Heterocalixaromatics, new generation macrocyclic host molecules in supramolecular chemistry

Heterocalixaromatics, the heteroatom bridged calix(hetero)arenes, have been emerging as new generation macrocyclic host molecules in supramolecular chemistry recently. Being different from the conventional calixarenes in which the aromatic rings are linked by methylene units, heterocalixaromatics assemble various aromatic rings by different heteroatoms. Owning to the intrinsic nature of heteroatoms that can adopt different electronic configurations to form various degrees of conjugation with their neighboring aromatic rings, heterocalixaromatics exhibit unique structural features and versatile recognition properties in comparison to conventional calixarenes. This feature article highlights recent advances in the synthesis, functionalization, structure and molecular recognition of nitrogen- and/or oxygen-bridged calixaromatics, with a primary focus on our own work.     

Benzene-o-dithiolate ligands as versatile building blocks in supramolecular chemistry

Polydentate ligands with benzene-o-dithiolato donor groups are useful building blocks in supramolecular coordination chemistry. The coordination chemistry of bis- and tris(benzene-o-dithiolato) ligands and mixed benzene-o-dithiolato/catecholato ligands is reviewed. These ligands exhibit a versatile coordination chemistry both in solution and in the solid state.     

Coronarenes: recent advances and perspectives on macrocyclic and supramolecular chemistry

Synthetic macrocyclic host molecules always play an essential role in the establishment and development of supramolecular chemistry. Along with the continuous interests in the study of classical macrocycles, recent decades have witnessed the emergence and rapid development of the chemistry and supramolecular chemistry of novel and functional macrocycles. Owing to their easy availability, a self-tunable V-shaped cavity resulted from 1,3-alternate conformation, and diversified electronic features steered by the interplay between heteroatom linkages and aromatic rings, heteracalixaromatics act as a type of versatile and powerful macrocyclic hosts in molecular recognition and fabrication of supramolecular systems. Very recently, by means of engineering the bond connectivity or the recombination of chemical bonds within heteracalixaromatics, we have devised coronarenes, a new generation of macrocycles. In this concise review, macrocyclic and supramolecular chemistry of coronarenes are summarized in the order of their syntheses, structural features, molecular recognition and self-assembly properties. In the last part of this article, personal perspectives on the study of macrocyclic and supramolecular chemistry will also be discussed.     

Synthesis and coordination chemistry of macrocyclic ligands featuring NHC donor groups

Poly-NHC (NHC = N-heterocyclic carbene) ligands emerged almost immediately after the first stable NHCs had been described. Macrocyclic ligands, featuring NHC donor groups and their metal complexes, however, remained rare until recently. This perspective highlights modern developments in the fields of synthesis and coordination chemistry of macrocyclic poly-NHC ligands. These include the synthesis of tetracarbene ligands which were obtained from complexes of β-functionalized isocyanides followed by cyclization of the coordinated iscocyanide ligands to NH,NH-functionalized NHCs and the subsequent metal template controlled bridging alkylation of the NH,NH-NHCs to yield the macrocycle. The template synthesis of ligands featuring a mixed NHC/phosphine donor set like [11]ane-P(2)C(NHC) and [16]ane-P(2)C(NHC)(2) by linkage of NH,NH-NHCs to different phosphines is also presented. Finally, methods for the preparation of cyclic polyazolium salts, their deprotonation and metalation and the different modes of coordination of such macrocyclic poly-NHC ligands are discussed.     

Coordination chemistry of phosphole ligands: From supramolecular assemblies to OLEDs

The synthesis and properties of organophosphorus π-conjugated chromophores incorporating metallic ions are described. Their optical and electrochemical properties depend on the metal centre linked to the organophosphorus atom. Moreover, the introduction of metallic ions induces a control of the supramolecular organization of the organophosphorus π-conjugated systems. The specific properties of these complexes make them valuable materials for organic light-emitting diodes and interesting building blocks for the tailoring of novel NLO-phores.     

Emergences of supramolecular chemistry: from supramolecular chemistry to supramolecular science

We describe the field of supramolecular chemistry as a consequence of the progress of chemistry from its premises to recent achievements. Supramolecular chemistry has been claimed to be an emergent field of research taking its roots in chemistry. According to the definitions of emergences related to hierarchy or more recently to scope, supramolecular chemistry is shown to have bottom-up or top-down emergences. The bottom-up emergence, directly related to hierarchy by definition, opens up the world of nanochemistry and nanomaterials while the top-down one, attributable to scope due to the implication of supramolecular chemistry in other fields of research, open the world of supramolecular biochemistry. Both emergences lead supramolecular chemistry to become a supramolecular science. Combining supramolecular chemistry with biology opens new direction in the study of life and it origin.     

Functionalized supramolecular nanoporous arrays for surface templating

Controlled self-assembly and chemical tailoring of bimolecular networks on surfaces is demonstrated using structural derivatives of 3,4:9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic diimide (PTCDI) combined with melamine (1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triamine). Two functionalised PTCDI derivatives have been synthesised, Br(2)-PTCDI and di(propylthio)-PTCDI, through attachment of chemical side groups to the perylene core. Self-assembled structures formed by these molecules on a Ag-Si(111)${\sqrt{3}}$x${\sqrt{3}}$R30 degrees surface were studied with a room-temperature scanning tunneling microscope under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. It is shown that the introduction of side groups can have a significant effect upon both the structures formed, notably in the case of di(propylthio)-PTCDI which forms a previously unreported unimolecular hexagonal arrangement, and their entrapment behaviour. These results demonstrate a new route of functionalisation for network pores, opening up the possibility of designing nanostructured surface structures with chemical selectivity and applications in nanostructure templating.     

超分子大环化合物用于染料吸附的研究进展

染料在许多工业领域中的长期广泛使用,带来了严重的环境水污染问题,威胁人类健康,因此有效地从水中去除染料是亟待解决的问题。吸附由于具有高效、简单和低成本的优点而成为降低水中染料含量最有吸引力的技术之一。吸附剂的选择对染料的高效吸附至关重要。具有大环空腔的超分子大环化合物作为主体分子对很多客体分子都具有较强的吸附作用,其作为染料吸附剂得到了极其广泛的关注。该文综述了基于大环化合物的吸附剂的制备及用于水体中染料去除的研究,对各种吸附剂的吸附性能进行了讨论,并对基于大环化合物的染料吸附剂的未来发展提出展望。     

Liquid membrane transport of supramolecular complexes of some amines and amino acids with macrocyclic ligands

The transport of some amines in protonated form was studied (viz. methylamine, dimethylamine, diethylamine andn-propylamine) and -amino acids (l-leucine,l-methionine,l-isoleucine,l-phenylalanine,l-valine,l--alanine andl-cysteine). The following macrocyclic ligands were used as carriers throughout the experiments: 15-crown-5 (15C5), 18-crown-6 (18C6), benzo-18-crown-6 (B18C6), dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DB18C6), diazacrown ether [2.2] (1,7,10,16-tetraoxa-4,13-diazacyclooctadecane) and cryptand [2.2.2] (4,7,13,16,21,24-hexaoxa-1,10-diazabicyclo [8.8.8] hexacosane). The active transport, assisted by pH gradient, of amino acids and amines in protonated form as ion pairs in the presence of picrate anion was performed. The experiments suggested the influence of the ligand size, the donor atom type, and the substituents on the transport phenomena.     

Controllable macrocyclic supramolecular assemblies in aqueous solution

A series of macrocycles, including crown ethers, cyclodextrins, calixarenes, pillararenes and cucurbiturils, are well known to be able to associate various organic/inorganic/biological guest molecules and ions in their well-defined cyclic cavities to form stable host-guest complexes and supramolecular systems through the cooperative contributions of various non-covalent interactions. When one or more functional groups are attached to the cavity of macrocycles or guest molecules, enhanced and/or controlled host-guest associations may take place, leading to not only improved host-guest binding abilities but also fascinating properties. In this review, some representative contributions in the construction of controllable macrocyclic supramolecular assemblies in aqueous solution are presented with an emphasis on the stimuli-responsive control manner and wide applications of this property.     

Planar macrocyclic fluoropentamers as supramolecular organogelators

Despite their great diversities, 2D-shaped macrocycles that can serve as the organogelators have been surprisingly rare; two planar macrocyclic fluoropentamers designed by us were highly able to gelate organic solvents, largely derived from their strong tendency to form 1D stacked fibrillar structures stabilized by both interplanar H-bonds and π-π stacking forces.     

Halogen bonding in supramolecular chemistry

Halogen bonding is the noncovalent interaction where halogen atoms function as electrophilic species. The energetic and geometrical features of the interaction are described along with the atomic characteristics that confer molecules with the specific ability to interact through this interaction. Halogen bonding has an impact on all research fields where the control of intermolecular recognition and self-assembly processes plays a key role. Some principles are presented for crystal engineering based on halogen-bonding interactions. The potential of the interaction is also shown by applications in liquid crystals, magnetic and conducting materials, and biological systems.     

Main group supramolecular chemistry

Metal directed self-assembly has yielded a wide array of two- and three-dimensional structures with fascinating new chemical properties. These structures have typically been prepared utilizing transition metals as directing units, owing to the well-defined coordination preferences these metals exhibit. An area of growing research interest involves the preparation of structures containing main group elements as directing units. This tutorial review surveys the wide range of structure types available through this approach, specifically covering unique structure types accessible from the unusual coordination geometries often exhibited by the elements in Groups 12-17 of the periodic table. This review should be of interest to supramolecular and main group chemists, and researchers in the fields of crystal engineering, host-guest chemistry, and molecular recognition.     

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 .     

Tris-β-diketones and related keto derivatives for use as building blocks in supramolecular chemistry

The synthesis of three new tris-β-diketones and some derivatives is reported. In two cases facile alkaline hydrolysis of the diketone moieties yielded the corresponding keto compounds. These are readily functionalised to provide tripodal ligands.     

Pyrrole macrocyclic ligands for Cu-catalyzed asymmetric Henry reactions

New chiral perazamacrocycles containing four pyrrole rings have been synthesized by the [2+2] condensation of (R,R)-diaminocyclohexane and 5,5'-(alkane-2,2-diyl)bis(1H-pyrrole-2-carbaldehydes). These macrocycles, differing for the alkyl/aryl meso-substituents, were used as ligands in the copper-catalyzed Henry reactions of aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes with nitroalkanes. In the optimized experimental conditions, the condensations of nitromethane and aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes in the presence of catalytic amounts of copper diacetate and methyl-substituted macrocyclic ligand (2:1 ratio) in ethanol at room temperature provided products often with high enantiomeric excesses (up to 95% ee). The positive influence of the macrocyclic structure on the efficiency/enantioselectivity of the catalytic system was demonstrated by comparison with the outcomes of Henry reactions performed using analogous macrocyclic ligands (trianglamines) and open-chain ligands derived from (R,R)-diaminocyclohexane.     

Metalloporphyrin hosts for supramolecular chemistry of fullerenes

This paper is a tutorial review of the host-guest chemistry of fullerenes and metalloporphyrin. Among various host molecules for fullerenes, cyclic hosts composed of metalloporphyrin moieties possess one of the highest affinities toward fullerenes, which can be widely tuned simply by changing the central metal ions of the porphyrin moieties. Inclusion of fullerenes occurs not only by van der Waals interactions but also, in some cases, via pi-electronic charge-transfer from the host metalloporphyrin moieties to the guest fullerenes. Fullerenes such as C(120), upon inclusion with cyclic metalloporphyrin dimers, show an oscillatory motion within the host cavity, whose frequency reflects the solvation/desolvation dynamics of the fullerenes. A molecularly engineered metalloporphyrin host with a self-assembling capability allows a guest-directed formation of a supramolecular peapod, where included fullerenes, as peas, are aligned along the self-assembled metalloporphyrin nanotube, as a pod. Furthermore, certain metalloporphyrin hosts are applicable to the selective extraction of low-abundance higher fullerenes from an industrial production source and also allow spectroscopic discrimination of chiral fullerenes.     

Functionalized hydrophobic and hydrophilic self-assembled supramolecular rectangles

The synthesis of six new, functionalized 180 degrees pyridyl donor ligands and their coordination-driven self-assembly into supramolecular rectangles is reported. Three of the new donors have been functionalized with hydrophobic straight chain alkane units (C6, C12, and C18) while the remaining three have been functionalized with derivatized di-, tetra-, and hexaethylene glycol hydrophilic units (DEG, TEG, and HEG, respectively). The resulting self-assembled hydrophobic and hydrophilic supramolecular rectangles have been fully characterized by multinuclear NMR and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Molecular force field modeling suggests that the functionalized rectangles range in size from roughly 3.0 x 2.9 to 3.0 x 6.0 nm2 in size.     

Multivalency in supramolecular chemistry and nanofabrication

Multivalency is a powerful and versatile self-assembly pathway that confers unique thermodynamic and kinetic behavior onto supramolecular complexes. The diversity of the examples of supramolecular multivalent systems discussed in this perspective shows that the concept of multivalency is a general phenomenon, and that any supramolecular interaction can be employed in multivalent displays to attain the attractive aspects characteristic of multivalent interactions. After a general introduction reviewing the general aspects of multivalency, a number of different supramolecular multivalent complexes are discussed that highlight the different features of multivalent interactions. In contrast to the many biochemical multivalent interactions, supramolecular multivalent interactions are ideal to attain a quantitative and fundamental understanding of multivalency. Several examples in which multivalency has been utilized in supramolecular nanofabrication schemes are described in detail.