Consequences of cooperativity in racemizing supramolecular systems

Saluting the sergeant: Phg-BTA (see scheme) cooperatively self-assembles into helical aggregates and shows unprecedented racemization behavior in the presence of base. In thermodynamically controlled conditions, the addition of a small amount of chiral auxiliary to this mixture results in a deracemization reaction and a final enantiomeric excess of 32?%. A theoretical model is presented to understand in detail the results obtained.     

Electroactive nanorods and nanorings designed by supramolecular association of pi-conjugated oligomers

In investigations into the design and isolation of semiconducting nano-objects, the synthesis of a new bisureido pi-conjugated organogelator has been achieved. This oligo(phenylenethienylene) derivative was found to be capable of forming one-dimensional supramolecular assemblies, leading to the gelation of several solvents. Its self-assembling properties have been studied with different techniques (AFM, EFM, etc.). Nano-objects have successfully been fabricated from the pristine organogel under appropriate dilution conditions. In particular, nanorods and nanorings composed of the electroactive organogelator have been isolated and characterized. With additional support from an electrochemical study of the organogelator in solution, it has been demonstrated by the EFM technique that such nano-objects were capable of exhibiting charge transport properties, a requirement in the fabrication of nanoscale optoelectronic devices. It was observed that positive charges can be injected and delocalized all along an individual nano-object (nanorod and nanoring) over micrometers and, remarkably, that no charge was stored in the center of the nanoring. It was also observed that topographic constructions in the nanostructures prevent transport and delocalization. The same experiments were performed with a negative bias (i.e., electron injection), but no charge delocalization was observed. These results could be correlated with the nature of 1, which is a good electron-donor, so it can easily be oxidized, but can be reduced only with difficulty.     

Self-assembly of supramolecular architectures and polymers by orthogonal metal complexation and hydrogen-bonding motifs

A modular construction kit with two orthogonal noncovalent binding sites for self-assembly of supramolecular architectures is presented. The heteroditopic building blocks contain a terpyridine (tpy) unit for coordination of metal ions and a Hamilton receptor for multiple H-bonding of cyanuric acid derivatives. The association constants of ligand binding of M(II) complexes (M=Ru, Zn, Fe, and Pt) with a dendritic end cap were determined to be in the range of 10(2) and 10(4) L mol(-1) in chloroform. The capabilities for binding of metal ions were investigated by (1)H NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The Fe complexes are most appropriate for the generation of discrete and high-ordered architectures due to their strong tendency to form FeL(2) complexes. Superstructures are readily formed in a one-pot procedure at room temperature. No mutual interactions between the orthogonal binding motifs were observed, and this demonstrates the highly specific nature of each binding process. Decomplexation experiments were carried out to examine the reversibility of Fe-tpy coordination. Substitution of the terminal end cap with a homoditopic bis-cyanurate linkage leads to formation of an iron-containing supramolecular strand. Formation of coordination polymers was confirmed by viscosity measurements. The supramolecular polymer strands can be reversibly cleaved by addition of a terminating cyanuric acid building block, and this proves the dynamic nature of this noncovalent polymerization process.     

2，7-萘二磺酸导向构筑的五元瓜环-碱金属及碱土金属基超分子自组装体及其溶剂识别

以2,7-萘二磺酸（2,7-H₂NDA）作为结构导向剂,与五元瓜环（Q[5]）和碱金属、碱土离子（K⁺、Rb⁺、Mg²⁺、Ca²⁺）在水热条件下制备出了4种新颖的Q[5]基超分子自组装体[K₂（H₂O）₄（Q[5]）]（2,7-NDA）·4H₂O （1）、[Rb₂（H₂O）₅（Q[5]）]（2,7-NDA）·3H₂O （2）、[Mg （H₂O）₄（Q[5]）]（2,7-NDA）·8H₂O （3）和[Ca （H₂O）₄（Q[5]）]（2,7-NDA）·10H₂O （4）。单晶X射线衍射测试结果表明,自组装体1和2具有相同的结构： Q[5]分子与金属离子配位形成的是“分子胶囊”;而在3中Q[5]与Mg²⁺配位形成的是1：1型简单配合物结构;在自组装体4中,Q[5]与Ca²⁺配位形成的是一维Q[5]-Ca²⁺配位聚合物链结构。这些结构中2,7-NDA^2-阴离子平衡了体系电荷,且通过其与瓜环外壁之间的弱相互作用,促进自组装体最终构筑成三维超分子结构。此外,还研究了自组装体4的溶剂识别荧光传感性能,结果表明其能够作为有机溶剂丙酮和DMF的猝灭型荧光探针。     

More than Meets the Eye: Conformational Switching of a Stacked Dialkoxynaphthalene–Naphthalenetetracarboxylic diimide (DAN–NDI) Foldamer to an NDI–NDI Fibril Aggregate

The thermally induced conformational switching of a stacked dialkxoynaphthalene–naphthalenetetracarboxylic diimide (DAN–NDI) amphiphilic foldamer to an NDI–NDI fibril aggregate is described. The aggregated fibril structures were explored by UV/Vis, circular dichroism (CD), atomic‐force microscopy (AFM), and TEM techniques. Our findings indicate that the aromatic DAN–NDI interactions of the original foldamer undergoes transformation to a fibrillar assembly with aromatic NDI–NDI stacked interactions. These structural insights could help inform new molecular designs and increase our understanding of fibrillar assembly and aggregation process in aqueous solution.     

Photo gel-sol/sol-gel transition and its patterning of a supramolecular hydrogel as stimuli-responsive biomaterials

In a focused library of glycolipid-based hydrogelators bearing fumaric amide as a trans-cis photoswitching module, several new photoresponsive supramolecular hydrogelators were discovered, the gel-sol/sol-gel transition of which was pseudo-reversibly induced by light. Studying the optimal hydrogel by NMR spectroscopy and various microscopy techniques showed that the trans-cis photoisomerization of the double bond of the fumaric amide unit effectively caused assembly or disassembly of the self-assembled supramolecular fibers to yield the macroscopic hydrogel or the corresponding sol, respectively. The entanglement of the supramolecular fibers produced nanomeshes, the void space of which was roughly evaluated to be 250 nm based on confocal laser scanning microscopy observations of the size-dependent Brownian motion of nanobeads embedded in the supramolecular hydrogel. It was clearly shown that such nanomeshes become a physical obstacle that captures submicro- to micrometer-sized substrates such as beads or bacteria. By exploiting the photoresponsive property of the supramolecular nanomeshes, we succeeded in off/on switching of bacterial movement and rotary motion of bead-tethered F(1)-ATPase, a biomolecular motor protein, in the supramolecular hydrogel. Furthermore, by using the photolithographic technique, gel-sol photopatterning was successfully conducted to produce sol spots within the gel matrix. The fabricated gel-sol pattern not only allowed regulation of bacterial motility in a limited area, but also off/on switching of F1-ATPase rotary motion at the single-molecule level. These results demonstrated that the photoresponsive supramolecular hydrogel and the resulting nanomeshes may provide unique biomaterials for the spatiotemporal manipulation of various biomolecules and live bacteria.     

Solvent‐Dependent Self‐Assembly Behaviour and Speciation Control of Pd6L8 Metallo‐supramolecular Cages

The C₃‐symmetric chiral propylated host‐type ligands (±)‐tris(isonicotinoyl)‐tris(propyl)‐cyclotricatechylene ( L1 ) and (±)‐tris(4‐pyridyl‐4‐benzoxy)‐tris(propyl)‐cyclotricatechylene ( L2 ) self‐assemble with Pd^II into [Pd₆L₈]¹²⁺ metallo‐cages that resemble a stella octangula. The self‐assembly of the [Pd₆( L1 )₈]¹²⁺ cage is solvent‐dependent; broad NMR resonances and a disordered crystal structure indicate no chiral self‐sorting of the ligand enantiomers in DMSO solution, but sharp NMR resonances occur in MeCN or MeNO₂. The [Pd₆( L1 )₈]¹²⁺ cage is observed to be less favourable in the presence of additional ligand, than is its counterpart, where L=(±)‐tris(isonicotinoyl)cyclotriguaiacylene ( L1 a ). The stoichiometry of reactant mixtures and chemical triggers can be used to control formation of mixtures of homoleptic or heteroleptic [Pd₆L₈]¹²⁺ metallo‐cages where L= L1 and L1 a .     

Ionic hydrogen bonds controlling two-dimensional supramolecular systems at a metal surface

Hydrogen-bond formation between ionic adsorbates on an Ag(111) surface under ultrahigh vacuum was studied by scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), and molecular dynamics calculations. The adsorbate, 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (trimesic acid, TMA), self-assembles at low temperatures (250-300 K) into the known open honeycomb motif through neutral hydrogen bonds formed between carboxyl groups, whereas annealing at 420 K leads to a densely packed quartet structure consisting of flat-lying molecules with one deprotonated carboxyl group per molecule. The resulting charged carboxylate groups form intermolecular ionic hydrogen bonds with enhanced strength compared to the neutral hydrogen bonds; this represents an alternative supramolecular bonding motif in 2D supramolecular organization.     

Synthesis of supramolecular polymers by ionic self-assembly of oppositely charged dyes

A new type of supramolecular polymer was prepared by ionic self-assembly (ISA) from two oppositely charged dyes; a perylenediimide and a copper-phthalocyanine derivative. Coulomb coupling stabilizes the whole structure, and a combination of charge-transfer interactions and discotic stacking facilitates the exclusive formation of one-dimensional polymeric chains. The supramolecular dye-polymers have a large association constant (2.4 x 10(7) L mol(-1)), high molecular weight, and high mechanical stability. The use of cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) confirmed the existence of extended fibers of width 2.4 nm. Further image analysis revealed slight undulation and faint segmentation of the fibers, and density maxima were observed at a regular interval of 3.6 nm along the fiber axis. The fiber-like structure (and aggregate of fibers) is also found in the solid state, as shown by the results of mineralization contrasting experiments, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray analyses. A structural model is proposed, in which the structural subunits, arranged in a side-by-side conformation, form a stacked structure.     

Design and self-assembly of ditopic and tetratopic cavitand complexes

The self-assembly of open ditopic and tetratopic cavitand complexes has been investigated by using monofunctionalized cavitand ligands and suitable metal precursors. In the case of ditopic complexes, self-assembly protocols, leading exclusively to the formation of both thermodynamically stable cis-Pt square-planar complexes 8 and 9 and the kinetically inert fac-Re octahedral complex 14, have been elaborated. The use of cis-[Pt(CH3)CN)2Cl2] as metal precursor led to the formation of monotopic trans-10 and ditopic trans-11 cavitand complexes, while cis-[Pt(dmso)2Cl2] afforded both cis-13 and trans-11 isomers. The self-assembly of tetratopic cavitand complexes has been achieved by using mononuclear [Pd(CH3CN)4(BF4)2] and dinuclear [M2(tppb)(OTf)4] (19: M = Pt; 20: M = Pd) metal precursors. Only the tetratopic dinuclear complexes 21 and 22 were stable. The ligand configuration with two phosphorus and two cavitand ligands at the metal centers is the most appropriate to build tetratopic cavitand complexes with sufficient kinetic stability.     

Tetra- and octalactam macrocycles and catenanes with exocyclic metal coordination sites: versatile building blocks for supramolecular chemistry

The synthesis of a new tetralactam macrocycle and the simultaneous formation of catenanes and larger octalactam macrocycles is reported. These species bear 2,2'-biquinoline moieties suitably positioned to bind a metal center at the outer periphery of the macrocycles. (1)H NMR chemical shifts permit the unambiguous distinction of transoid and cisoid conformations of the biquinoline moiety, thereby allowing an unequivocal identification of the catenane and octalactam structures, despite the fact that both have the same elemental composition and bear identical structural subunits. With the aid of an anion template effect, rotaxanes can be prepared from the smaller tetralactam macrocycle. These reveal significantly altered requirements in terms of the stopper size as compared to previously reported tetralactam wheels. Several copper(I)-mediated dimers and a (bpy)(2)Ru(II) complex (bpy=2,2'-bipyridine) have been synthesized from the tetralactam macrocycle and the rotaxanes. The anion binding abilities of the tetralactam macrocycle and its (bpy)(2)Ru(II) complex in DMSO have been compared by (1)H NMR titration experiments, which revealed significantly enhanced binding by the metal complex. Mass spectrometry has been used to study the potential formation of larger assemblies of copper(I) and the catenane built-up from two tetralactam macrocycles. Indeed, a 2:2 complex was identified. In contrast, the octalactam macrocycle of the same elemental composition yields only 1:1 complexes, with the Cu(I) ion connecting its two biquinoline moieties in the center of a figure-eight-shaped molecule. Molecular modeling studies support the structural assignments made.     

A Supramolecular Sorting Hat: Stereocontrol in Metal–Ligand Self‐Assembly by Complementary Hydrogen Bonding

A combination of self‐complementary hydrogen bonding and metal–ligand interactions allows stereocontrol in the self‐assembly of prochiral ligand scaffolds. A unique, non‐tetrahedral M₄L₆ structure is observed upon multicomponent self‐assembly of 2,7‐diaminofluorenol with 2‐formylpyridine and Fe(ClO₄)₂. The stereochemical outcome of the assembly is controlled by self‐complementary hydrogen bonding between both individual ligands and a suitably sized counterion as template. This hydrogen‐bonding‐mediated stereoselective metal–ligand assembly allows the controlled formation of nonsymmetric discrete cage structures from previously unexploited ligand scaffolds.