Crystallization-controlled dynamic self-assembly and an on/off switch for equilibration using boronic ester formation

Macrocyclic boronic esters of different sizes can be prepared selectively from the same starting diboronic acid and 1,2-diol by means of an interesting dynamic self-assembly phenomena. More specifically, two kinds of macrocyclic boronic esters could be formed diastereoselectively and nearly quantitatively under neutral conditions by the addition of an appropriate guest molecule that acts as a template. Although a mixture of tetrol 1 and di(boronic acid) 2 in methanol gave only insoluble polymeric boronic esters, a soluble macrocyclic boronic ester, homo-[2+2], was obtained selectively in the presence of toluene as a guest molecule. Furthermore, when benzene was employed as a guest molecule, the selective formation of another macrocyclic boronic ester, hetero-[3+3], occurred. Interestingly, each of these macrocycles could be converted into the other in the presence of methanol and the appropriate guest molecule; however, under aprotic conditions, guest molecules encaged by the macrocyclic boronic ester could be exchanged without affecting its structure. Thus the presence or absence of a protic solvent could be used as a regulator to switch on or off the dynamic equilibrium of the system. In addition, investigation of the effect of reaction time, direct observation of the reaction mixture by NMR spectroscopy, and carrying out the reaction using optically active tetrol suggested that precipitation plays an essentially important role in the selective formation of the macrocyclic boronic esters. Thus, although both of [2+2] and [3+3] were present as solutes in the reaction mixture, the type of added guest molecule induced the selective precipitation of only one form of macrocyclic boronic ester, hence displacing the equilibrium of the system.     

Guest-induced self-assembly of a macrocyclic boronic ester containing diarylethene units: enhancement of photoresponsivity

Guest-induced self-assembly of a macrocyclic boronic ester containing photochromic diarylethene units is realized and this macrocycle showed high quantum yield of photoisomerization due to favourable conformational constraint.     

Inclusion of Two Different Guest Molecules within a Rationally Designed Macrocyclic Boronic Ester in Organic Solvent

The inclusion of two different guest molecules in a macrocyclic boronic ester in organic solvent utilizing only π‐stacking interactions has been successfully realized. For this purpose, a new tetrol which has an appropriate distance between two 1,2‐diol units for the inclusion of two aromatic molecules is designed and synthesized. Simple mixing of the new tetrol with 2,7‐pyrenediboronic acid in the presence of pyrene‐4,5‐quinone efficiently affords the desired macrocyclic boronic ester, which is found by ¹H NMR spectroscopy, ESI‐MS, and isothermal titration calorimetry studies to include one molecule each of a dinitronaphthalimide derivative and pyrene. Furthermore, inclusion of two planar molecules within the macrocyclic boronic ester is revealed by X‐ray analysis.     

Self-Assembly of Macrocyclic Boronic Esters Bearing Tellurophene Moieties and Their Guest-Responsive Phosphorescence

Guest-controlled diastereoselective self-assembly of a diboryltellurophene and a chiral tetrol bearing an indacene backbone was achieved to give either hetero- or homochiral macrocyclic boronic esters, selectively. The heterochiral isomer (hetero-[2+2]^Te) exhibited a higher inclusion ability for electron-deficient aromatic guests, leading to effective quenching of phosphorescence from the diboryltellurophene moieties. The reported macrocycles collectively represent a promising arene sensing approach based on phosphorescence.     

Phormidolides B and C,Cytotoxic Agents from the Sea: Enantioselective Synthesis of the Macrocyclic Core

New cytotoxic polyketide macrolides named phormidolides B and C were isolated from a marine sponge of the Petrosiidae family collected off the coast of Pemba (Tanzania). The isolation, structure elucidation, and enantioselective synthesis of three diastereomers of the macrocyclic core is described herein. The described synthetic methodology started from 2‐deoxy‐D ‐ribose or 2‐deoxy‐L ‐ribose and afforded the desired macrocycles with high enantiomeric purity. The key step of the synthesis is the formation of the Z‐trisubstituted double bond using a Julia–Kocienski olefination. The versatility of the synthetic methodology may provide access to other enantiopure macrocycles by making changes in the starting materials or chiral inductors.     

Synthesis of macrocyclic 1,1′-biarenol derivatives by the tandem Claisen rearrangement and their binding properties

Crown ether-type macrocycles consisting of an enantiopure biarenol derivative and an oligoethylene glycol were synthesized by the Lewis acid-mediated tandem Claisen rearrangement. This is the first example of the successful application of the tandem Claisen rearrangement to the synthesis of enantiopure macrocyclic biarenol derivatives. The enantiopure macrocyclic biarenols were found to form 1:1 complexes with amino acid salts and to discriminate their chirality.     

Synthesis of highly functionalized macrocycles by the peripheral functionalization of macrocyclic diimines

The easily available macrocyclic diimines 4-7 can be stereoselectively transformed to macrocyclic bis-beta-amino acids 13-17, macrocyclic bisazetidines 18-20, and macrocyclic bisamides 21 and 22 by means of the corresponding bis-beta-lactam scaffolds 8-12. These key intermediates are available through standard Staudinger reaction and obtained as the cis-cis diastereomers, exclusively. An interesting relation between the proximity of the reactive C=N bonds and the selectivity in the formation of the bis-beta-lactams 8-12 is observed. Thus, diimine 4 leads to low selectivities, producing a 1:1 mixture of cis-syn-cis and cis-anti-cis diastereomers, while diimines 5-7 having the diimine sites more separated lead almost exclusively to the cis-anti-cis diastereomers. The stereochemistry of all the products was unambiguously assigned by X-ray diffraction analysis of compounds cis-syn-cis 8 and cis-anti-cis 12-Co2CO6 complex.     

Twisted perylene stereodimers reveal chiral molecular assembly codes

Unique perylene diastereomeric linear and cyclic dimers were synthesized from twisted perylene monomers, revealing that pi-stacking stereoisomerism imparted specific intermolecular self-assembly and intramolecular folding. Only the homochiral twisted tetrachloroperylene monomers cyclized via a cooperative reaction, forming the homochiral diastereomers. The heterochiral tetrachloroperylene monomers proceeded through a stepwise reaction and yielded a linear heterochiral dimer, which equilibrated with the linear homochiral dimers. The linear homochiral dimers cyclized to produce the same cyclic homochiral diastereomers. These results demonstrated that homochiral and heterochiral self-assemblies were two distinct molecular codes, directing two specific chemical pathways. The homochiral cyclic dimers remain isomerically pure at -20 degrees C but can be interconverted to the heterochiral cyclic dimer meso compound at room temperature. The diastereomers were readily separated by HPLC. While driven by solvophobic forces, foldable linear dimers synthesized from the same twisted monomers using phosphoramidite chemistry folded into homodimer and heterodimer, confirming the inherent molecular codes, which were dictated by the perylene chirality, ultimately gauged the weak pi-stack forces, and directed self-assembly and folding.     

Synthesis and optical resolution of a series of inherently chiral calix[4]crowns with cone and partial cone conformations

A series of inherently chiral calix[4]arenes with cone and partial cone conformations and with crown ether moieties of variable size have been readily synthesized. By taking advantage of the carboxy appendage on the lower rim, these were condensed with the chiral auxiliary (S)-BINOL to form diastereomers which, in most cases, could be separated by preparative TLC, or more desirably, by column chromatography on silica gel (diastereomeric excess >99 % based on HPLC analysis). Seven enantiopure antipodes of inherently chiral calix[4]crowns were obtained after hydrolysis. It has been found that both the size of the crown moiety and alkylation of the last phenolic hydroxy group (accompanied with or without a change in the conformation) affect the separation of the diastereomers.     

Synthesis and chiroptical properties of two new planar-chiral macrocycles

Could simple intraannular-arm macrocyclic systems exist in enantiopure stable forms? The effective synthesis of two representative compounds of such a class, their resolution into enantiomers, and experiments justifying their stability toward racemization are presented.     

Host-guest interactions in a series of self-assembled As2L2Cl2 macrocycles

The reaction of AsCl3 with H2L (where L = a rigid dithiolate) results in the self-assembly of As2L2Cl2 supramolecular macrocycles. For ligands 4,4'-bis(mercaptomethyl)biphenyl (H2), 4,4'-bis(mercaptomethyl)-trans-stilbene (H2), and 1,4-dimethoxy-2,5-bis(mercaptomethyl)benzene (H2), the macrocyclic cavities of the resulting assemblies are large enough to host aromatic solvent molecules, as revealed by single crystal X-ray structures of the inclusion complexes. As2L2Cl(2) macrocycles form in solution as a mixture of diastereomers, but the diastereomers can be selectively crystallized and separated. Crystallization of syn- or anti-As(2)3(2)Cl2 can be controlled using host-guest interactions by the prudent choice of crystallization solvents. anti-As(2)3(2)Cl2 crystallizes exclusively from chloroform and benzene, while a [(syn-As(2)(2)Cl(2))(2).p-xylene] dimer crystallizes from p-xylene and a mixture of [(syn-As(2)3(2)Cl(2))(anti-As(2)3(2)Cl2) x toluene] and [(syn-As(2)3(2)Cl2)2 x toluene] dimers crystallize from toluene.     

Bromination of tri(isopropyl)boroxine and asymmetric synthesis of (2-cyano-3,3-dimethylcyclopropyl)boronic esters

Bromination of triisopropylboroxine to tris(1-bromo-1-methylethyl)boroxine is far more facile than -bromination of sec-alkylboronic esters. Normal fluorescent room light is sufficient to initiate the free radical reaction, which can be carried out as a titration. The steric environment for replacement of the bromine by lithioacetonitrile and subsequent asymmetric insertion of a chloromethyl group into the carbon---boron bond is more highly hindered than what has been studied previously, and the pinanediol ester proved to be the only useful chiral boronic ester in such circumstances. Cyclization of the cyano-substituted boronic ester to the corresponding cyclopropylboronic ester yielded a mixture of diastereomers, presumably the result of base-induced epimerization of the initially formed major isomer having the boronic ester and cyano groups trans.     

The fruitful introduction of chirality and control of absolute configurations in molecular magnets

In this critical review, it is shown how the introduction of chirality and the control of the absolute configurations of chiral elements in molecular magnets allow obtaining enantiopure chiral magnets (ECM), an archetype of multifunctional materials. This task has been recognised as a major challenge for both chemists and physicists of molecular magnetism. To reach this goal, the former have combined the rational approaches towards molecular-based magnets and of enantiopure metal-organic frameworks. They have used enantiopure stable radicals, ligands from the chiral pool, enantiopure coligands associated with achiral connectors or enantioselective self-assembly to successfully reach their synthetic targets. They were motivated by the will to obtain suitable systems for the experimental demonstration of the influence of enantiomeric purity on the physico-chemical properties. This influence can be found in the magnetic properties themselves but, most interestingly, in the coexistence and interaction between the properties arising from controlled non-centrosymmetry. Thus the combination of natural circular dichroism, second harmonic generation or ferroelectricity with long-range magnetic ordering can give birth to new properties like magneto-chiral dichroism, magnetisation induced second harmonic generation or multiferroicity. The two former synergetic effects have already been demonstrated in enantiopure chiral magnets. The third one remains a challenging target that can be reached by adapting strategies developed towards enantiopure molecular ferroelectrics (119 references).     

Synthesis of hept-6-en-2,4,5-triols and hept-6-en-2,3,5-triols

In a systematic effort to establish the relative as well as absolute configurations of two natural products isolated from Asomycete Daldinia concentrica, four independent (non-antipodal) diastereomers of hept-6-en-2,4,5-triol, the structure previously proposed for the natural products, were synthesized in enantiopure forms through a chiral-pool route and their optical rotation as well as NMR data were recorded. Although these four synthetic isomers cover all possible relative configurations the originally assigned triol may have, none of them gave spectroscopic data compatible with those reported for the natural products. Similar negative results were also obtained with a group of four non-antipodal diastereomers of hept-6-en-2,3,5-triol. The genuine structures of the natural products are therefore to be re-assigned.     

Synthesis of a (β-acetamido-α-acetoxyethyl)boronic ester via azido boronic esters

(Azidomethyl)boronic esters of 1,2-dicyclohexyl-1,2-ethanediol (“DICHED”) and pinanediol have been prepared from the corresponding (bromomethyl)boronic esters. Conversion to (2-azido-1-chloro- or bromoethyl)boronic esters by reaction with a (dihalomethyl)lithium followed. Attempted displacement of halide from DICHED (2-azido-1-haloethyl)boronates with alkoxides failed. Reaction of either pinanediol or DICHED (2-azido-1-chloromethyl)boronate with sodium acetate in acetic acid yielded the 1-acetoxy derivative as a ∼1:1 mixture of diastereomers, indicating probable involvement of an α-boryl carbocation intermediate. Hydrogenation of the pinanediol azido boronic ester over platinum in a solution of hydrogen chloride in dioxane was accompanied by deacetylation to form the impure (2-amino-1-hydroxyethyl)boronic ester hydrochloride. Attempted purification of this material resulted in deboronation to ethanolamine. Acetylation yielded pinanediol (2-acetamido-1-acetoxyethyl)boronate.     

Triptycene-derived calixarenes,heterocalixarenes and analogues

With unique three-dimensional triptycene derivatives as the building blocks, several kinds of novel macrocyclic compounds including triptycene-derived calixarenes, heterocalixarenes, N(H)-bridged azacalixarenes, homooxacalixarene analogues, and tetralactam macrocycles could be conveniently synthesized with satisfactory yields by one-pot method or two-step fragment coupling reactions. With rigid triptycene moiety, these macrocyclic hosts not only have large enough cavities, but also show specific fixed conformations. These structural features made them exhibit well molecular recognition toward small organic molecules, fullerenes and organic dyes. Moreover, these macrocycles could also show interest self-assembly abilities in both solution and solid state, which will make them be broad application prospects.     

An efficient synthesis of new diastereomeric enantiopure 1-aminocyclopentane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acids

Novel 1-aminocyclopentane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acids 11 and 14 containing the glutamic acid skeleton were prepared as two diastereomers characterized by having the carbonyl groups in positions two and four cis to each other and trans with respect to the 1-carboxylic group and as all cis relationship, respectively. The reaction sequences, that is, Diels–Alder reaction to give norbornene cycloadducts, oxidative cleavage of the double bond of the cycloadducts, ensured the proper stereochemistry of both diastereomers. Each diastereomer was prepared in enantiopure form starting from exo- and endo-2-amino-norbornene-2-carboxylic acid derivatives 5 and 6 obtained through a very efficient asymmetric synthesis.     

Synthesis of cyclophanes with planar and helical chirality

Novel helical macrocyclic imines derived from planar chiral [2.2]paracyclophane were synthesized. The chiroptical properties of the enantiopure compounds were investigated and their absolute configurations were assigned.     

Triptycene‐Based Chiral Macrocyclic Hosts for Highly Enantioselective Recognition of Chiral Guests Containing a Trimethylamino Group

A new class of chiral macrocyclic arene composed of three chiral 2,6‐dihydroxyltriptycene subunits bridged by methylene groups was designed and synthesized. Structural studies showed that the macrocyclic molecule adopts a hex‐nut‐like structure with a helical chiral cavity and highly fixed conformation. Efficient resolution was achieved through the introduction of chiral auxiliaries to give a couple of enantiopure macrocycles, which exhibited high enantioselectivity towards three pairs of chiral compounds containing a trimethylamino group.     

Formation of molecular ladder elements with macrocyclic platforms via linear bifunctional ligands

Reaction between 4-aminopyridine and a dinuclear zinc(II) component of a Robson macrocyclic ligand has resulted in the formation of a molecular ladder element motif. X-ray single crystal structural analysis indicates that two pyridine rings are assembled at the same direction of the macrocycle, which are placed in a nearly parallel way via pi-pi interactions, forming a concavity structure with a macrocyclic base. It is significantly noted that one hydrogen-bond cycle generated from hydrogen atoms of two amino groups with two perchlorate anions has sustained such an assembly of two 4-aminopyridine species to stand in a face to face pattern through a weak molecular interaction on the macrocyclic platform by one-end coordination bonding. The self-assembly of 4-carboxylic pyridine acid and the same macrocyclic component in the presence of sodium hydroxide has yielded an interesting wheel-like complex. Two macrocyclic dinuclear zinc(II) components have been linked through coordination bonding with two pyridine derivatives situated on the same direction of a macrocycle. X-ray structural results suggest that the compound has a unique sandwich-like structure consisting of two macrocyclic covers with two inversely positioned bridging pyridine carboxylic groups in the middle.