Noncovalent Synthesis Research Articles

Molecular Architectonic on Metal Surfaces

The engineering of highly organized systems from instructed molecular building blocks opens up new vistas for the control of matter and the exploration of nanodevice concepts. Recent investigations demonstrate that well-defined surfaces provide versatile platforms for steering and monitoring the assembly of molecular nanoarchitectures in exquisite detail. This review delineates the principles of noncovalent synthesis on metal substrates under ultrahigh vacuum conditions and briefly assesses the pertaining terminology-self-assembly, self-organization, and self-organized growth. It presents exemplary scanning-tunneling-microscopy observations, providing atomistic insight into the self-assembly of organic clusters, chains, and superlattices, and the metal-directed assembly of low-dimensional coordination architectures. This review also describes hierarchic-assembly protocols leading to intricate multilevel order. Molecular architectonic on metal surfaces represents a versatile rationale to realize structurally complex nanosystems with specific shape, composition, and functional properties, which bear promise for technological applications.

Electrochemistry of hydrogen-bonding systems

Hydrogen bonding is one of the most important intermolecular forces in molecular self-assembly or non-covalent synthesis. It is now possible to prepare rather large supramolecular assemblies (>1,000 Da) held together by hydrogen bonds between their molecular building blocks. From the standpoint of electrochemistry, this opens up interesting research avenues. This manuscript reviews recent results-mostly from the authors’ own group—on the electrochemistry of systems in which hydrogen bonding plays a crucial role. First, we explore the encapsulation of redox-active centers inside large hydrogen-bonded assemblies and its effects on the kinetics and thermodynamics of the electron transfer reactions of the encapsulated center. Second, we survey the use of electrochemistry to modulate the strength of hydrogen bonding between complementary partners. In this regard, the association and dissociation of dimeric calixarene molecular capsules can be fully controlled by the oxidation state of ferrocenyl centers located nearby the hydrogen-bonding sites. Finally, we also present very recent and intriguing results on the strong electronic coupling between two equivalent ferrocenyl centers held together by four hydrogen bonds in a non-covalent dimer.

Chiral Spaces in Supramolecular Assemblies

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Noncovalent Synthesis in Aqueous Solution and Spectroscopic Characterization of Multi‐Porphyrin Complexes

The interactions of the tetracationic meso-tetrakis(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin (H(2)TMPyP) and its metallo derivatives (MTMPyP) (where M=copper(II), zinc(II), and gold(III) with the octa-anionic form (at neutral pH) of 5,11,17,23-tetrasulfonato-25,26,27,28-tetrakis(hydroxycarbonylmethoxy)calix[4]arene (C(4)TsTc) lead to a series of complex species whose stoichiometry and porphyrin sequence can be easily tuned. Crystallographic, spectroscopic, and diffusion NMR studies converge towards a common picture in which a central 1:4 porphyrin/calixarene unit serves as a template for the formation of more complex species. These species arise by successive, stepwise addition of single porphyrin molecules above and below the plane of the 1:4 central core to ultimately give a 7:4 complex. Noticeably, the stoichiometry of the various complex species corresponds to the actual concentration ratio of porphyrins and calixarenes in solution allowing the stoichiometry of these species to be easily tuned. This behavior and the remarkable stability of these species allow homo-porphyrin and hetero-(metallo)porphyrin species to be formed with control of not only the stoichiometry but also the sequence of the porphyrin array. The flexibility and ease of this approach permit, in principle, the design and synthesis of porphyrin arrays for predetermined purposes. For example, we have shown that it is very easy to design and obtain mixed porphyrin species in which a foreseen photoinduced electron-transfer is indeed observed.

Cover Picture: A Competitive Molecular Recognition Study: Syntheses and Analysis of Supramolecular Assemblies of 3,5‐Dihydroxybenzoic Acid and Its Bromo Derivative with Some N‐Donor Compounds (Chem. Eur. J. 6/2006)

Synthesis of molecular architectures through molecular recognition, with the proper choice of appropriate functional groups, demonstrates the elegancy of noncovalent synthesis to yield molecular ladders, rosettes, tubular structures, and so forth. In this context, 3,5‐dihydroxybenzoic acid and its bromo derivative have been found to yield molecular ladders upon co‐crystallization with some N‐donor compounds. More details of these fascinating supramolecular assemblies are described by V. R. Pedireddi and S. Varughese on page 1597 ff.

?Non-covalent synthesis? of a chiral host of calix[6]arene and enantiomeric discrimination

'Non-covalent synthesis' of novel chiral hosts (calix[6]arene-chiral amine complexes) and its application to enantiomeric discrimination was investigated by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. The topology of a ternary complex was proposed for the calix[6]arene-amine-sulfoxide to rationalize the chiral recognition.

Multiple ionic interactions for noncovalent synthesis of molecular capsules in polar solvents

The formation and characterization of molecular capsules resulting from the self-assembly between oppositely charged (thia)calix[4]arenes in polar solvents like MeOH and MeOH–H2O are reported. The multiple ionic interactions allow the self-assembly of the complementary (thia)calix[4]arenes 1 and 2a–d into 1∶1 complexes as revealed by 1H NMR and mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) was used to determine the association constants, which, depending on the ionic groups involved in the complexes, vary between 103 and 106 M−1. An X-ray structure of the assembly 1•2d was also obtained. Unlike in solution, in the solid state 1•2d forms a 1∶1 three-dimensional network in which 2d adopts a 1,2-alternate conformation.

Kinetic Control in Noncovalent Synthesis: Regioselective Ligand Exchange into a Hydrogen Bonded Assembly

This paper illustrates the use of a kinetically controlled exchange reaction to effect regioselective modification of a hydrogen-bonded assembly. Both the bound anion and cation can control the exchange of ligand into the different layers of a synthetic G-quadruplex.

Designed self-assembly of molecular necklaces using host-stabilized charge-transfer interactions.

A novel approach to the noncovalent synthesis of molecular necklaces successfully led to the first quantitative self-assembly of a molecular necklace [6]MN, in which five small rings are threaded on a large ring, from 10 components. Our strategy involves the host-guest complex formation between the molecular host cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) and a guest molecule in which an electron donor and an electron acceptor unit are connected by a rigid linker with a proper angle, to form a cyclic oligomer through the host-stabilized intermolecular charge-transfer (CT) complex formation. In the structure of the molecular necklace [6]MN, five molecules of the guest form a cyclic framework by the intermolecular CT interactions, on which five CB[8] molecules are threaded with an arrangement reminiscent of a five-fold propeller. The molecular necklace measures approximately 3.7 nm in diameter and approximately 1.8 nm in thickness.

Toward replicatable, multifunctional, nanoscaffolded machines. A chemical manifesto

Abstract Self-replicating nanorobots were foreseen in technological dreams and visions whose scientific ground found solid criticism from chemical and physical reasoning. If one, however, views such constructs as three-dimensionally defined noncovalent nanoscaffolding of a multitude of modular functions whose array is replicatable in a nonautonomous way, many pieces of technology needed for their implementation became recently available. Gold cluster-labeled molecules were remotely controlled by GHz radio frequency causing local and selective inductive heating, and monoconjugable thermostable gold clusters will become commercially available soon. Charged molecules were electrophoretically steered and manipulated on the surface of microelectrode array chips. Surface-promoted replication and exponential amplification of DNA analogs (SPREAD) may find particular applications for the cloning and copying of informational nanostructures on the surface of such chips. Synthetic trisoligonucleotidyl junctions were reported as covalent building blocks for noncovalent DNA nanostructures, and it was shown that kinetic control during noncovalent synthesis favors small and defined nanostructures instead of polymeric networks. Very recently, it was demonstrated that functionalized DNA nanoscaffolds with stiff tensegrity such as tetrahedra self-assemble from maximally instructed sets of 3- or [3+1]-arm junctions, and that the connectivity information in such nanoscaffolds can be copied. The implications of these developments are discussed with respect to a possible implementation scheme for the issue of the title.

Non-covalent synthesis in aqueous solution of discrete multi-porphyrin aggregates with programmable stoichiometry and sequence.

This unprecedented calixarene templated, noncovalent synthesis of multi-porphyrin complexes in aqueous solution makes it possible to plan the nature, stoichiometry, and sequence of porphyrins. The proposed method presents the same accuracy of the covalent approach and a 100% yield, but it is not as time-consuming as the latter method.

Noncovalent Synthesis of Water-Soluble SCS PdII Pincer Assemblies

This article describes the noncovalent synthesis of water-soluble coordination assemblies based on SCS PdII pincer moieties. Two neutral solubilizing moieties, one based on a linear carbohydrate chain and the other on tetraethylene glycol residues, have been functionalized with pyridine and phosphane ligands. The coordination of the resulting molecules to various hydrophobic, cationic mono- and multimeric SCS PdII pincer systems has been investigated by 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopy, and by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. In general, the assemblies with tetraethylene glycol chains display a higher solubility in water than the ones containing linear sugar moieties. A hexapincer core decorated with six linear carbohydrates forms a hydrogel. Finally, a noncovalent water-soluble metallodendrimer having 18 peripheral tetraethylene glycol groups was constructed in a convergent manner.

Molecular "chaperones" guide the spontaneous formation of a 15-component hydrogen-bonded assembly.

Chaperones are small molecules that assist in the folding of naturally occurring peptides. There are no examples of small molecules acting as chaperones in the self-assembly of synthetic noncovalent assemblies. In this communication we describe an unprecedented example of the "chaperone effect" in the noncovalent synthesis of organic nanostructures. Tetrarosette assemblies 2(3).(BuCYA)(12) form quantitatively in CHCl(3) at room temperature upon mixing tetramelamine 2 with N-butylcyanurate (BuCYA) in the presence of 5,5-diethylbarbituric acid (DEB). Without the DEB units present, only oligomeric assemblies are formed that cannot rearrange to the tetrarosettes by themselves. The DEB units act as molecular "chaperones" by preorganizing the tetramelamine units for the spontaneous assembly of the tetrarosette structure.

Enantioselective noncovalent synthesis of hydrogen-bonded double-rosette assemblies.

The noncovalent synthesis of enantiomerically pure hydrogen-bonded assemblies (M)- and (P)-1(3).(CA)(6) is described. These dynamic assemblies are of one single handedness (M or P), but do not contain any chiral components. They are prepared by using the "chiral memory" concept: the induction of supramolecular chirality is achieved through initial assembly with chiral barbiturates, which are subsequently replaced by achiral cyanurates. This exchange process occurs quantitatively and without loss of the M or P handedness of the assemblies. Racemization studies have been used to determine an activation energy for racemization of 105.9+/-6.4 kJ mol(-1) and a half-life time to racemization of 4.5 days in benzene at 18 degrees C. Kinetic studies have provided strong evidence that the rate-determining step in the racemization process is the dissociation of the first dimelamine component 1 from the assembly 1(3).(CA)(6). In addition to this, it was found that the expelled chiral barbiturate (RBAR or SBAR) acts as a catalyst in the racemization process. Blocking the dissociation process of dimelamines 1 from assembly 1(3).(CA)(6) by covalent capture through a ring-closing metathesis (RCM) reaction produces an increase of more than two orders of magnitude in the half-life time to racemization.

Diastereoselective noncovalent synthesis of hydrogen-bonded double-rosette assemblies.

Chiral centers present either in the dimelamine components of calix[4]arene 1 or in the cyanurate components CA quantitatively induce one handedness (P or M) in the corresponding hydrogen-bonded assemblies 1(3).(CA)(6) (de>98 %). The high degree of chiral induction results from the presence of six chiral centers in close proximity (C(alpha)) to the core of the assembly. A much lower level of chiral induction is observed for assemblies with chiral centers that are more remote (C(beta)). All diastereomerically pure assemblies 1(3).(CA)(6) exhibit very high CD activities (deltavarepsilon(max) approximately 100 L mol(-1) cm(-1)), in sharp contrast to the low CD activities (deltavarepsilon(max)<or=8 L mol(-1) cm(-1)) shown by the free components. The assemblies display spontaneous resolution under thermodynamically controlled conditions (i.e., heteromeric assemblies containing both peripheral R and S centers are not observed. Remarkable assembly behavior is observed if both components 1 and CA are chiral. In general, formation of well-defined assemblies is only observed when both components contain unidirectional information for the induction of either M or P chirality.

Dynamic covalent chemistry.

Dynamic covalent chemistry relates to chemical reactions carried out reversibly under conditions of equilibrium control. The reversible nature of the reactions introduces the prospects of "error checking" and "proof-reading" into synthetic processes where dynamic covalent chemistry operates. Since the formation of products occurs under thermodynamic control, product distributions depend only on the relative stabilities of the final products. In kinetically controlled reactions, however, it is the free energy differences between the transition states leading to the products that determines their relative proportions. Supramolecular chemistry has had a huge impact on synthesis at two levels: one is noncovalent synthesis, or strict self-assembly, and the other is supramolecular assistance to molecular synthesis, also referred to as self-assembly followed by covalent modification. Noncovalent synthesis has given us access to finite supermolecules and infinite supramolecular arrays. Supramolecular assistance to covalent synthesis has been exploited in the construction of more-complex systems, such as interlocked molecular compounds (for example, catenanes and rotaxanes) as well as container molecules (molecular capsules). The appealing prospect of also synthesizing these types of compounds with complex molecular architectures using reversible covalent bond forming chemistry has led to the development of dynamic covalent chemistry. Historically, dynamic covalent chemistry has played a central role in the development of conformational analysis by opening up the possibility to be able to equilibrate configurational isomers, sometimes with base (for example, esters) and sometimes with acid (for example, acetals). These stereochemical "balancing acts" revealed another major advantage that dynamic covalent chemistry offers the chemist, which is not so easily accessible in the kinetically controlled regime: the ability to re-adjust the product distribution of a reaction, even once the initial products have been formed, by changing the reaction's environment (for example, concentration, temperature, presence or absence of a template). This highly transparent, yet tremendously subtle, characteristic of dynamic covalent chemistry has led to key discoveries in polymer chemistry. In this review, some recent examples where dynamic covalent chemistry has been demonstrated are shown to emphasise the basic concepts of this area of science.

Steric hindrance to the solvation of melamines and consequences for non-covalent synthesis.

Steric hindrance to solvation disfavors structures like 1 synanti in which the melamine exposes to the solvent faces, such as tBu-H, for whom binding to the ring nitrogen is hindered but not blocked; steric hindrance to solvation lowers the barriers to rotation in solvents which bind the triazine nitrogens, therefore these solvents display the fastest rates for assembling/disassembling processes.

Non-covalent synthesis of calix[4]arene-capped porphyrins in polar solvents via ionic interactions

Non-covalent synthesis of calix[4]arene capped porphyrins can be achieved in polar solvents (up to 45% molar fraction of water) via ionic interaction. Thus tetracationic meso-tetrakis( N-alkylpyridinium-3-yl) porphyrins 1a– d and tetra anionic 25,26,27,28-tetrakis(2-ethoxyethoxy)-calix[4]arene tetrasulfonate 2 self-assemble in an entropy driven process in 1:1 stoichiometry with association constants K 1 · 2 as high as 10 7 M −1 in methanol. The thermodynamic stability remains high even in the presence of competing salts: 10 −2 M Bu 4NClO 4 (4500 times the concentration of the building blocks) gives a reduction in K 1 · 2 of only 10 times. Ternary complexes 1a · 2 · L using 1-methylimidazole or pyridine as axial ligands ( L ) have been obtained with L residing outside the assembly cavity.

Noncovalent Synthesis Using Hydrogen Bonding.

Hydrogen bonds are like human beings in the sense that they exhibit typical grouplike behavior. As an individual they are feeble, easy to break, and sometimes hard to detect. However, when acting together they become much stronger and lean on each other. This phenomenon, which in scientific terms is called cooperativity, is based on the fact that "1+1 is more than 2". By using this principle, chemists have developed a wide variety of chemically stable structures that are based on the reversible formation of multiple hydrogen bonds. More than 20 years of fundamental studies on these phenomena have gradually developed into a new discipline within the field of organic synthesis, and is nowadays called "noncovalent synthesis". This review describes noncovalent synthesis based on the reversible formation of multiple hydrogen bonds. Starting with a thorough description of what the "hydrogen bond" really is, it guides the reader through a variety of bimolecular and higher order assemblies and exemplifies the general principles that determine their stability. Special focus is given to reversible capsules based on hydrogen-bonding interactions that exhibit interesting encapsulation phenomena. Furthermore, the role of hydrogen-bond formation in self-replicating processes is actively discussed, and finally the review briefly summarizes the development of novel materials (nanotubes, liquid crystals, polymers, etc.) and principles (dynamic libraries) that recently have emanated from this intriguing field of research.

Convergent synthesis of noncovalent metallodendrimers containing hydrophobic dendrons at the periphery.

The noncovalent synthesis of "layer-block" metallodendrimers containing hydrophobic shells of covalent dendritic wedges at the periphery is described. Starting from first- and second-generation Fréchet wedges having phosphines at their focal point, convergent dendritic growth yields third- and fourth-generation metallodendrimers in which the coordination of nitriles, pyridines, and phosphines to SCS Pd(II) pincers is used as the assembly motif. In this convergent growth, the number of terminal hydrophobic phosphine wedges increases with generation. The solubility of the dendritic structures in apolar organic solvents such as chloroform and dichloromethane increases accordingly, in contrast to previously reported metallodendrimers. All dendritic structures were characterized by (1)H and (31)P NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.