Aromatic and aliphatic CH hydrogen bonds fight for chloride while competing alongside ion pairing within triazolophanes

An overlooked yet ubiquitous fluoride congenitor: binding bifluoride in triazolophanes using computer-aided design

Despite its ubiquity during the binding and sensing of fluoride, the role of bifluoride (HF2(-)) and its binding properties are almost always overlooked. Here, we give one of the first examinations of bifluoride recognition in which we use computer-aided design to modify the cavity shape of triazolophanes to better match with HF2(-). Computational investigation indicates that HF2(-) and Cl(-) should have similar binding affinities to the parent triazolophane in the gas phase. Evaluation of the binding geometries revealed a preference for binding of the linear HF2(-) along the north-south axis with a smaller Boltzmann weighted population aligned east-west and all states being accessed rapidly through in-plane precessional rotations of the anion. While the (1)H NMR spectroscopy studies are consistent with the calculated structural aspects, binding affinities in solution were determined to be significantly smaller for the bifluoride than the chloride. Computed geometries suggested that a 20° tilting of the bifluoride (stemming from the cavity size) could account for the 25-fold difference between the two binding affinities, HF2(-) < Cl(-). Structural variations to the triazolophane's geometry and electronic modifications to the network of hydrogen bond donors were subsequently screened in a stepwise manner using density functional theory calculations to yield a final design that eliminates the tilting. Correspondingly, the bifluoride's binding affinity (K ∼ 10(6) M(-1)) increased and was also found to remain equal to chloride in the gas and solution phases. The new oblate cavity appeared to hold the HF2(-) in a single east-west arrangement. Our findings demonstrate the promising ability of computer-aided design to fine-tune the structural and electronic match in anion receptors as a means to control the arrangement and binding strength of a desired guest.

Anion receptor chemistry: highlights from 2011 and 2012

This review covers advances in anion complexation in the years 2011 and 2012. The review covers both organic and inorganic systems and also highlights the applications to which anion receptors can be applied such as self-assembly and molecular architecture, sensing, catalysis and anion transport.

Hydrophobic collapse of foldamer capsules drives picomolar-level chloride binding in aqueous acetonitrile solutions

Aqueous media are competitive environments in which to perform host-guest chemistry, particularly when the guest is highly charged. While hydrophobic binding is a recognized approach to this challenge in which apolar pockets can be designed to recognize apolar guests in water, complementary strategies are required for hydrophilic anions like chloride. Here, we present evidence of such an alternative mechanism, used everyday by proteins yet rare for artificial receptors, wherein hydrophobic interactions are shown to be responsible for organizing and stabilizing an aryl-triazole foldamer to help extract hydrophilic chloride ions from increasingly aqueous solutions. Therein, a double-helical complex gains stability upon burial of ∼80% of the π surfaces that simultaneously creates a potent, solvent-excluding microenvironment for hydrogen bonding. The chloride's overall affinity to the duplex is substantial in 25% water v/v in acetonitrile (log β2 = 12.6), and it remains strong (log β2 = 13.0) as the water content is increased to 50%. With the rise in predictable designs of abiological foldamers, this water-assisted strategy can, in principle, be utilized for binding other hydrophilic guests.

Two levels of conformational pre-organization consolidate strong CH hydrogen bonds in chloride-triazolophane complexes

Structural rigidity is verified as a pre-organizational factor that acts together with the macrocyclic effect such that synthesis helps in paying the cost of bringing together electropositive CH donors ready for H-bonding with chloride.