Cucurbituril as a new “host” of organic molecules in inclusion complexes

The latest data concerning the study of inclusion complexes based on cucurbiturils as a new class of molecular hosts are generalized in the review. The methods of synthesis, the structure, and physical and chemical properties of cucurbiturils are considered. Special attention is given to the discussion of the principles of construction of supramolecular complexes. The factors affecting stability, composition, and structure of inclusion complexes are considered. The potential applications of cucurbituril as molecular containers for a number of photochemical reactions are given. Advantages of using this class of compounds in comparison with other known cavitands are presented.     

卟啉超分子的组装合成及其应用新进展

卟啉超分子已被广泛地用于光学、催化、仿生等方面的研究,部分研究成果已获得实际应用．本文综述了卟啉超分子在组装合成及应用方面的新进展,包括基于不同结构卟啉砌块的新型二维与三维超分子的构筑以及卟啉超分子在光学、催化和分子识别等方面的应用．     

Cucurbit[n]urils for Supramolecular Catalysis

The control over chemical reactivity and selectivity are always pursued. Using non-covalent interactions to achieve efficient and selective catalysis is an essential goal of supramolecular catalysis. Supramolecular catalysis based on cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n]s) possesses distinct characteristics for the unique structure of CB[n]s. CB[n]s are a family of pumpkin-shaped host molecules with various molecular sizes, rigid structures, electronegative portals and wealthy host-guest chemistry. Herein, we summarize the three major mechanisms of CB[n]s based supramolecular catalysis. Owing to the structural properties of CB[n]s, CB[n]s can serve as nanoreactors and steric hindrance to modulate the reactivity of substrates. They can also catalyze the reactions by modulating the reactivity of ionized intermediates. Recent progresses on the CB[n]s based supramolecular catalysis are introduced in this Minireview and the future development in this field is discussed. It is anticipated that this review provides insights into the mechanism of CB[n]s based supramolecular catalysis and may help scientists find new opportunities in this field.     

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 .     

Functional Rotaxanes in Catalysis

Mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs) have gained attention in the field of catalysis due to their unique molecular properties. Central to MIMs, rotaxanes are highly promising and attractive supramolecular catalysts due to their unique three-dimensional structures and the flexibility of their subcomponents. This Minireview discusses the use of rotaxanes in organocatalysis and transition-metal catalysis.     

葫环联脲新进展

葫环联脲这类新型主体分子正受到化学家们的广泛关注,并逐渐成为超分子化学研究领域中的一个热点.本文综述了近两-来葫环联脲同系物、衍生物的合成及其在分子识别、分子催化、分子组装等方面的研究进展,并对该领域的研究前景作一展望.     

Recent Advances in Supramolecular Gels and Catalysis

Over the past two decades, supramolecular gels have attracted significant attention from scientists in diverse research fields and have been extensively developed. This review mainly focuses on the significant achievements in supramolecular gels and catalysis. First, by incorporating diverse catalytic sites and active organic functional groups into gelator molecules, supramolecular gels have been considered as a novel matrix for catalysis. In addition, these rationally designed supramolecular gels also provide a variety of templates to access metal nanocomposites, which may function as catalysts and exhibit high activity in diverse catalytic transformations. Finally, as a new kind of biomaterial, supramolecular gels formed in situ by self‐assembly triggered by catalytic transformations are also covered herein.     

Advantages of Catalysis in Self‐Assembled Molecular Capsules

Control over the local chemical environment of a molecule can be achieved by encapsulation in supramolecular host systems. In supramolecular catalysis, this control is used to gain advantages over classical homogeneous catalysis in bulk solution. Two of the main advantages concern influencing reactions in terms of substrate and product selectivity. Due to size and/or shape recognition, substrate selective conversion can be realized. Additionally, noncovalent interactions with the host environment facilitate alternative reaction pathways and can yield unusual products. This Concept article discusses and highlights literature examples utilizing self‐assembled molecular capsules to achieve catalytic transformations displaying a high degree of substrate and/or product selectivity. Furthermore, the advantage of supramolecular hosts in multicatalyst tandem reactions is covered.     

Supramolecular bidentate ligands by metal-directed in situ formation of antiparallel beta-sheet structures and application in asymmetric catalysis

The principles of protein structure design, molecular recognition, and supramolecular and combinatorial chemistry have been applied to develop a convergent metal-ion-assisted self-assembly approach that is a very simple and effective method for the de novo design and the construction of topologically predetermined antiparallel beta-sheet structures and self-assembled catalysts. A new concept of in situ generation of bidentate P-ligands for transition-metal catalysis, in which two complementary, monodentate, peptide-based ligands are brought together by employing peptide secondary structure motif as constructing tool to direct the self-assembly process, is achieved through formation of stable beta-sheet motifs and subsequent control of selectivity. The supramolecular structures were studied by (1)H, (31)P, and (13)C NMR spectroscopy, ESI mass spectrometry, X-ray structure analysis, and theoretical calculations. Our initial catalysis results confirm the close relationship between the self-assembled sheet conformations and the catalytic activity of these metallopeptides in the asymmetric rhodium-catalyzed hydroformylation. Good catalyst activity and moderate enantioselectivity were observed for the selected combination of catalyst and substrate, but most importantly the concept of this new methodology was successfully proven. This work presents a perspective interface between protein design and supramolecular catalysis for the design of beta-sheet mimetics and screening of libraries of self-organizing supramolecular catalysts.     

超分子凝胶在催化有机反应中的应用

超分子凝胶是有机小分子通过分子间非共价作用形成的使溶剂固定的三维网络结构胶体。 综述关注了近年来超分子凝胶在催化有机反应中一个新的应用方向,依据凝胶剂结构特征和催化反应的类型对迄今报道的小分子凝胶催化剂进行了深入的总结与归类,揭示凝胶催化的独特性,并对其存在的问题和发展趋势进行了讨论。     

Microwave-assisted synthesis of novel cyclodextrin–cucurbituril complexes

Microwave irradiation was successfully used in order to obtain stable supramolecular aggregates between cyclodextrins and cucurbiturils, without the participation of any long-chain common ‘molecular thread’ guest. These aggregates were characterised by means of various different techniques, namely NMR, thermogravimetry, polarimetry and ESI-MS. Cross-analysis of experimental data allowed us to obtain insights on the stoichiometries of the composites and their thermal stabilities. The possible structures of the composites are briefly discussed, as well as the actual nature of their intrinsic stability.     

Supramolecular Coordination Cages for Asymmetric Catalysis

Inspired by the high efficiency and specificity of enzymes in living systems, the development of artificial catalysts intrinsic to the key features of enzyme has emerged as an active field. Recent advances in supramolecular chemistry have shown that supramolecular coordination cages, built from non-covalent coordination bonds, offer a diverse platform for enzyme mimics. Their inherent confined cavity, analogous to the binding pocket of an enzyme, and the facile tunability of building blocks are essential for substrate recognition, transition-state stabilization, and product release. In particular, the combination of chirality with supramolecular coordination cages will undoubtedly create an asymmetric microenvironment for promoting enantioselective transformation, thus providing not only a way to make synthetically useful asymmetric catalysts, but also a model to gain a better understanding for the fundamental principles of enzymatic catalysis in a chiral environment. The focus here is on recent progress of supramolecular coordination cages for asymmetric catalysis, and based on how supramolecular coordination cages function as reaction vessels, three approaches have been demonstrated. The aim of this review is to offer researchers general guidance and insight into the rational design of sophisticated cage containers for asymmetric catalysis.     

Stereodivergent Anion Binding Catalysis with Molecular Motors

A photoresponsive chiral catalyst based on an oligotriazole‐functionalized unidirectional molecular motor has been developed for stereodivergent anion binding catalysis. The motor function controls the helical chirality of supramolecular assemblies with chloride anions, which by means of chirality transfer enables the enantioselective addition of a silyl ketene acetal nucleophile to oxocarbenium cations. Reversal of stereoselectivity (up to 142 % Δee) was achieved through rotation of the motor core induced by photochemical and thermal isomerization steps.     

环糊精-卟啉超分子体系的构筑及应用进展

环糊精具有分子识别和选择包结客体分子的独特性质,而卟啉具有模拟酶催化、电子转移和光能转移等功能,本工作通过对环糊精-卟啉超分子体系构筑方式的介绍,详细综述了环糊精-卟啉超分子体系在模拟酶催化、生命科学、药物控释、电子转移过程等方面的应用,认为环糊精-卟啉超分子体系具有卟啉和环糊精双重性质的优点,而以键联环糊精-卟啉为主体分子构筑的超分子体系能更有效地模拟生物酶,表现出优异的区域和立体选择性,在仿生催化方面将具有更广泛的应用前景.     

Supramolecularly Catalyzed Polymerization: From Consecutive Dimerization to Polymerization

Herein, we propose a new method for promoting covalent polymerization by supramolecular catalysts. To this end, we employed cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) as a supramolecular catalyst, and successfully prepared polyelectrolytes in an aqueous solution by taking advantage of the CB[8]‐enhanced photodimerization of Brooker merocyanine moieties. Interestingly, 10 mol % CB[8] is enough to effectively catalyze this polymerization, because CB[8] can be spontaneously replaced by terminal groups from photodimerized products. In addition, the molecular weights of the obtained polyelectrolytes can be varied by the irradiation time or the monomer. By combining supramolecular catalysis and polymer chemistry, this line of research may enrich the methodology of polymerization and open up new horizons for supramolecular polymer chemistry.     

Pnictogen-Bonding Catalysis: An Interactive Tool to Uncover Unorthodox Mechanisms in Polyether Cascade Cyclizations

Pnictogen-bonding catalysis and supramolecular σ-hole catalysis in general is currently being introduced as the non-covalent counterpart of covalent Lewis acid catalysis. With access to anti-Baldwin cyclizations identified as unique characteristic, pnictogen-bonding catalysis appeared promising to elucidate one of the hidden enigmas of brevetoxin-type epoxide opening polyether cascade cyclizations, that is the cyclization of certain trans epoxides into cis-fused rings. In principle, a shift from S_N2- to S_N1-type mechanisms could suffice to rationalize this inversion of configuration. However, the same inversion could be explained by a completely different mechanism: Ring opening with C−C bond cleavage into a branched hydroxy-5-enal and the corresponding cyclic hemiacetal, followed by cascade cyclization under conformational control, including stereoselective C−C bond formation. In this report, a pnictogen-bonding supramolecular Sb^V catalyst is used to demonstrate that this unorthodox polyether cascade cyclization mechanism occurs.     

超分子手性聚苯胺-金复合纳米酶的构建及其对映选择性催化

对映选择性催化是生物体内普遍存在的反应,与生命的产生代谢有着非常紧密的联系。设计研发具有高对映选择性催化效果的纳米酶在各类生物医药相关领域都至关重要。目前,关于纳米酶的研究大都集中在提高其催化活性,而涉及纳米酶对映选择性的研究相对较少。已有对映选择性酶催化报道表明,手性纳米酶主要通过手性分子修饰纳米颗粒来构建。考虑到天然酶的选择性不仅仅取决于氨基酸等手性分子的手性,而且与蛋白质空间排列和折叠所产生的超分子手性微环境密切相关,因此构建具有超分子手性微环境的纳米酶也成为设计具有优异对映选择性纳米酶的有效途径。此外,为了进一步提高手性纳米酶的对映选择性,深入理解手性纳米酶选择性因子的影响因素也成为一个重要研究方向。基于此,本文构建了一种由不含任何手性分子的M-聚苯胺(M-PANI)扭曲纳米带和三种不同尺寸(3、10和16 nm)的金纳米颗粒(AuNPs)组成的超分子纳米复合材料。扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、紫外-可见吸收光谱和X射线光电子能谱结果证实了M-PANI-Au超分子纳米复合材料的成功制备。同时,圆二色光谱显示M-PANI-Au超分子复合材料具有清晰的手性信号,表明它们在手性纳米催化方面具有潜在应用。以手性R-/S-3, 4-二羟基苯丙氨酸(R-/S-DOPA)对映体的催化氧化为模型反应,该类纳米酶对R-DOPA的催化选择性均高于对S-DOPA。进一步研究表明,得益于超分子手性聚苯胺载体和3 nm AuNPs之间的强手性传递作用,3 nm Au NPs(2.59)负载的M-PANI比10 nm Au NPs(1.46)和16 nm NPs(1.58)负载的M-PANI具有更高的选择因子。这一发现阐明了手性转移是调控对映选择性催化的关键影响因素,为负载型超分子手性纳米酶的构建和设计提供了方向和指导。     

Bioinspired Ether Cyclizations within a π-Basic Capsule Compared to Autocatalysis on π-Acidic Surfaces and Pnictogen-Bonding Catalysts

While the integration of supramolecular principles in catalysis attracts increasing attention, a direct comparative assessment of the resulting systems catalysts to work out distinct characteristics is often difficult. Herein is reported how the broad responsiveness of ether cyclizations to diverse inputs promises to fill this gap. Cyclizations in the confined, π-basic and Brønsted acidic interior of supramolecular capsules, for instance, are found to excel with speed (exceeding general Brønsted acid and hydrogen-bonding catalysts by far) and selective violations of the Baldwin rules (as extreme as the so far unique pnictogen-bonding catalysts). The complementary cyclization on π-acidic aromatic surfaces remains unique with regard to autocatalysis, which is shown to be chemo- and diastereoselective with regard to product-like co-catalysts but, so far, not enantioselective.     

Water-soluble supramolecular polymers constructed by macrocycle-based host-guest interactions

Water soluble supramolecular polymers are especially important due to their superior biocompatibility and environmental adaptation, which determined they have wide applications in various areas, such as drug delivery, self-healing, shape memory. On the other hand, macrocyclic compounds are the most used building blocks in the preparation of supramolecular polymers. Macrocycle-based supramolecular polymers, which introduce the host-guest interaction in the system, endow these polymers with interesting and smart physicalchemical properties. In this review, we summarized recent studies about supramolecular polymers in aqueous solution based on macrocyclic compounds.     

超分子双膦配体的构筑及应用研究进展

超分子双膦配体是一类新兴起的基于非共价键作用构筑的双膦配体,近年来引起人们的重视.与传统的共价键连接的双膦配体相比,利用非共价相互作用的可逆性和选择性,超分子双膦配体具有合成简便,组合灵活,易于合成超分子配体库,并利用组合化学的方法对催化体系进行优化和筛选等优点.详细综述了近几年发展的基于氢键、配位键、主客体作用和静电作用等弱相互作用的超分子双膦配体,重点讨论了它们的构建方法以及在不对称催化反应中的应用,并对其发展前景进行了展望.