Bis(amino acid) oxalyl amides as ambidextrous gelators of water and organic solvents: supramolecular gels with temperature dependent assembly/dissolution equilibrium

Bis(LeuOH) (1a), bis-(ValOH) (2a) and bis(PhgOH) (5a) (Phg denotes (R)-phenylglycine) oxalyl amides are efficient low molecular weight organic gelators of various organic solvents and their mixtures as well as water, water/DMSO, and water/DMF mixtures. The organisational motifs in aqueous gels are dominated primarily by lipophilic interactions while those in organic solvents are formed by intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Most of the gels are thermoreversible and stable for many months. However, 2a forms unstable gels with organic solvents which upon ageing transform into variety of crystalline shapes. For some 1a/alcohol gels, a linear correlation between alcohol dielectric constants (epsilon) and gel melting temperatures (Tg) was found. The 1H NMR and FTIR spectroscopic investigations of selected gels reveal the existence of temperature dependent network assembly/dissolution equilibrium. In the 1H NMR spectra of gels only the molecules dissolved in entrapped solvent could be observed. By using an internal standard, the concentration of dissolved gelator molecules could be determined. In FTIR spectra, the bands corresponding to network assembled and dissolved gelator molecules are simultaneously present. This enabled determination of the Kgel values by using both methods. From the plots of InKgel versus 1/T, the deltaHgel values of selected gels have been determined (-deltaHgel in 10-36 kJ mol(-1) range) and found to be strongly solvent dependent. The deltaHgel values determined by 1H NMR and FTIR spectroscopy are in excellent agreement. Crystal structures of 2a and rac-5a show the presence of organisational motifs and intermolecular interactions in agreement with those in gel fibres elucidated by spectroscopic methods.     

Chiral bis(amino alcohol)oxalamide gelators-gelation properties and supramolecular organization: racemate versus pure enantiomer gelation

Four new chiral bis(amino alcohol)oxalamides (1-4: amino alcohol=leucinol, valinol, phenylglycinol, and phenylalaninol, respectively) have been prepared as low-molecular-weight organic gelators. Their gelation properties towards various organic solvents and mixtures were determined and these were then compared to related bis(amino acid) oxalamide gelators. Spectroscopic (FTIR, (1)H NMR) and X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the primary organization motif of (S,S)-1 and racemate 1 (rac-1) in lipophilic solvents involved the formation of inverse bilayers. The X-ray crystal structure of (S,S)-1 also shows this type of bilayer organization. The crystal structure of rac-2 reveals meso bilayers of hydrogen-bonded aggregates. Within the bilayers formed, the gelator molecules are connected by cooperative hydrogen bonding between oxalamide units and OH groups, while the interbilayer interactions are realized through lipophilic interactions between the iBu groups of leucinol. Oxalamide meso-1 lacks any gelation ability and crystallizes in monolayers. In dichloromethane rac-1 forms an unstable gel; this is prone to crystallization as a result of the formation of symmetrical meso bilayers. In contrast, in aromatic solvents rac-1 forms stable gels; this indicates that enantiomeric bilayers are formed. Oxalamide rac-1 is capable of gelling a volume of toluene three times larger than (S,S)-1. A tranmission electron microscopy investigation of rac-1 and (S,S)-1 toluene gels reveals the presence of thinner fibers in the former gel, and, hence, a more compact network that is capable of immobilizing a larger volume of the solvent. The self-assembly of these types of gelator molecules into bilayers and subsequent formation of fibrous aggregates can be explained by considering the strength and direction of aggregate forces (supramolecular vectors) in three-dimensional space.     

Gels of ionic liquid [C4mim]PF6 formed by self-assembly of gelators and their electrochemical properties

Three types of gelators, bis(4-octanoylaminophenyl) ether (BODE), bis(4-octanoylaminophenyl) methane (BODM) and 2,4′-bis(octanureido) toluene (BOUT) were utilized as gelators for the gelation of ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-menthyl-imidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([C₄mim]PF₆). The mean minimum gelator concentrations (MGCs) for the [C₄mim]PF₆ were found to be less than 2 wt%. The polarized optical microscopy image of [C₄mim]PF₆ gels reveals the formation of spherical crystallites resulting from the fibrillar aggregates of the gelators. The cyclic voltammograms of the [C₄mim]PF₆ gels indicate a good electrochemical stability over the range from ?3.0 to 3.0 V. The impedance spectra of the [C₄mim]PF₆ gels show good linear relationships between ion conductivity and temperature, indicating that the temperature dependence of the conductivity follows the classical Arrhenius equation.     

Electron capture dissociation product ion abundances at the X amino acid in RAAAA-X-AAAAK peptides correlate with amino acid polarity and radical stability

We present mechanistic studies aimed at improving the understanding of the product ion formation rules in electron capture dissociation (ECD) of peptides and proteins in Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. In particular, we attempted to quantify the recently reported general correlation of ECD product ion abundance (PIA) with amino acid hydrophobicity. The results obtained on a series of model H-RAAAAXAAAAK-OH peptides confirm a direct correlation of ECD PIA with X amino acid hydrophobicity and polarity. The correlation factor (R) exceeds 0.9 for 12 amino acids (Ile, Val, His, Asn, Asp, Glu, Gln, Ser, Thr, Gly, Cys, and Ala). The deviation of ECD PIA for seven outliers (Pro is not taken into consideration) is explained by their specific radical stabilization properties (Phe, Trp, Tyr, Met, and Leu) and amino acid basicity (Lys, Arg). Phosphorylation of Ser, Thr, and Tyr decreases the efficiency of ECD around phosphorylated residues, as expected. The systematic arrangement of amino acids reported here indicates a possible route toward development of a predictive model for quantitative electron capture/transfer dissociation tandem mass spectrometry, with possible applications in proteomics.     

Double-helical dinuclear bis(dipyrromethene) complexes formed by self-assembly

Bis(dipyrromethene) ligands linked by an alkyl spacer between beta and beta' positions are shown to give helical dimers or monomers, dependent upon the length of the alkyl linker, upon complexation. Ligands consisting of methylene, ethylene, and propylene linkers -(CH(2))(n)()- (n = 1, 2, and 3) give helical dimers, while longer linking chains (n = 4, 5, or 6) give monomers or mixtures of dimers and monomers. X-ray crystal structures of the dimeric zinc complexes (n = 1, 2, and 3) reveal that the angles between dipyrromethene planes and the extent of helicity in the complexes differ as the length of the linker varies. The extent of helicity was assessed and found to be dependent upon the length and, specifically, the conformational preferences of the alkyl spacer unit. The presence of an ethylene linker gave complexes of greatest helicity. The use of a methylene spacer gave less helical structures upon complexation, while propylene spacers gave only slightly helical complexes. Our studies identify the crucial importance that the conformational preferences of the beta-beta' alkyl spacer group plays in the coordination algorithm of self-assembly to form dipyrromethene based complexes.     

11-Aminoundecanoic acid: a versatile unit for the generation of low molecular weight gelators for water and organic solvents

The use of 11-aminoundecanoic acid as a synthetic building-block allows the systematic preparation of (oligo)amide organogelators-including chiral ones-which display remarkable gelation properties in organic solvents and water.     

Mass spectrometric study of thermal stability of copper(II) bis(dipivaloylmethanate) vapour

The processes of thermal destruction of copper(II) bis(dipivaloylmethanate) (Cu(dpm)₂) in the temperature range 150°–550°C were studied by using a two-temperature variant of a double chamber Knudsen cell, with mass spectrometric recording of the gas-phase composition. The temperature range of stability of the vapour of the complex in vacuum was determined, as were those of its mixtures with oxygen in different proportions. The temperature dependence of the rate constant of the thermolysis of (Cu(dpm)₂) vapour was obtained. The thermal stability of Hdpm vapour and the influence of oxygen on the thermolysis of the ligand were studied.

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Zusammenfassung Unter Verwendung einer Zweitemperaturenvariante der Knudsenschen Doppelkammerzelle wurde mittels MS-Untersuchung der Gasphasenzusammensetzung im Temperaturbereich 150°–550°C der thermische Abbau von Kupfer(II)-bis(dipivaloylmethanat) (Cu(dpm)₂) untersucht. Es wurde der Temperaturbereich für die Stabilität der gasförmigen Komplexe in Vakuum sowie in Gemischen mit Sauerstoff in verschiedenen Verhältnissen bestimmt. Dabei wurde die Temperaturabhängigkeit der Geschwindigkeitskonstante für die Thermolyse von Cu(dpm)₂ ermittelt. Weiterhin wurde die thermische Stabilität von Hdpm-Dampf sowie der Einfluß von Sauerstoff auf die Thermolyse der Liganden bestimmt.

     

Synthesis of poly(amino acid)s on molecular assemblies formed by functional active esters of amino acids

The new active β-alanine and glycine esters ( 6 and 7 ) of N-hydroxy-2,3-dihexadecylsuccinimide were prepared and their polycondensation was studied. The aggregation behavior of these esters was examined by an electron microscopy and an osmotic method. They formed multilamella in water and reversed micelle in nonpolar solvents. These solvents were found to be suitable for the polycondensation, which gave the corresponding poly(amino acid)s. The results of polycondensation can be explained by assuming that the aggregations, that is, multilamella in water and reversed micelle in nonpolar solvents, are playing an important role in the polycondensation.     

Copper(II) complexes of bis(amino amide) ligands: effect of changes in the amino acid residue

A family of ligands derived from bis(amino amides) containing aliphatic spacers has been prepared, and their protonation and stability constants for the formation of Cu(2+) complexes have been determined potentiometrically. Important differences are associated to both the length of the aliphatic spacer and the nature of the side chains derived from the amino acid. In general, ligands containing aliphatic side chains display higher basicities as well as stability constants with Cu(2+). In the same way, basicities and stability constants tend to increase when decreasing the steric hindrance caused by the corresponding side-chain. FT-IR, UV-vis and ESI-MS were used for analyzing the complex species detected in the speciation diagram. UV-vis studies showed the presence of different coordination environments for the copper(II) complexes. Complexes with different stoichiometries can be formed in some instances. This was clearly highlighted with the help of ESI-MS experiments.     

Stereoisomeric bis(phenylglycinol)malonamide gelators: rare examples of gelling meso-compounds

Gelation of malonamides was investigated for the first time. Bis(phenylglycinol)malonamide 1, and methyl-, dimethyl-, ethyl-, diethyl- and isopropylmalonamides 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, respectively, exhibited profoundly different gelling properties. Monoalkyl malonamides are efficient organogelators, and their gelling properties strongly depend on their stereochemistry. In contrast, symmetrically substituted dialkymalonamides, that is, (R,R)-dimethylmalonamide 3 and (R,R)-diethylmalonamide 5 as well as the unsubstituted 1 lack any gelation ability. Methyl derivative (R,R)-2 is an excellent, and its ethyl analogue (R,R)-4 a moderate gelator of toluene, p-xylene and tetralin while the isopropyl derivative (R,R)-6 shows only very weak gelation of tetralin and some more polar solvents. Meso diastereoisomers (R,r,S)-2 and (R,s,S)-2, as well as (R,r,S)-4 and (R,s,S)-4), each possessing a pseudoasymmetric centre represent very rare examples of gelling meso-compounds. The racemate 4 (rac-4) showed more efficient gelation of some solvents than the pure enantiomer (R,R)-4, while rac-2 failed to gel any of the solvents which were efficiently gelled by (R,R)-2.     

Conformation equilibrium of 3-(hydroxymethyl)piperidine in solvents with different polarity

Quantum-chemical calculations of the 3-(hydroxymethyl)piperidine molecule conformers were performed at the B3LYP/6-31+G** level of theory, and four most stable conformations with different relative orientation of CH₂OH and N–H groups were determined. The optimized structures, vibration frequencies, and band intensities in the spectra of the conformers were obtained. The conformational equilibria of the most stable rotational isomers in solvents of different polarity was studied within the polarizable continuum model. According to the results of calculations, the conformational equilibrium in solution is substantially changed on varying the solvent polarity. This conclusion was confirmed by comparison with IR absorption spectra of 3-(hydroxymethyl)piperidine solutions in carbon tetrachloride in the region of ОН-stretchings.

     

Synthesis, structural investigation and thermal stability of aqua magnesium(II) phthalocyanine bis(diethylamine) solvate

Aqua magnesium phthalocyanine bis(diethylamine) complex was obtained in the crystalline form and its crystal structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The Mg atom is 4 + 1 coordinated by four N isoindole atoms and one O atom. The MgPc moiety is non-planar, the Mg(II) is deviated by 0.492(2) Å from the N₄-isoindole plane towards the oxygen atom of water molecule. The arrangement of MgPc(H₂O) and diethylamine molecules is determined by O–HN hydrogen bonds and π–π interactions. The complex is stable up to 140 °C. At this temperature the complex loses diethylamine molecules and next at 200 °C loses the water molecule and finally converts into β-MgPc.     

Gelation mechanism and microstructure of organogels formed with various types of gelators

The small‐angle neutron scattering (SANS) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) investigation were carried out for organogels in toluene, formed by organogelators, to elucidate the relationship between the chemical structure and the gelation mechanism as well as the physical properties of the gels. Three different organogelators, that is cyclo(L ‐β‐3,7‐dimethyloctylasparaginyl‐L ‐phenylalanyl) (CPA), trans‐(1R,2R)‐bis(undecylcarbonylamino)cyclohexane (TCH), and N^ε‐lauroyl‐N^α‐stearylaminocarbonyl‐L ‐lysine ethyl ester (LEE), were chosen for comparison. The SANS intensity functions of toluene solutions of these gelators could be reduced with the concentration and were described with a scattering function for thin rods. This indicates that the gels consist of noncorrelated, rod‐like elements aggregated to each other. The characteristic features of the gelation properties, such as the critical gelation concentration, C_gel, the gelation temperature, T_gel, the gel structure, and the gelation mechanism, were different from each other. CPA had the lowest C_gel and became a gel gradually as the temperature decreased, while TCH and LEE had higher C_gels and underwent a sharp sol–gel transition. We conclude that the gelation mechanisms between the CPA and TCH solutions are different. The “CPA type” gelators form a gel by a linear extension of hydrogen‐bonded plane, while the “TCH type” gelators form a twisted wire, because of its strong helicity and crystallizability. In addition, in the latter type, a next generation of fibrils easily stacks on top of the previous ones to form larger fibrils. These models well explain the DLS results and the mechanical properties. That is, the fibrillar stems in CPA gels are rather mobile and fragile, while those in TCH and LEE are frozen and brittle. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 3567–3574, 2005     

Reaction of bis(chloromethyl) phosphonic acid with aminoacetic acid

Summary The reaction of bis(chloromethyl)phosphonic acid with aminoacetic acid which leads to the formation of N-methyl-N-carboxymethylaminomethylphosphonic acid was studied, and a reaction scheme was suggested which included the formation and subsequent opening of a four-membered 1,3-phosphetidine ring.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp 694–696, March, 1969.     

A novel class of organo- (hydro-) gelators based on ascorbic acid

A library of novel, lipid-modified derivatives of ascorbic acid was shown to exhibit highly attractive properties as surfactants, emulsifiers, oil soluble antioxidants, and highly effective gelators in organic solvents and especially water. In these systems, intermolecular hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces act synergistically to induce gelation as confirmed by spectroscopic studies. The morphology of the formed gel has been characterized by scanning electron microscopy.     

Complexes of acid amides with aprotic polar solvents IV. Complexes of poly(acid amides) with aprotic solvents

The process of solid-phase cyclodehydration of films cast from solutions of poly(acid amides) (PAA) in dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone has been investigated by mass-spectrometric thermal analysis (MTA). It is shown that MTA is a structure-sensitive method making it possible to follow the appearance and changes in the character of ordered structures formed in PAA films. The authors relate these structures to the process of crystallization of complexes of PAA with aprotic polar solvents.     

Hydrolytic degradation and thermal stability of poly(naphthylimides) based on naphthalene-1,4,5,8-tetracarboxylic dianhydride and bis(naphthalic anhydrides)

The molecular properties of a number of new poly(naphthylimides) derived from naphthalene-1,4,5,8-tetracarboxylic dianhydride and bis(naphthalic anhydrides) have been studied. On the basis of hydrodynamic studies of the polymers at various stages of their thermal degradation in 96% H₂SO₄ and thermogravimetric measurements, the hydrolytic stability and thermooxidative resistance of the polymers have been compared. A correlation between the experimental data and the chemical structure of molecular chains has been established.     

Composition and stability of the mixed complex formed by neodymium with eth ylenediamine tetraacetic acid and tartaric acid

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