Temperature-Responsive Chiral (A)6B Supramolecular Cages Based on Conformational Preferences.

Two chiral (A)6B-typed supramolecular cages were constructed from hydrogen-bonded C6 -symmetric zinc porphyrin hexamers and chiral C3-symmetric pyridyl hexadentates with a core of 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene. Circular dichroism and molecular simulations revealed that the symmetry of the supramolecular cages switched from pseudo-C3v to C3 with the rotational confinement of the biphenyl backbones at low temperatures, which generated conformationally chiral transfer and amplification. This unique phenomenon suggests a new strategy to develop smart materials with high sensitivity and excellent reversibility.

meta-Substituted benzamide oligomers that complex mono-, di- and tricarboxylates: folding-induced selectivity and chirality.

meta-Substituted arylamide trimer, pentamer and heptamer have been prepared from simple benzene-1,3-diamine, benzene-1,3-dicarboxylic acid, and 3-aminobenzoic acid units. 2D NOESY (1)H NMR experiments reveal that these flexible oligomers form folded conformations to complex di- and tricarboxylate anions of varying sizes and shapes in DMSO of high polarity, which is driven by multiple intermolecular N-H···O=C and C-H···O=C hydrogen-bonds between the amide and aromatic hydrogens of the oligomers and the carboxylate oxygens of the anions. Generally, tricarboxylate anions display an increased binding affinity compared with the dicarboxylate anions and the complexes formed by 1,3-benzenedicarboxylate anion are more stable than those formed by 1,2- or 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate anions.

Highly stable chiral (A)6-B supramolecular copolymers: a multivalency-based self-assembly process.

A novel type of chiral layered supramolecular copolymer with high molecular weight has been assembled from a hydrogen bonded C(6)-symmetric zinc porphyrin hexamer and chiral C(3)-symmetric pyridine hexadentate linkers driven by multivalent zinc porphyrin-pyridine coordination. UV-vis, circular dichroism, and static light scattering experiments revealed that the formation of the layered supramolecular copolymers is at first dynamically controlled and then becomes thermodynamically controlled.