A Molecular Solomon Link

Template-directed synthesis employing reversible imine bond formation

The imine bond--formed by the reversible condensation of an amine and an aldehyde--and its applications as a dynamic covalent bond in the template-directed synthesis of molecular compounds, will be the focus of this tutorial review. Template-directed synthesis--or expressed another way, supramolecular assistance to covalent synthesis--relies on the use of reversible noncovalent bonding interactions between molecular building blocks in order to preorganise them into a certain relative geometry as a prelude to covalent bond formation to afford the thermodynamically preferred product. The use of this so-called dynamic covalent chemistry (DCC) in templated reactions allows for an additional amount of reversibility, further eliminating potential kinetic products by allowing the covalent bonds that are formed during the template-directed reaction to be 'proofread for errors', thus making it possible for the reaction to search out its thermodynamic minimum. The marriage of template-directed synthesis with DCC has allowed chemists to construct an increasingly complex collection of compounds from relatively simple precursors. This new paradigm in organic synthesis requires that each individual piece in the molecular self-assembly process is preprogrammed so that the multiple recognition events expressed between the pieces are optimised in a highly cooperative manner in the desired product. It offers an extremely simple way of making complex mechanically interlocked compounds--e.g., catenanes, rotaxanes, suitanes, Borromean rings and Solomon knots--from relatively simple precursors.

Template-directed synthesis of donor/acceptor [2]catenanes and [2]rotaxanes

The synthesis of mechanically interlocked molecular compounds has advanced by leaps and bounds since the early days of statistical methods and covalent-directing strategies. Template-directed synthesis has emerged as the method of choice for the construction of increasingly complex and functional [2]catenanes and [2]rotaxanes. In particular, mechanically interlocked molecules employing π-donating and π-accepting recognition units have been produced with remarkable efficiencies and show great promise in technologies as diverse as molecular electronics and drug delivery.

Efficient production of [n]rotaxanes by using template-directed clipping reactions

In this article, we report on the efficient synthesis of well defined, homogeneous [n]rotaxanes (n up to 11) by a template-directed thermodynamic clipping approach. By employing dynamic covalent chemistry in the form of reversible imine bond formation, [n]rotaxanes with dialkylammonium ion (-CH(2)NH(2)(+)CH(2)-) recognition sites, encircled by [24]crown-8 rings, were prepared by a thermodynamically controlled, template-directed clipping procedure, that is, by mixing together a dumbbell compound containing a discrete number of CH(2)NH(2)(+)CH(2)- ion centers with appropriate amounts of a dialdehyde and a diamine to facilitate the [n]rotaxane formation. A 21-component self-assembly process is operative during the formation of the [11]rotaxane. The oligomeric dumbbells containing CH(2)NH(2)(+)CH(2)- ion recognition sites were prepared by a stepwise protocol. Several of the dynamic [n]rotaxanes were converted into their kinetically stable counterparts, first by reduction ("fixing") of imine bonds with the BH(3).THF complex, then by protonation of the complex by addition of acid.

Dynamic donor-acceptor [2]catenanes

Donor-acceptor [2]catenanes based on cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) as the pi-acceptor ring have been used prominently in the construction of functional molecular devices. We report here their thermodynamically controlled synthesis from isolated pi-donor and pi-acceptor rings under the catalytic influence of tetra butylammonium iodide. The initial nucleophilic attack of iodide ion, which opens up the pi-acceptor ring, is followed by complexation to the pi-donor ring and the subsequent catenation of the pi-donor ring by the pi-acceptor ring [2]catenane. The reaction is general in scope and proceeds in high yields, without giving rise to side-products.

Modular Synthesis and Dynamics of a Variety of Donor–Acceptor Interlocked Compounds Prepared by Click Chemistry

A series of donor-acceptor [2]-, [3]-, and [4]rotaxanes and self-complexes ([1]rotaxanes) have been synthesized by a threading-followed-by-stoppering approach, in which the precursor pseudorotaxanes are fixed by using Cu(I)-catalyzed Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition to attach the required stoppers. This alternative approach to forming rotaxanes of the donor-acceptor type, in which the donor is a 1,5-dioxynaphthalene unit and the acceptor is the tetracationic cyclophane cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene), proceeds with enhanced yields relative to the tried and tested synthetic strategies, which involve the clipping of the cyclophane around a preformed dumbbell containing pi-electron-donating recognition sites. The new synthetic approach is amenable to application to highly convergent sequences. To extend the scope of this reaction, we constructed [2]rotaxanes in which one of the phenylene rings of the tetracationic cyclophane is perfluorinated, a feature which significantly weakens its association with pi-electron-rich guests. The activation barrier for the shuttling of the cyclophane over a spacer containing two triazole rings was determined to be (15.5+/-0.1) kcal mol(-1) for a degenerate two-station [2]rotaxane, a value similar to that previously measured for analogous degenerate compounds containing aromatic or ethylene glycol spacers. The triazole rings do not seem to perturb the shuttling process significantly; this property bodes well for their future incorporation into bistable molecular switches.