Chiral Supramolecular Structures Research Articles

Supramolecular organization of perfluorinated 1H-indazoles in the solid state using X-ray crystallography, SSNMR and sensitive (VCD) and non sensitive (MIR, FIR and Raman) to chirality vibrational spectroscopies.

1H-Indazole derivatives exhibit a remarkable property since some of them form chiral supramolecular structures starting from achiral monomers. The present work deals with the study of three perfluorinated 1H-indazoles that resolve spontaneously as conglomerates. These conglomerates can contain either a pure enantiomer (one helix) or a mixture of both enantiomers (both helices) with an enantiomeric excess (e.e.) of one of them. The difficulty of the structural analysis of these types of compounds is thus clear. We outline a complete strategy to determine the structures and configurations (M or P helices) of the enantiomers (helices) forming the conglomerates of these perfluorinated 1H-indazoles based on X-ray crystallography, solid state NMR spectroscopy and different solid state vibrational spectroscopies that are either sensitive (VCD) or not (FarIR, IR and Raman) to chirality, together with quantum chemical calculations (DFT).

Chiral Assemblies from an Achiral Pyridinium-Tailored Anthracene.

Chiral helical structures have attracted increasing attention in the field of supramolecular assembly because of their critical roles in life and material sciences. In this research, the achiral amphiphile 1-[11-(2-anthracenylmethoxy)-11-oxoundecyl]pyridinium bromide (2-APB), in which the hydrophobic anthracene and the hydrophilic pyridinium units are linked by alkyl chains, was found to form chiral supramolecular assemblies in a cooperative manner in the presence of iodide anion. Moreover, these assemblies show left (L)- or right (R)-handedness randomly, independent of the assembly conditions. By using the same method, 2-APB could assemble together with other pseudo-halogen anions (OCN- , SCN- , SeCN- ) that have similar anionic radius as iodide to form chiral structures. This work illustrates a simple and rational design that can be used to fabricate supramolecular chiral structures from achiral molecules.

Spectral and microscopic study of self-assembly of novel cationic spermine amides of betulinic acid

Supramolecular characteristics of two spermine amides of betulinic acid (1 and 2) were studied by measuring and evaluating their UV–VIS-NIR spectra in aqueous acetonitrile and DOSY-NMR spectra in tetradeuteromethanol, accompanied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) images, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs. Fibrous supramolecular self-assembly of 1 and 2 was observed by AFM images, as well as by the SEM and TEM micrographs. Bathochromic shifts of the absorbance maximum at 870nm to 1015–970nm in the UV–VIS-NIR spectra were observed with increasing water content in the acetonitrile/water systems, indicating formation of fibrous J-type aggregates. Variable temperature DOSY-NMR spectral measurement showed non-linear dependence that also suggests self-assembly behavior of the studied systems. Chiral supramolecular structures were formed by self-assembling due to the chirality of the monomeric molecules. Application of aqueous media during self-assembly procedures is an important factor in the development of targeted drug delivery systems.

2H-Tetrakis(3,5-di-tert-butyl)phenylporphyrin on a Cu(110) Surface: Room-Temperature Self-Metalation and Surface-Reconstruction-Facilitated Self-Assembly.

The adsorption behavior of 2H-tetrakis(3,5-di-tert-butyl)phenylporphyrin (2HTTBPP) on Cu(110) and Cu(110)-(2×1)O surfaces have been investigated by using variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. On the bare Cu(110) surface, individual 2HTTBPP molecules are observed. These molecules are immobilized on the surface with a particular orientation with respect to the crystallographic directions of the Cu(110) surface and do not form supramolecular aggregates up to full monolayer coverage. In contrast, a chiral supramolecular structure is formed on the Cu(110)-(2×1)O surface, which is stabilized by van der Waals interactions between the tert-butyl groups of neighboring molecules. These findings are explained by weakened molecule-substrate interactions on the Cu(110)-(2×1)O surface relative to the bare Cu(110) surface. By comparison with the corresponding results of Cu-tetrakis(3,5-di-tert-butyl)phenylporphyrin (CuTTBPP) on Cu(110) and Cu(110)-(2×1)O surfaces, we find that the 2HTTBPP molecules can self-metalate on both surfaces with copper atoms from the substrate at room temperature (RT). The possible origins of the self-metalation reaction at RT are discussed. Finally, peculiar irreversible temperature-dependent switching of the intramolecular conformations of the investigated molecules on the Cu(110) surface was observed and interpreted.

Influence of Axial and Point Chirality in the Chiral Self-Assembly of Twin N-Annulated Perylenecarboxamides.

The synthesis of three bis(N-annulated perylenecarboxamides) endowed with achiral or chiral side chains is reported. The restricted rotation of the perylene moieties yields atropisomers that can be separated by chiral HPLC. The CD spectra of the six stereoisomers show a dichroic pattern in a good solvent that changes drastically upon adding a poor solvent that favors the aggregation. The cooperative character of the supramolecular polymerization mechanism of 1-3 has been determined by denaturation experiments, which reveal that the formation of homochiral aggregates is favored over the formation of heterochiral aggregates. A complete set of amplification of chirality experiments have been carried out, revealing the preponderance of axial chirality over point chirality. The results presented herein shed relevant light on the structural conditions exhibited by molecular units endowed with different elements of asymmetry to generate chiral supramolecular structures and the supremacy of axial chirality over point chirality in the origin of homochirality.

Right handed chiral superstructures from achiral molecules: self-assembly with a twist.

The induction and development of chiral supramolecular structures from hierarchical self-assembly of achiral compounds is closely related to the evolution of life and the chiral amplification found in nature. Here we show that the combination of achiral tetraphenylethene (TPE) an AIE-active luminophore bearing four long alkyl chains via amide linkage allows the entire process of induction and control of supramolecular chirality into well-defined uniform right-handed twisted superstructures via solvent composition and polarity, i.e. solvophobic effect. We showed that the degree of twist and the pitch of the ribbons can be controlled to one-handed helical structure via solvophobic effects. The twisted superstructure assembly was visualised by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), furthermore, circular dichroism (CD) confirms used to determine controlled right-handed assembly. This controlled assembly of an AIE-active molecule can be of practical value; for example, as templates for helical crystallisation, catalysis and a chiral mechanochromic luminescent superstructure formation.

Cyclotrimerization-Induced Chiral Supramolecular Structures of 4-Ethynyltriphenylamine on Au(111) Surface.

Cyclotrimerization-induced chiral supramolecular structures of 4-ethynyltriphenylamine (ETPA) have been synthesized on the Au(111) surface through alkyne-based reactions. Whereas the ETPA molecules adsorbed on the Au(111) surface remain inert and form a close-packed self-assembled structure at room temperature, the combination of scanning tunneling microscopy observations and theoretical calculations unambiguously reveal that the ETPA molecules cyclotrimerize to form new trimer-like species-1,3,5-tris[4-(diphenylamino)phenyl]benzene (TPAPB)-after annealing at 323 K. Further annealing drives these cyclotrimerized TPAPB molecules to form chiral hexagonal supramolecular structures with an extraordinary self-healing ability.

Photoinduced formation of an azobenzene-based CD-active supramolecular cyclic dimer.

A series of new photo-responsive amino acid-derived azobenzenedicarboxylic acid derivatives (S)-1 a-e were synthesized. Compound (S)-1 a in the trans form exhibited no circular dichroism (CD) signal in DMF under ambient conditions, whereas intense Cotton effects were observed upon UV irradiation, indicating the formation of a chiral supramolecular structure in the cis form. The CD signals disappeared when trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) was added to the solution. The ester counterpart [(S)-1 a'] showed no CD signal. Hydrogen bonding between the carboxy groups seemed necessary for constructing the supramolecular structure. The kinetic studies of cis to trans isomerization of (S)-1 a demonstrated that the formation of a chiral supramolecule enhances the stability of the cis-azobenzene structure. The ESI mass spectrum of stilbenedicarboxylic acid (S)-4, an analogue of (S)-1 b, confirmed the formation of a dimer. A theoretical CD study revealed that (S)-1 a in the cis form should be present as a cyclic chiral dimer.

Chiral perylene diimides: building blocks for ionic self-assembly.

A chiral perylene diimide building block has been prepared based on an amine derivative of the amino acid l‐phenylalanine. Detailed studies were carried out into the self‐assembly behaviour of the material in solution and the solid state using UV/Vis, circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence spectroscopy. For the charged building block BTPPP, the molecular chirality of the side chains is translated into the chiral supramolecular structure in the form of right‐handed helical aggregates in aqueous solution. Temperature‐dependent UV/Vis studies of BTPPP in aqueous solution showed that the self‐assembly behaviour of this dye can be well described by an isodesmic model in which aggregation occurs to generate short stacks in a reversible manner. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction studies (WXRD) revealed that this material self‐organises into aggregates with π–π stacking distances typical for π‐conjugated materials. TEM investigations revealed the formation of self‐assembled structures of low order and with no expression of chirality evident. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarised optical microscopy (POM) were used to investigate the mesophase properties. Optical textures representative of columnar liquid–crystalline phases were observed for solvent‐annealed samples of BTPPP. The high solubility, tunable self‐assembly and chiral ordering of these materials demonstrate their potential as new molecular building blocks for use in the construction of chiro‐optical structures and devices.

Breaking the odd-even effect in the self-assembly of linear bis(benzamides).

The twisting of supramolecular aggregates formed from simple linear bis(benzamides) has been investigated. The antiparallel arrangement of the amide functional groups controls the generation of twisted supramolecular structures. The results presented herein could contribute to elaborate predictive tools applicable in the generation of chiral supramolecular structures.

Thermally sensitive self-assembly of glucose-functionalized tetrachloro-perylene bisimides: from twisted ribbons to microplates.

Chiral supramolecular structures are becoming increasingly attractive for their specific molecular arrangements, exceptional properties, and promising applications in chiral sensing and separation. However, constructing responsive chiral supramolecular structures remains a great challenge. Here, glucose-functionalized tetrachloro-perylene bisimides (GTPBIs) with thermally sensitive self-assembly behaviors are designed and synthesized. In a methanol/water mixture, GTPBIs self-assembled into twisted ribbons and microplates at 4 and 25 °C, respectively. Furthermore, the ribbon structure was metastable and could transform into microplates when the temperature was increased from 4 to 25 °C. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to track the evolution of morphology and study the assembly mechanisms of correponding nanostructures at different time intervals. The supramolecular structures were characterized with various techniques, including circular dichroism, TEM, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, ultraviolet-visible absorption, and fluorescence spectra. This study provides insight into controlling molecular parameters and assembly conditions to construct chiral supramolecular structures.

2D Chiral Structures in Quinoline Mixed Langmuir Monolayers

Chirality at interfaces is a relevant topic in nanoscience, as well as a key point for prebiotic chemistry. Mixed Langmuir monolayers, composed of the anionic phospholipid dimyristoyl phosphatidic acid (DMPA) and the cationic amphiphilic quinoline derivative 2-methyl-1-octadecylquinoline (MQ) have been built at the air–water interface. Both DMPA and MQ molecules are miscible, thus the equimolar mixture yields homogeneous monolayers completely. Chiral domains have been formed by this monolayer and observed in situ by Brewster angle microscopy (BAM). These chiral domains display a large array of shapes and sizes. The chirality of the monolayers has been confirmed by circular dichroism spectroscopy. The ordered aggregation of the quinoline group into large chiral supramolecular structures is proposed as the molecular origin of the observed chirality. Theoretical simulations using molecular mechanics confirm the strong trend of the quinoline group to form chiral aggregates. The great diversity in the size and shape of the chiral domains has been found to be strongly influenced by the competition between two nuclei growth mechanisms. An experimental procedure allowing a minimized growth through one of these mechanism is proposed, achieving a homogeneous distribution of ring-shaped domains. An overshoot in the π–A isotherms of this mixed monolayer appears at an intermediate surface pressure. This overshoot is interpreted as being due to the large difference between the surface pressure which starts the nuclei formation, πcrit, and the superficial pressure in which the nuclei can grow, πe. The rather small πe value compared to πcrit observed for this system must be attributed to the molecular interactions involved in the mixed monolayer, which facilitate the incorporation of molecules in preformed nuclei.

Helicity transfer in rotary evaporator flow

Mechanical rotation of a magnetic stirrer or a rotary evaporator can induce an enantiomeric excess of supramolecular species. In this study, we investigate the effect of fluid motion in a rotary evaporator on chiral supramolecular species. It is shown theoretically that the twisting effect of fluid motion on cylindrical particles is expressed in terms of helicity dissipation rate. Helicity dissipation can be interpreted as the helicity transfer from helical fluid motion to chiral supramolecular structures. A numerical simulation of flow in a rotary evaporator was carried out to evaluate the helicity and its dissipation rate. The volume integral of the helicity dissipation in the computational domain showed a positive value; its sign agrees with experiment in which the right-handed helical structures of J-aggregates were induced by the counter-clockwise rotation of a rotary evaporator. Furthermore, terms in the transport equation for the helicity were evaluated for investigating the helicity behavior.

C–H Stretch for Probing Kinetics of Self-Assembly into Macromolecular Chiral Structures at Interfaces by Chiral Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy

Self-assembly of molecules into chiral macromolecular and supramolecular structures at interfaces is important in various fields, such as biomedicine, polymer sciences, material sciences, and supramolecular chemistry. However, probing the kinetics at interfaces remains challenging because it requires a real-time method that has selectivity to both interface and chirality. Here, we introduce an in situ approach of using the C-H stretch as a vibrational probe detected by chiral sum frequency generation spectroscopy (cSFG). We showed that the C-H stretch cSFG signals of an amphiphilic peptide (LK7β) can reveal the kinetics of its self-assembly into chiral β-sheet structures at the air-water interface. The cSFG experiments in conjunction with measurements of surface pressure allow us to propose a mechanism of the self-assembly process, which involves an immediate adsorption of disordered structures followed by a lag phase before the self-assembly into chiral antiparallel β-sheet structures. Our method of using the C-H stretch signals implies a general application of cSFG to study the self-assembly of bioactive, simple organic, and polymeric molecules into chiral macromolecular and supramolecular structures at interfaces, which will be useful in tackling problems, such as protein aggregation, rational design of functional materials, and fabrication of molecular devices.

Asymmetric Catalysis at the Mesoscale: Gold Nanoclusters Embedded in Chiral Self-Assembled Monolayer as Heterogeneous Catalyst for Asymmetric Reactions

Research to develop highly versatile, chiral, heterogeneous catalysts for asymmetric organic transformations, without quenching the catalytic reactivity, has met with limited success. While chiral supramolecular structures, connected by weak bonds, are highly active for homogeneous asymmetric catalysis, their application in heterogeneous catalysis is rare. In this work, asymmetric catalyst was prepared by encapsulating metallic nanoclusters in chiral self-assembled monolayer (SAM), immobilized on mesoporous SiO2 support. Using olefin cyclopropanation as an example, it was demonstrated that by controlling the SAM properties, asymmetric reactions can be catalyzed by Au clusters embedded in chiral SAM. Up to 50% enantioselectivity with high diastereoselectivity were obtained while employing Au nanoclusters coated with SAM peptides as heterogeneous catalyst for the formation of cyclopropane-containing products. Spectroscopic measurements correlated the improved enantioselectivity with the formation of a hydrogen-bonding network in the chiral SAM. These results demonstrate the synergetic effect of the catalytically active metallic sites and the surrounding chiral SAM for the formation of a mesoscale enantioselective catalyst.

A Dual‐Functional Metallogel of Amphiphilic Copper(II) Quinolinol: Redox Responsiveness and Enantioselectivity

A dual-functional metallogel, which was based on the copper(II) complex of quinolinol-substituted L-glutamide, showed both redox-responsive and enantioselective properties; moreover, the metallogels collapsed into a sol after reduction and could be revived upon subsequent oxidation. The supramolecular chirality and morphology also reversible changed with the gel-sol transition. Furthermore, the metallogels showed new enantioselective recognition towards chiral aromatic amino acids. A new emission band in the blue-light region at around 393 nm appeared when the metallogels encountered L-aromatic amino acids, whereas no new emission band was observed for the corresponding D-aromatic amino acids. Such enantioselectivity only occurred in the gel state. No similar phenomenon could be observed in solution. This result suggested that, during the gel formation, the gelator molecules self-assembled into ordered, chiral supramolecular structures and enhanced the enantiorecognition of the L-aromatic amino acids.

Radical‐Functionalised Gel: A Building‐Block Strategy for Magnetochiral Assembly

AbstractA chiral organogelating scaffold is functionalised with a stable organic radical pendant. The morphology and spectroscopic properties of the gels are investigated as a function of the organogelator concentration and temperature. The combination of AFM and ESR spectroscopy provides firm evidence that the architecture responsible for the formation of the macroscopic gel (i.e., the fibrillar structure) is maintained below the gelling concentration. This opens relevant perspectives in terms of the realisation of complex supramolecular chiral structures incorporating paramagnetic functions, and demonstrates that the ESR technique is suitable as a fast and direct check of the sample state (gel, solution, or small aggregates).

Salt-Induced Control of Supramolecular Order in Biocatalytic Hydrogelation

Biocatalytic action and specific ion effects are both known to have dramatic effects on molecular self-assembly and hydrogelation. In this paper, we demonstrate that these effects are highly cooperative. Biocatalytic hydrogelation of Fmoc peptides in the presence of salts combines kinetic (through enzymatic catalysis) and thermodynamic (specific ion and protein templating) contributions when applied in combination. Spectroscopic data (obtained by fluorescence spectroscopy and circular dichroism) revealed that hydrophobic interactions are greatly affected, giving rise to differential chiral organization and supramolecular structure formation. The kinetic effects of catalytic action could be removed from the system by applying a heat/cool cycle, giving insight into the thermodynamic influence of both protein and salt on these systems and showing that the effects of catalysis, templating, and salts are cooperative. The variable molecular interactions are expressed as variable material properties, such as thermal stability and mechanical strength of the final gel-phase material. To gain more insight into the role of the enzyme, beyond catalysis, in the underlying mechanism, static light scattering is performed, which indicates the different mode of aggregation of the enzyme molecules in the presence of different salts in aqueous solution that may play a role to direct the assembly via templating. Overall, the results show that the combination of specific salts and enzymatic hydrogelation can give rise to complex self-assembly behaviors that may be exploited to tune hydrogel properties.

Plasmonic Chiroptical Response of Silver Nanoparticles Interacting with Chiral Supramolecular Assemblies

Silver nanoparticles were prepared in aqueous solutions of chiral supramolecular structures made of chiral molecular building blocks. While these chiral molecules display negligible circular dichroism (CD) as isolated molecules, their stacking produced a significant CD response at room temperature, which could be eliminated by heating to 80 °C due to disordering of the stacks. The chiral stack-plasmon coupling has induced CD at the surface plasmon resonance absorption band of the silver nanoparticles. Switching between two plasmonic CD induction mechanisms was observed: (1) Small Ag nanoparticles coated with large molecular stacks, where the induced plasmonic CD decayed together with the UV molecular CD bands on heating the solution, indicating some type of electromagnetic or dipole coupling mechanism. (2) Larger Ag nanoparticles coated with about a monolayer of molecules exhibited induced plasmonic CD that was temperature-independent. In this case it is estimated that the low chiroptical response of a molecular monolayer is incapable of inducing such a large chiroptical effect, and a model calculation shows that the plasmonic CD response may be the result of a slight chiral shape distortion of the silver nanoparticles.

Smart Materials: Supramolecular Chiral Structures: Smart Polymer Organization Guided by 2D Polarization Light Patterns (Adv. Funct. Mater. 14/2012)

On page 2964 Gabriella Cipparrone and co-workers report on the supramolecular chiral structuring of an amorphous azo-polymer guided by 2D polarization light patterns. Periodic chiral microstructures with spiral- or ribbon-like shape and identical or opposite helicity are demonstrated. They exhibit high stability and complete reconfigurability. These results provide an alternative approach to design a new class of materials with periodic chiral arrangements that have potential advantages for applications in smart functional devices.