An Artificial Receptor for Dimethyl Aspartate

trans-5,15-Bis(2,7-dihydroxy-1-naphthyl)-2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethylporphyrinato]zinc(II) (1), a trifunctionalized porphyrin host, was prepared as a receptor for amino acid derivatives, particularly those having a hydrogen-bonding site in the side chain. The free energy changes for the binding of Leu-OMe, Asp-OMe, and Glu-OMe to 1 were -5.8 kcal/mol, -6.6 kcal/mol, and -5.9 kcal/mol, showing a selectivity for Asp-OMe. (1)H NMR titration experiments indicated that three simultaneous attractive interactions, one coordination interaction, and two hydrogen-bonding interactions, are operating in the host-guest complex. The preference for Asp-OMe over Glu-OMe was found to originate from the favorable enthalpy term for Asp-OMe. The free energy change, the enthalpy change, and the entropy change were determined and split into contributions arising from coordination interaction and from hydrogen-bonding interactions by use of reference hosts. Comparison of enthalpy and entropy changes suggests that the host-guest complex becomes more ordered as the number of recognition pairs increases.