Guest Encapsulation Alters the Thermodynamic Landscape of a Coordination Host.

The architecture of self-assembled host molecules can profoundly affect the properties of the encapsulated guests. For example, a rigid cage with small windows can efficiently protect its contents from the environment; in contrast, tube-shaped, flexible hosts with large openings and an easily accessible cavity are ideally suited for catalysis. Here, we report a "Janus" nature of a PdL coordination host previously reported to exist exclusively as a tube isomer ().

Encapsulation within a coordination cage modulates the reactivity of redox-active dyes.

Confining molecules within well-defined nanosized spaces can profoundly alter their physicochemical characteristics. For example, the controlled aggregation of chromophores into discrete oligomers has been shown to tune their optical properties whereas encapsulation of reactive species within molecular hosts can increase their stability. The resazurin/resorufin pair has been widely used for detecting redox processes in biological settings; yet, how tight confinement affects the properties of these two dyes remains to be explored.

Coexistence of 1 : 1 and 2 : 1 inclusion complexes of indigo carmine.

We show that the optical properties of indigo carmine can be modulated by encapsulation within a coordination cage. Depending on the host/guest molar ratio, the cage can predominantly encapsulate either one or two dye molecules. The 1 : 1 complex is fluorescent, unique for an indigo dye in an aqueous solution.

Recyclable electrochemical supercapacitors based on carbon nanotubes and organic nanocrystals.

Sustainable energy storage devices are required in view of the current demand for environmentally friendly technology. We fabricated a fully recyclable electrochemical double-layer supercapacitor (EDLC), based on multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) electrodes, an organic nanocrystalline (ONC) dielectric membrane, and an aqueous electrolyte. The entire EDLC device was fabricated and recycled using simple solution processing.

Synthesis of Spirocyclic Pyrrolidines: Advanced Building Blocks for Drug Discovery.

In the context of drug discovery, novel spirocyclic pyrrolidines have been synthesized in two steps from common three- to seven-membered-ring (hetero)alicyclic ketones. The key transformation is a reaction between an electron-deficient exocyclic alkene and an in situ generated N-benzyl azomethine ylide. The developed method has been used to synthesize the central diamine core of the known antibacterial agents Sitafloxacin and Olamufloxacin.