 1:1 stoichiometry. Nevertheless, the quantitative interpretation of k(o)-[alpha-CD] profiles requires the assumption that the inclusion complexes formation of both 1:1 (EH/alpha-CD) and 1:2 (EH/alpha-CD(2)) stoichiometries. In the case of enol-ketonization, the EH/alpha-CD complex is nearly as reactive as the uncomplexed enol.     

Guest-free self-assembly of alpha-cyclodextrins leading to channel-type nanofibrils as mesoporous framework

Guest-free alpha-cyclodextrin self-assembly (alpha-CD-SA) was successfully obtained through a simple treatment such as sonication of alpha-CD in a specific solvent. From wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), it was found that the crystalline structure of alpha-CD changed upon increasing the treatment time, resulting in alpha-CD-SA in which the alpha-CDs were closely packed in the vertical direction and hexagonally aligned in the horizontal direction (what is called as "channel structure"). In particular, these structures were developed only in tetrahydrofuran (THF) as a specific solvent. In addition, it was found by inclusion experiment and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) that propionic acid was able to be included into the channel of alpha-CD-SA and that alpha-CD-SA had alpha-CD bundles with a fibril-like shape, respectively. These results demonstrate that the alpha-CD-SA consists of nanofibril-like alpha-CD bundles with cylindrical nanopores open at least at one end, resulting from the dispersion of alpha-CD molecules by sonication in THF and the subsequent re-formation of strong hydrogen bonding between the alpha-CDs with the aid of THF (so-called "slow recrystallization"). Interestingly, it was observed from FE-SEM and nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurement that the alpha-CD-SA had a wormhole-like mesopore with inkbottle shape (average desorption pore size = ca. 25 nm). This mesoporous structure was considered to be attributed to the formation of a mesoporous framework by the disordered aggregation of the nanofibril-like alpha-CD bundles.