Synthesis of Photoresponsive Polyethers

Complexity of Molecular Nets: Topological Approach and Descriptive Statistics

The molecular net complexity (HmolNet) is an extension of the combinatorial complexity (Hmol) of a crystal structure introduced by Krivovichev. It was calculated for a set of 4152 molecular crystal structures with the composition of CxHyOz characterized by the structural class P21/c, Z = 4 (1). The molecular nets were derived from the molecular Voronoi–Dirichlet Polyhedra (VDPmol). The values of the molecular coordination number (CNmol) and critical coordination number (CNcrit) are discussed in relation with the complexity of the crystal structures. A statistical distribution of the set of molecular crystals based on the values of CNmol, CNcrit, and the complexity parameters is obtained. More than a half of the considered structures has CNmol = 14 and CNmol′ = 9 with the Wyckoff set of edges e5dcba. The average multiplicity of intermolecular contacts statistically significantly decreases from 1.58 to 1.51 upon excluding all contacts except those bearing the molecular net. The normalized value of HmolNet is of the logistic distribution type and is distributed near 0.85HmolNet with a small standard deviation. The contribution of Hmol into HmolNet ranges from 35 to 95% (mean 79%, SD 6%), and the subset of bearing intermolecular contacts accounts for 41 to 100% (mean 62%, SD 11%) of the complexity of the full set of intermolecular contacts.

Synthesis and Properties of Energy-Rich Methanofullerenes Containing Norbornadiene and Quadricyclane Moieties

The energy-rich methanofullerenes were synthesized for the first time by the reaction of fullerene C₆₀ with mono- and bisquadricyclane esters of malonic acid. The C-C bond cleavage in the quadricyclane moieties of new hybrid molecules takes place in the presence of catalytic amounts of Cu, Pd, and Pt salts or complexes or SiO₂ and is accompanied by heat evolution.

Tetrakis(diisopropyl amide) substituted norbornadiene and quadricyclane are highly barium selective ligands

Tetrakis(diisopropyl amide) substituted norbornadiene and quadricyclane derivatives were investigated for their extraction and transport capabilities with alkaline earth metal cations. Both amides exhibited a remarkably high preference of Ba(2+) over any other alkali metal or alkaline earth cation. The binding geometries were determined by quantum chemical DFT calculations.

Bis(phenylthienyl)ethene-tethered β-cyclodextrin dimers as photoswitchable hosts

Two beta-cyclodextrin dimers tethered by photoswitchable bis(phenylthienyl)ethene moieties were synthesized as potentially tunable receptor molecules. The cyclodextrin cavities of these dimers were linked via their secondary sides, with the photochromic bis(phenylthienyl)ethene unit either directly connected to the secondary rim (7) or via propyl spacers (10). By irradiation with light the dimers were reversibly switched between a relatively flexible (open) form and a rigid (closed) form. The photostationary states for both dimers consisted of 92% of the open and 8% of the closed form, enabling the nearly complete conversion between the two forms. The binding properties of the open and closed forms of dimers 7 and 10 were assessed by complexation studies with meso-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin (TSPP) using isothermal titration calorimetry. For the rigidly tethered dimer 7, a factor 8 difference in binding affinity between the open and closed form of the dimer was found. This difference in binding affinity reflects the difference in enthalpy of binding for the two dimers, indicating that the beta-cyclodextrin cavities of the closed dimer 7b are spaced too far apart from each other by the rigid closed bis(phenylthienyl)ethene tether to cooperatively bind TSPP. The difference in binding affinity was sufficient to enable the phototriggered release of TSPP from dimer. The thermodynamic parameters obtained for dimer 10 suggested that the closed tether substantially contributes to the binding of TSPP. The open and closed form of dimer 10 bound TSPP with similar association constants, although the enthalpy of binding for the complexation of TSPP by the closed form of dimer 10 was more favorable than that found for the open form of the dimer.