Orwik

CH-directed anion-pi interactions in the crystals of pentafluorobenzyl-substituted ammonium and pyridinium salts.

Simple pentafluorobenzyl-substituted ammonium and pyridinium salts with different anions can be easily obtained by treatment of the parent amine or pyridine with the respective pentafluorobenzyl halide. Hexafluorophosphate is introduced as the anion ... expand abstractby salt metathesis. In the case of the ammonium salt 4, water co-crystallisation seems to suppress effective anion-pi interactions of bromide with the electron-deficient aromatic system, whereas with salts 5 and 6 such interactions are observed despite the presence of water. However, due to asymmetric hydrogen-bonding interactions with ammonium side chains, the anion of 5 is located close to the rim of the pentafluorophenyl group (eta(1) interaction). In 6 the CH-anion hydrogen bonding is more symmetric and fixes the anion on top of the ring (eta(6)). A similar structure-controlling effect is observed in case of the 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane derivatives 7. Here the position of the anion (Cl, Br, I) is shifted according to the length of the weak CH-halide interaction. The hexafluorophosphate 7 d reveals that this "non-coordinating" anion can be located on top of an aromatic pi system. In the methyl-substituted pyridinium salts 9 and 10 different locations of the bromide anions with respect to the pi system are observed. This is due to different conformations of the mono- versus disubstituted pyridine, which leads to different directions of the weak, but structurally important, H(Me)-Br bonds. collapse abstract

Piperazine bridged resorcinarene cages.

The one-pot Mannich condensation of resorcinarenes with piperazine and an excess of formaldehyde under high dilution conditions results in a helical cage, namely, a covalently linked dimer of two resorcinarenes connected via four piperazine bridges i... expand abstractn yields ranging from 20 to 40%. The compounds were analyzed by NMR spectroscopy, ESI mass spectrometry, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The helical cages can encapsulate small guest molecules by adapting the cavity volume by changing the helical pitch according to the guest size. collapse abstract

Dimensional encapsulation of I(-)...I(2)...I(-) in an organic salt crystal matrix.

Bis(trimethylammonium)hexane diiodide encapsulates iodine from solution and through a gas/solid reaction yielding in a predictable and controllable manner the selective formation of the rare polyiodide species I(-)...I-I...I(-), which matches in leng... expand abstractth to the chosen dication. collapse abstract

Three-component noncovalent assembly consisting of a central tetrakis-4-pyridyl porphyrin and two lateral gable-like bis-Zn porphyrins.

A pentaporphyrinic assembly was formed in one step, quantitatively, from a gable like zinc(II) bis-porphyrin and a free-base meso-tetrakis(4-pyridyl)porphyrin, because of the formation of four zinc-nitrogen coordination bonds. The X-ray crystal struc... expand abstractture obtained shows a symmetrical structure, the free-base porphyrin being located at the center of a square formed by the four zinc atoms of the two zinc(II) bis-porphyrins. The two phenanthrolines connecting the zinc porphyrins are respectively above and below the plane of the central free-base porphyrin because of favorable CH-pi interactions between several porphyrinic assemblies within the crystal. Spectrophotometric and spectrofluorimetric titrations and studies reveal a high association constant for the porphyrinic assembly in the order of 10(14) M(-2). As expected, energy transfer from the zinc porphyrin component to the central free-base porphyrin quenches the fluorescence of the zinc porphyrin components whereas no sensitization of the emission of the free-base porphyrin was observed. Hypotheses on this unusual behavior are discussed. collapse abstract

Recognition of Li+ by a salophen-UO2 homodimeric complex.

Self-assembly via mutual U-coordination of the salophen-UO(2) complex 1 creates a dimeric species which is shown to be useful for metal binding. Indeed, the 1 dimer has affinity for alkali metal cations and, interestingly, a marked selectivity for Li... expand abstract(+), determined by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and (1)H NMR techniques. X-ray diffraction helped in the elucidation of the dimeric complex structure, which presents a crown-ether-type coordination site, in analogy to the more familiar 12-crown-4, responsible for the metal interaction. Comparison with isomer 2, and the salen derivative 3, increases the understanding of the behavior of such systems in solution and in the solid state. collapse abstract

White phosphorus is air-stable within a self-assembled tetrahedral capsule.

The air-sensitive nature of white phosphorus underlies its destructive effect as a munition: Tetrahedral P4 molecules readily react with atmospheric dioxygen, leading this form of the element to spontaneously combust upon exposure to air. Here, we sh... expand abstractow that hydrophobic P4 molecules are rendered air-stable and water-soluble within the hydrophobic hollows of self-assembled tetrahedral container molecules, which form in water from simple organic subcomponents and iron(II) ions. This stabilization is not achieved through hermetic exclusion of O2 but rather by constriction of individual P4 molecules; the addition of oxygen atoms to P4 would result in the formation of oxidized species too large for their containers. The phosphorus can be released in controlled fashion without disrupting the cage by adding the competing guest benzene. collapse abstract

Molecular aggregation in selected crystalline 1:1 complexes of hydrophobic D- and L-amino acids. IV. The L-phenylalanine series.

The amino acid L-phenylalanine has been cocrystallized with D-2-aminobutyric acid, C(9)H(11)NO(2).C(4)H(9)NO(2), D-norvaline, C(9)H(11)NO(2).C(5)H(11)NO(2), and D-methionine, C(9)H(11)NO(2).C(5)H(11)NO(2)S, with linear side chains, as well as with D-... expand abstractleucine, C(9)H(11)NO(2).C(6)H(13)NO(2), D-isoleucine, C(9)H(11)NO(2).C(6)H(13)NO(2), and D-allo-isoleucine, C(9)H(11)NO(2).C(6)H(13)NO(2), with branched side chains. The structures of these 1:1 complexes fall into two classes based on the observed hydrogen-bonding pattern. From a comparison with other L:D complexes involving hydrophobic amino acids and regular racemates, it is shown that the structure-directing properties of phenylalanine closely parallel those of valine and isoleucine but not those of leucine, which shares side-chain branching at C(gamma) with phenylalanine and is normally considered to be the most closely related non-aromatic amino acid. collapse abstract

Recognition and sensing of fluoride anion.

Fluoride anion recognition is attracting a mounting interest in the scientific community due to its duplicitous nature. It is a useful chemical for many industrial applications, and it has been used in human diet, but, recently it has been accused fo... expand abstractr several human pathologies. Here we describe the ample panorama of different approaches the chemists world-wide have employed to face the challenge of fluoride binding, and we outline some of the research which in our view can contribute to the development of this field, especially when fluoride binding has to be achieved in highly competitive protic solvents and water. collapse abstract

Nonporous organic solids capable of dynamically resolving mixtures of diiodoperfluoroalkanes.

Halogen bonding has increasingly facilitated the assembly of diverse host-guest solids. Here, we show that a well-known class of organic salts, bis(trimethylammonium) alkane diiodides, can reversibly encapsulate alpha,omega-diiodoperfluoroalkanes (DI... expand abstractPFAs) through intermolecular interactions between the host's I- anions and the guest's terminal iodine substituents. The process is highly selective for the fluorocarbon that forms an I-...I(CF2)mI...I- superanion that is matched in length to the chosen dication. DIPFAs that are 2 to 12 carbons in length (common industrial intermediates) can thereby be isolated from mixtures by means of crystallization from solution upon addition of the dissolved size-matched ionic salt. The solid-state salts can also selectively capture the DIPFAs from the vapor phase, yielding the same product formed from solution despite a lack of porosity of the starting lattice structure. Heating liberates the DIPFAs and regenerates the original salt lattice, highlighting the practical potential for the system in separation applications. collapse abstract

Halogen bonding drives the self-assembly of piperazine cyclophanes into tubular structures.

Halogen bonding with 1,4-diiodotetrafluorobenzene leads to the self-assembly of piperazine cyclophanes into well-defined tubular structures with solvent inclusion.

A modular "toolbox" approach to flexible branched multimacrocyclic hosts as precursors for multiply interlocked architectures.

Tetralactam macrocycles can be functionalized by a variety of cross-coupling reactions. A modular "toolbox" strategy is presented that allows 1) several tetralactam macrocycles to be covalently connected with each other or with a central spacer, 2) t... expand abstracthe macrocycles to be substituted with or connected to different chromophores, and 3) metal-coordination sites to be attached to the macrocycles. With this approach a series of different oligo-macrocyclic hosts was obtained with great structural diversity and enormous potential for further functionalization. Rotaxanes made on the basis of these macrocycles have been synthesized to demonstrate their utility in building more complex supramolecular architectures. collapse abstract

An unlockable-relockable iron cage by subcomponent self-assembly.

Helicate extension as a route to molecular wires.

We describe the preparation of a helicate containing four closely spaced, linearly arrayed copper(I) ions. This product may be prepared either directly by mixing copper(I) with a set of precursor amine and aldehyde subcomponents, or indirectly throug... expand abstracth the dimerization of a dicopper(I) helicate upon addition of 1,2-phenylenediamine. A notable feature of this helicate is that its length is not limited by the lengths of its precursor subcomponents: each of the two ligands wrapped around the four copper(I) centers contains one diamine, two dialdehyde, and two monoamine residues. This work thus paves the way for the preparation of longer oligo- and polymeric structures. DFT calculations and electrochemical measurements indicate a high degree of electronic delocalization among the metal ions forming the cores of the structures described herein, which may therefore be described as "molecular wires". collapse abstract

Size- and structure-selective noncovalent recognition of saccharides by tetraethyl and tetraphenyl resorcinarenes in the gas phase.

The noncovalent complexation of tetraethyl and tetraphenyl resorcinarenes with mono-, di-, and oligosaccharides was studied with negative-polarization electrospray ionization quadrupole ion trap and electrospray ionization Fourier-transform ion cyclo... expand abstracttron resonance mass-spectrometric analysis. The saccharides formed 1:1 complexes with deprotonated resorcinarenes, which exhibited clear size and structure selectivity in their complexation. In the case of the monosaccharides, hexoses formed much more abundant and kinetically stable complexes than pentoses or deoxyhexoses. A comparison of the mono-, di-, and oligosaccharides revealed that both the relative abundance and stability of the complexes increase up to biose and triose, but start to decrease after that point, as the length of the oligosaccharide is increased. This behavior was rationalized by comparing the lowest-energy conformations of the complexes formed between the resorcinarene and oligosaccharides. This comparison was achieved by using theoretical calculations and X-ray crystal studies. collapse abstract

Synthetic studies toward pectenotoxin 2. Part I. Stereocontrolled access to the C10-C22 fragment.

A highly stereocontrolled and efficient synthesis for a fully functionalized C 10-C 22 fragment of pectenotoxin 2 is described using a convergent sequence involving a stereoselective methylation of beta-hydroxyketone as a key step.

Metallo-supramolecular self-assembly: the case of triangle-square equilibria.

For the efficient self-assembly of metallo-supramolecular complexes, not only reversibility is required but also two other properties have to be controlled as well: (i) The right binding sites need to be programmed into the building blocks at the app... expand abstractropriate positions. (ii) The building blocks must be rigid enough to support the geometrical arrangement and to avoid the unfavorable entropy effects connected with the conformational fixation of flexible molecules. A series of different bis-pyridyl ligands is reported which self-assemble with (dppp)M(OTf) 2 complexes (dppp = 1,3-bis-(diphenylphosphino)propane; M = Pd (II), Pt (II)) to yield squares and/or triangles as the products. Enthalpic contributions (higher strain in the triangle) and entropic contributions (higher number of triangles from the same building blocks) determine the equilibrium. The effects of concentration, temperature, and solvent properties on the equilibrium have been studied. To characterize the complexes under study, a combination of (1)H, (31)P, and diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy, electrospray-ionization Fourier-transform ion-cyclotron-resonance mass spectrometry, and X-ray crystallography is needed. Variable-temperature NMR spectroscopy provides evidence for fast ligand-exchange processes occurring for the Pd complexes, while the Pt complexes exchange ligands much more slowly. collapse abstract

Cyclic 2pseudorotaxane tetramers consisting of two rigid rods threaded through two bis-macrocycles: copper(I)-templated synthesis and X-ray structure studies.

Variously substituted coordinating rigid rods have been synthesized which incorporate a central 4,7-phenanthroline nucleus attached to two 2-pyridyl groups via its 3 and 8 positions, so as to yield bis-bidentate chelates, the two-coordinating axes of... expand abstract the chelates being parallel to one another. Regardless of the nature of the substituents borne by the rods, the copper(I)-induced threading reaction of two such rods through the rings of two bis-macrocycles affords in a quantitative yield the 4-copper(I) threaded assembly. The [2]pseudorotaxane tetramers thus obtained have been fully characterized in solution and, for one of them, an X-ray structure could be obtained, confirming the threaded nature of the complex and providing important structural information. collapse abstract

Molecular Pacman: folding, inclusion, and X-ray structures of tri- and tetraamino piperazine cyclophanes.

Reaction of piperazine and 1,3-bis(bromomethyl)-2-nitrobenzene under high-dilution conditions yields cyclic trimeric trinitro, tetrameric tetranitro, and pentameric pentanitro piperazine cyclophanes. Reduction of the nitro groups with SnCl(2) under a... expand abstractcidic conditions produces the corresponding triamino and tetraamino piperazine cyclophanes. The solution studies of both nitro and amino piperazine cyclophanes at 30 degrees C by (1)H NMR spectroscopy shows symmetrical structures owing to the fast conformational exchange, whereas the low temperature studies of the tetraamino piperazine cyclophane reveals interesting dynamic behavior that indicates additional intramolecular interactions. Careful crystallizations of the trimeric trinitro and triamino and the tetrameric tetraamino cyclophanes resulted in crystals suitable for X-ray diffraction studies. In the crystalline state the amino-functionalized cyclophanes manifest an extraordinary circular intramolecular hydrogen-bonding network that leads to a fixed 3D structure. Hydrogen bonding in the triamino trimer leads to orientation of all three of the amino groups on the same side of the macrocycle, namely, the rcc conformation, whereas the tetraamino tetramer folds into a more compact shell-like conformation. During the crystallization process one acetonitrile guest is enclosed into the cavity of the tetraamino cyclophane, which gives a crystalline inclusion complex with remarkable resemblance to the famous Pacman motif. The folding, which mimics the behavior of some cyclic peptides and pyrroles, is induced by intramolecular hydrogen bonding from the amino groups to the tertiary amine groups of the piperazines. The cavity of the tetraamino tetramer is markedly smaller than in the corresponding, but nonfolded, tetranitro tetramer and the guest/host volume ratio (packing coefficient) for the acetonitrile and the cavity is approximately 50 %, which indicates a good size match for acetonitrile inclusion. collapse abstract

The complex formation of tetracyclohexylammonium C1-resorcinarene with various guests - an electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry study.

The complex formation of a tetraammonium C1-resorcinarene (R+4HCl) was studied using electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (ESI-FTICR) mass spectrometry. Although R+4HCl easily loses its counter ions in the ESI process, a ... expand abstractneutral self-assembled structure with an intramolecular circular hydrogen-bonded 16-membered -N(+)-H ... X(-) ... H-N(+)- array with ammonium ion as the charge-giving species was observed in the gas phase. In addition to chloride, several other counter ions were also studied. The size and basicity of the counter ion as well as the size of the charge-giving cation strongly affected the gas-phase stability of the self-assembled system. H/D exchange experiments showed that the ammonium substituents in the apical position of R affect the hydrogen-bonding system in the resorcinarene. The complexation of the saturated dicarboxylic acids was found to depend on the length of the carbon chain. The rigidity of the molecular skeleton of the acid improved the complexation considerably. The orientation and position of the carboxylic groups also had an effect on the complexation and consequently enabled stereochemical differentiation of the acids. Mass spectrometric observations were supported by theoretical calculations. collapse abstract

Structural versatility of anion-pi interactions in halide salts with pentafluorophenyl substituted cations.

A series of pentafluorophenyl substituted ammonium, iminium, amidinium, and phosphonium halides are presented which show extensive anion-pi interactions. Hereby, the well-known anion-donor-pi-acceptor as well as "eta6" anion-pi-complex type interacti... expand abstractons are observed. The latter is supported by fixation of the anion on top of the aromatic system through hydrogen bonding. This arrangement was investigated by theoretical methods showing a highly attractive anion-pi interaction. In addition an eta2-type coordination of the anions to only two C-atoms of the electron-deficient ring system is described. collapse abstract

Anion binding to resorcinarene-based cavitands: the importance of C-H...anion interactions.

Three 2,5-dialkoxy-1,4-diethynylbenzene derivatives.

2,5-Diethoxy-1,4-bis[(trimethylsilyl)ethynyl]benzene, C(20)H(30)O(2)Si(2), (I), constitutes one of the first structurally characterized examples of a family of compounds, viz. the 2,5-dialkoxy-1,4-bis[(trimethylsilyl)ethynyl]benzene derivatives, used... expand abstract in the preparation of oligo(phenyleneethynylene)s via Pd/Cu-catalysed cross-coupling. 2,5-Diethoxy-1,4-diethynylbenzene, C(14)H(14)O(2), (II), results from protodesilylation of (I). 1,4-Diethynyl-2,5-bis(heptyloxy)benzene, C(24)H(34)O(2), (III), is a long alkyloxy chain analogue of (II). The molecules of compounds (I)-(III) are located on sites with crystallographic inversion symmetry. The large substituents either in the alkynyl group or in the benzene ring have a marked effect on the packing and intermolecular interactions of adjacent molecules. All the compounds exhibit weak intermolecular interactions that are only slightly shorter than the sum of the van der Waals radii of the interacting atoms. Compound (I) displays C-H...pi interactions between the methylene H atoms and the acetylenic C atom. Compound (II) shows pi-pi interactions between the acetylenic C atoms, complemented by C-H...pi interactions between the methyl H atoms and the acetylenic C atoms. Unlike (I) or (II), compound (III) has weak nonclassical hydrogen-bond-type interactions between the acetylenic H atoms and the ether O atoms. collapse abstract

Three-component entanglements consisting of three crescent-shaped bidentate ligands coordinated to an octahedral metal centre.

3,3'-biisoquinoline ligands (biiq) L, bearing aromatic substituents on their 8 and 8' positions, have been used to generate interwoven systems consisting of three crescent-shaped ligands disposed around an octahedral metal centre. Mono-ligand complex... expand abstractes of the type [ReL(CO)3py]+ (py: pyridine) have also been prepared, leading to sterically non-hindering complexes in spite of the endotopic nature of the chelate used. The three-component entanglements have been prepared by using either FeII or RuII as gathering metal centre. The synthetic procedure is simple and efficient, affording fully characterised complexes as their PF6 or SbCl6 salts. X-ray crystallography clearly shows that the crescent-shaped ligands do not repel each other in the tris-chelate complexes. In an analogous way, the ReI complexes show open structures with no steric repulsion between the L ligand and the ancillary CO or py groups. The FeL3 or RuL3 compounds are very unusual in the sense that, contrary to all the other tris-bidentate chelate complexes made till now, the three organic components are tangled up, in a situation which will be very favourable to the formation of new non trivial topologies of the catenane type. collapse abstract

Total synthesis of amaminol A: establishment of the absolute stereochemistry.

The first synthetic route to amaminol A with use of an organocatalytic intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction is reported. The absolute stereochemistry is proven with a crystallographic image of a cyclic carbamate of amaminol A.

Evidence of the facile hydride and enolate addition to the imine bond of an aluminum-salophen complex.

The isolation of complexes 2 and 3, unambiguously characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, demonstrates that nucleophilic additions to the aluminum-coordinated imino bond of salophen complex 1 can be achieved under very mild conditions.