Resorcinarene-based Cavitands Research Articles

Using Slippage to Construct a Prototypical Molecular "Lock & Lock" Box.

We report a new slippage system based on p-tert-butylbenzyl-terminated imidazolium ions and di(ethylene glycol)-containing macrocycles and their use as linking units for the construction of a prototypical molecular "Lock & Lock" box from a resorcinarene-based cavitand "bowl" and a porphyrin "cover". The multivalent structure with four slippage linkers provided the molecular box with high stability, yet the system dissociated into its two components upon application of suitable external stimuli.

A Regulable Internal Cavity inside a Resorcinarene-Based Hemicarcerand.

Covalent organic capsules, such as carcerands and hemicarcerands, are an interesting class of molecular hosts. These container molecules have confined spaces capable of hosting small molecules, although the fact that the size of the inner cavities cannot be changed substantially limits the scope of their applications. The title covalently linked container was produced by metal-directed dimerization of a resorcinarene-based cavitand having four 2,2'-bipyridyl arms on the wide rim followed by olefin metathesis at the vertices of the resulting capsule with a second-generation Grubbs catalyst. The covalently linked bipyridyl arms permit expansion of the inner cavity by demetalation. This structural change influences the molecular recognition properties; the metal-coordinated capsule recognizes only 4,4'-diacetoxybiphenyl, whereas the metal-free counterpart can encapsulate not only 4,4'-diacetoxybiphenyl, but also 2,5-disubstituted-1,4-bis(4-acetoxyphenylethynyl)benzene, which is 9.4 Å longer than the former guest. Molecular mechanics calculations predict that the capsule expands the internal cavity to encapsulate the long guest by unfolding the folded conformation of the alkyl chains, which demonstrates the flexible and regulable nature of the cavity. Guest competition experiments show that the preferred guest can be switched by metalation and demetalation. This external-stimuli-responsive guest exchange can be utilized for the development of functional supramolecular systems controlling the uptake, transport, and release of chemicals.

Distinguishing amines with an amino acid appended resorcinarene-based cavitand

ABSTRACT Resorcinarene-based deep cavitands including glutamic acid methyl resorcinarene (GMA) and glutamic acid undecyl resorcinarene (GUA) have been synthesised and their amine binding properties analysed. The cavitands are designed with hydrogen bonding groups on their upper rim (glutamic acids) and hydrophobic groups, on their lower rims. Along with the aromatic groups of the resorcinarene, these cavitands have many sites for guest binding. The cavitands form kite-like structures in dimethylsulfoxide, acetone, and water. The binding of GMA with amines, including guanidine containing drug compounds, was studied in DMSO by UV-vis titration and compared to that of phthalyl glutamic acid. The obtained binding constants for GMA to amines (K values) were in the range of 12–136 × 103 M−1 for benzyl amines and 4.3–153 × 103 M−1 for guanidine compounds. GMA shows a binding preference for more basic and less sterically encumbered amines and slightly stronger binding to S-enantiomers.

Host-guest supra-molecular inter-actions between a resorcinarene-based cavitand bearing a -COOH moiety and acetic acid.

The cavitand 5,11,17,23-tetra-methyl-4,24:6,10:12,16:18,22-tetra-kis-(methyl-enedi-oxy)resorcin[4]arene functionalized at the upper rim with a carb-oxy-lic acid group, CavCOOH-in, of chemical formula C37H32O10, was synthesized in order to study its supra-molecular inter-actions with acetic acid in the solid state. Crystals suitable for X-ray diffraction analysis were obtained by slow evaporation of a di-chloro-methane-acetone solution of CavCOOH-in, to which glacial acetic acid had been added. The resulting compound, C37H32O10·2C2H4O2 (1) crystallizes in the space group P and its asymmetric unit consists of one mol-ecule of cavitand and two mol-ecules of acetic acid, one of which is encapsulated inside the aromatic cavity and disordered over two positions with a refined occupancy ratio of 0.344 (4):0.656 (4). The guest inter-acts with the host primarily through its methyl group, which (in both orientations) forms C-H⋯π inter-actions with the benzene rings of the cavitand. The crystal structure of 1 is dominated by O-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonding due to the presence of acetic acid and of the carb-oxy-lic group functionalizing the upper rim. Further stabilization is provided by offset π-π stacking inter-actions between the aromatic walls of adjacent cavitands [inter-centroid distance = 3.573 (1) Å].

Redox Switchable Thianthrene Cavitands

A redox activated vase-to-kite conformational change is reported for a new resorcinarene-based cavitand appended with four quinoxaline-fused thianthrene units. In its neutral state, the thianthrene-containing cavitand was shown by 1H NMR to adopt a closed vase conformation. Upon oxidation the electrostatic repulsion among the thianthrene radical cations promotes a kite conformation in the thianthrene-containing cavitand. The addition of acid produced a shoulder feature below 300 nm in the cavitand’s UV-Vis spectrum that we have assigned to the vase-to-kite conformation change. UV-Vis spectroelectrochemical studies of the cavitand revealed a development of a similar shoulder peak consistent with the oxidation-induced vase-to-kite conformation change. To support that the shoulder peak is diagnostic for a vase-to-kite conformation change, a model molecule constituting a single quinoxaline wall of the cavitand was synthesized and studied. As expected UV-Vis spectroelectrochemical studies of the cavitand arm did not display a shoulder peak below 300 nm. The oxidation-induced vase-to-kite conformation is further confirmed by the distinctive upfield shift in 1H chemical shift of the methine signal.

Fluorinated Tetraphosphonate Cavitands.

Two synthetic protocols for the introduction of fluorine atoms into resorcinarene-based cavitands, at the lower and upper rim, respectively, are reported. Cavitand 1, bearing four fluorocarbon tails, and cavitand 2, which presents a fluorine atom on the para position of a diester phosphonate phenyl substituent, were synthesized and their complexation abilities toward the model guest sarcosine methyl ester hydrochloride were evaluated via NMR titration experiments. The effect of complexation on the 19F NMR resonance of the probe is evident only in the case of cavitand 2, where the inset of the cation-dipole and H-bonding interactions between the P=O bridges and the guest is reflected in a sizable downfield shift of the fluorine probe.

Facile Synthesis of an Eight-Armed Star-Shaped Polymer via Coordination-Driven Self-Assembly of a Four-Armed Cavitand.

The polystyrene chains were installed at the lower rim of a resorcinarene-based cavitand via reversible addition-fragmentation (RAFT) polymerization to form a four-armed star-shaped polymer. A star-shaped polystyrene-functionalized supramolecular capsule was prepared through the coordination-driven self-assembly of the four-armed start-shaped polymer with silver ions. The eight-armed start-shaped supramolecular capsule encapsulated 4,4'-diacetoxybiphenyl as did a cavitand-based self-assembled capsule. A DOSY measurement indicated that the eight-armed star-shaped polymer was twice as large as the four-armed star-shaped polymer. The solution behaviors of these compounds resulted in a difference in their zero-shear viscosities.

Mixed Explicit-Implicit Solvation Approach for Modeling of Alkane Complexation in Water-Soluble Self-Assembled Capsules.

The host-guest binding properties of a water-soluble resorcinarene-based cavitand are examined using density functional theory methodology. Experimentally, the cavitand has been observed to self-assemble in aqueous solution into both 1:1 and 2:1 host/guest complexes with hydrophobic guests such as n-alkanes. For n-decane, equilibrium was observed between the 1:1 and 2:1 complexes, while 1:1 complexes are formed with shorter n-alkanes and 2:1 complexes are formed with longer ones. These findings are used to assess the standard quantum chemical methodology. It is first shown that a rather advanced computational protocol (B3LYP-D3(BJ)/6-311+G(2d,2p) with COSMO-RS and quasi-rigid-rotor-harmonic-oscillator) gives very large errors. Systematic examination of the various elements of the methodology shows that the error stems from the implicit solvation model. A mixed explicit-implicit solvation protocol is developed that involves a parametrization of the hydration free energy of water such that water cluster formation in water is predicted to be thermoneutral. This new approach is demonstrated to lead to a major improvement in the calculated binding free energies of n-alkanes, reproducing very well the 1:1 versus 2:1 host/guest binding trends.

Influence of pressure on the retention of resorcinarene-based cavitands

The thermodynamics of the retention mechanism of resorcinarene-based cavitands in RPLC as well as the nature of the binding sites have been studied recently. In the present study, the influence of pressure on the retention of the cyclic tetramers on alkylsilyl and polar-embedded C8 and C18 stationary phases is investigated using aqueous methanol mobile phase. The pressure effect for cavity-shaped molecules has been scarcely studied so far. We observed that the retention factors of the analytes increased with the increase of the average column pressure (1–400 bar) when using restricting capillary tubes. The calculated molar volume changes were negative, between −ΔVm = 5–19 mL/mol on all types of stationary phases. Comparing the different stationary phases, we found that the molar volume changes for both the apolar and more polar analytes were twice larger on the Hypersil BDS (base deactivated silica) than on the XTerra columns and they were independent of the length of the alkyl chains of the stationary phases.

Influence of base additives on the selectivity of palladium-catalysed aminocarbonylation: Highly selective functionalization of a cavitand scaffold

Tetracarboxamides and tetrakis(2-ketocarboxamides) of resorcinarene-based cavitands have been synthesised in palladium-catalysed aminocarbonylation of the corresponding tetraiodocavitand. In this way, deepened cavitands with the same functionalities at the upper rim were obtained even in the simultaneous application of two primary amines as N-nucleophiles. The influence of base additives on the unexpectedly high chemoselectivity towards tetra-functionalised products, i.e. tetrakis(2-ketocarboxamides) and tetracarboxamides, has been investigated in details.

Resorcinarene-based cavitands as building blocks for crystal engineering

Since their first appearance in the chemistry scene thirty years ago, resorcinarene-based cavitands have been recognized to be a highly versatile class of compounds. Endowed with a rigid cavity of molecular dimensions, which can be decorated at the upper and lower rims with a variety of functional groups, they are efficient molecular receptors for chemical sensing, as well as tunable building blocks in the formation of covalent and supramolecular architectures. In this paper, we highlight and discuss “classic” and recent results concerning their chemistry, applications and crystal structure.

Retention behavior of resorcinarene-based cavitands on C8 and C18 stationary phases.

The understanding of the retention behavior of large molecules is an area of interest in liquid chromatography. Resorcinarene-based cavitands are cavity-shaped cyclic oligomers that can create host-guest interactions. We have investigated the chromatographic behavior of two types of cyclic tetramers as analytes in high-performance liquid chromatography. The experiments were performed at four different temperatures (15, 25, 35, 45°C) on two types of reversed stationary phases (C8 and C18 ) from two different manufacturers. We have found a huge difference between the retention of resorcinarenes and cavitands. In some cases, the retention factor of cavitands was even a hundred times larger than the retention factor of resorcinarenes. The retention of methylated derivates was two to four times larger compared to that of demethylated compounds on every column. The opposite retention behavior of the resorcinarenes and cavitands on the two types of stationary phases showed well the difference of the selectivity of the XTerra and BDS Hypersil columns. The retention mechanism was studied by the thermodynamic parameters calculated from the van't Hoff equation.

ChemInform Abstract: Self‐Assembled Capsules Based on Tetrafunctionalized Calix[4]resorcinarene Cavitands

AbstractReview: [73 refs.

Molecular recognition of upper rim functionalized cavitand and its unique dimeric capsule in the solid state.

Cavitand 1 possesses four 2,2'-bipyridyl pillars on its upper rim that encapsulates small guests, such as nitromethane, acetonitrile, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, and N-methylacetamide, into a deep cavity to form host-guest complexes in a 1:1 ratio. Nitroethane, N,N-dimethylformamide, and N,N-dimethylacetamide were not bound in this manner. A guest-binding study and molecular mechanics calculations revealed that the four 2,2'-bipyridyl pillars of cavitand 1 created a steric boundary that is responsible for selective guest recognition. In the solid state, cavitand 2 formed a unique chiral capsule 2(2) by π-π stacking interactions between the 2,2'-bipyridyl pillars. A nitromethane molecule was unusually placed deep inside the cavity, as directed by the multiple hydrogen bonding interactions between the nitromethane oxygen atoms, the C-H bonds of the bridge methylenes and the pillar phenyl groups.

Hydrogen-Bond and Metal-Ligand Coordination Bond Hybrid Supramolecular Capsules: Identification of Hemicapsular Intermediate and Dual Control of Guest Exchange Dynamics

Hybrid supramolecular capsules self-assemble by simultaneously forming hydrogen and metal-ligand coordination bonds on mixing a C2-symmetrical cavitand (calix[4]resorcinarene-based cavitands with ureide and terminal 4-pyridyl units) with platinum or palladium complexes ([Pt(OTf)2] or [Pd(OTf)2] with chelating bisphosphines) in 1:1 ratio. Hemicapsular assemblies formed in the presence of excess amounts of cavitand relative to the platinum or palladium complexes are identified as intermediates in the above self-assembly process by 2D-NOESY spectroscopy. External-anion-assisted encapsulation of a neutral guest, 4,4'-diiodobiphenyl, inside the hybrid supramolecular capsules accompanied conformational changes in the hydrogen-bonding moieties. The in/out exchange ratio of the encapsulated guest depends on the bite angle of the bisphosphine ligand. Addition of DMSO accelerates guest exchange by weakening the hydrogen bonds in the encapsulation complex. Therefore, variations in the structure of the metal complex and amount of polar solvent exert dual control on the dynamics of the guest exchange.

Synthesis of a Zn-salen resorcinarene-based cavitand and its fluorescence response to nitro compounds

The synthesis, spectroscopic characterisation, conformational switching and fluorescence quenching efficiency of a resorcinarene-based cavitand containing Zn-salen (Zn-Cav) are reported. Synthesis of Zn-Cav was accomplished by the condensation of a quinoxaline derivatised with Zn-salen and a resorcinarene-based cavitand containing three quinoxalines. 1H NMR spectroscopy confirmed that in DMSO, chloroform and acetone Zn-Cav resides in the vase conformation. The molecular geometry of Zn-Cav selectively changes from vase to kite under acidic conditions. Detection by fluorescence quenching of nitro-containing molecules, such as 4-nitrotoluene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene and 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dinitrobutane was explored by spectrofluorimetry. It was found that the fluorescence of Zn-Cav is efficiently quenched by nitroaromatic compounds.

Resorcinarene-based cavitands with chiral amino acid substituents for chiral amine recognition

Resorcinarene-based deep cavitands alanine methyl resorcinarene acid (AMA), alanine undecyl resorcinarene acid (AUA) and glycine undecyl resorcinarene acid (GUA), which contain chiral amino acids, have been synthesized. The upper rim of the resorcinarene host is elongated with four identical substituents topped with alanine and glycine groups. The structures of the new resorcinarenes were elucidated by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), mass spectrometry (MS) and the sustained off-resonance irradiation collision induced dissociation (SORI-CID) technique in FTICR-MS. These studies revealed that eight water molecules associate to the cavitand, two for each alanine group. The alanine substituent groups are proposed to form a kite-like structure around the resorcinarene scaffold. The binding of AMA, AUA, and GUA with chiral R- and S-methyl benzyl amines was studied by (1)H NMR titration, and compared to that of a binary L-tartaric acid and the monoacid phthalyl alanine (PA). The results show that these compounds interact with amine guests; however, with four carboxylic acid groups, they bind several amine molecules strongly while the binary L-tartaric acid only binds one amine guest strongly. The simple compound PA, which contains one carboxylic group, shows weak binding to the amines. The (1)H NMR titration of AUA with primary, secondary, and tertiary chiral amines showed that it can discriminate between these three types of amines and showed chiral discrimination for chiral secondary amines.

Hydrogen-bond driven assembly of a molecular capsule facilitated by supramolecular chelation

Resorcinarene-based cavitands functionalized with acetamido groups capable of self-complementary hydrogen-bond interactions, were synthesized in order to construct supramolecular capsules. The 1,3-bifunctionalized cavitand produced a polymeric assembly, whereas the tetra-functionalized analogue yielded a discrete capsule held together via N-H···O hydrogen bonds. The ethynyl species attached to the rim of these host molecules deepen each cavitand and expands the volume of the resulting capsule.

Synthesis and hydrogen-bond capabilities of an amino-pyridine functionalized cavitand

A new amino-pyridine substituted resorcinarene-based cavitand has been synthesized and employed in the hydrogen-bond directed assembly of (a) discrete pentameric units with 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid and (b) an infinite supramolecular polymer with glutaric acid: both products have been characterized by X-ray single-crystal diffraction.

Functionalized Calix[4]resorcinarene Cavitands. Versatile Platforms for the Modular Construction of Extended Molecular Switches

Abstract We report the synthesis and investigation of the vase–kite conformational switching of bridged calix[4]resorcinarene-based cavitands bearing iodo or ethynyl substituents on the upper rim of the cavity. These reactive centers make the cavitands versatile platforms for further modular extension by means of Sonogashira cross-couplings, thereby enabling the construction of diverse functional architectures that are switchable between two highly restricted conformations and that undergo geometrically defined expansions/contractions on the multi-nanometer scale. This is illustrated by attachment of oligo(phenyleneethynyl) fragments, bearing terminal donor and acceptor BODIPY (dipyrrometheneboron difluoride) dyes, to a diiodo-substituted cavitand. The multi-nanometer-sized switching motion between the expanded kite and the contracted vase states, induced by temperature or pH changes, was proven by 1H NMR spectroscopy and FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer) measurements. The cavitand system, with its modular construction scheme, holds promise to become a general tool for controlled on/off switching of excimer and exciplex formation, PET (photoinduced electron-transfer), or other processes and for investigating the distance dependence of the underlying intermolecular interactions.