Dehydroacetic Acid Derivatives Bearing Amide or Urea Moieties as Effective Anion Receptors

Supramolecular Handshakes: Characterization of Urea-Carboxylate Interactions Within Calixarene Frameworks

The research of molecular capsules offers high application potential and numerous benefits in various fields. With the aim of forming supramolecular capsules which can be reversibly assembled and dissociated by simple external stimuli, we studied interactions between calixarenes containing urea and carboxylate moieties. To this end two ureido-derivatives of p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene comprising phenylureido-moieties and diacetate-calix[4]arenes were prepared. The binding of acetate by ureido-derivatives of calixarene in acetonitrile was characterized, revealing high affinity of ureido-calixarenes for carboxylates. This suggested high potential for uniting the complementary calix[4]arenes via H-bonds between carboxylic groups and urea moieties. The assembly of calixarenes was examined in detail by means of UV, 1H NMR, ITC, DOSY, MS, and conductometry providing insight in the structure-stability relationship. The tetraureido-calixarene derivative formed the most stable heterodimers with diacetate-calix[4]arenes featuring practically quantitative association upon mixing the two calixarene counterparts. The possibility of controlling the formation of the heterodimer by protonating the carboxylates, thereby hindering the interactions critical for capsule assembly, was investigated. Indeed, the reversibility of breaking and re-forming the heterodimer by addition of an acid and base to the solution containing urea- and carboxylate-derivative calix[4]arene was demonstrated using NMR spectroscopy.

Anion-Sensing Properties of Cyclopentaphenylalanine

Cyclic pentaphenylalanine was studied as an efficient anion sensor for halides, thiocyanate and oxoanions in acetonitrile and methanol. Stability constants of the corresponding complexes were determined by means of fluorimetric, spectrophotometric, ¹H NMR, and microcalorimetric titrations. A detailed structural overview of receptor–anion complexes was obtained by classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The results of ¹H NMR and MD studies indicated that the bound anions were coordinated by the amide groups of cyclopeptide, as expected. Circular dichroism (CD) titrations were also carried out in acetonitrile. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of the detection of anion binding by cyclopeptide using CD spectroscopy. The CD spectra were calculated from the structures obtained by MD simulations and were qualitatively in agreement with the experimental data. The stoichiometry of almost all complexes was 1:1 (receptor:anion), except for dihydrogen phosphate where the binding of dihydrogen phosphate dimer was observed in acetonitrile. The affinity of the cyclopeptide receptor was correlated with the structure of anion coordination sphere, as well as with the solvation properties of the examined solvents.

Protonation and anion-binding properties of aromatic sulfonylurea derivatives

In this work the anion-binding properties of three aromatic sulfonylurea derivatives in acetonitrile and dimethyl sulfoxide were explored by means of NMR titrations. It was found that the studied receptors effectively bind anions of low basicity (Cl^-, Br^-, I^-, NO₃ ^- and HSO₄ ^-). The stoichiometry of the complexes with receptors containing one binding site was 1 : 1 exclusively, whereas in the case of the receptor containing two sulfonylurea groups 1 : 2 (receptor : anion) complexes were also detected in some cases. The presence of strongly basic anions (acetate and dihydrogen phosphate) led to the deprotonation of the sulfonylurea moiety. This completely hindered its anion-binding properties in DMSO and only proton transfer occurred upon the addition of basic anions to the studied receptors. In MeCN, a complex system of equilibria including both ligand deprotonation and anion binding was established. Since ionisation of receptors was proven to be a decisive factor defining the behaviour of the sulfonylurea receptors, their pK _a values were determined using several deprotonation agents in both solvents. The results were interpreted in the context of receptor structures and solvent properties and applied for the identification of the interactions with basic anions.

Chloride-Assisted Peptide Macrocyclization

The role of the Cl^- anion as a templating agent for the synthesis of cyclopeptides was assessed through the preparation of three new homocyclolysines and other six cyclic peptides by head-to-tail lactamization. Isolated yields of products obtained by chloride-templating approach were considerably higher than those gained by a cation-promoted procedure, whereby, in some cases, only the anion-assisted synthesis yielded the desired cyclopeptides.

Ion recognition properties of new pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide bearing propeller-like pendant residues: multi-spectroscopic approach

Abstract

The synthesis and ion binding properties of new amide derived from propeller-like tris(2-pyridyl)amine and 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid chloride were described. Amide binds divalent metal cations: copper(II), nickel(II), zinc(II), and lead(II) in acetonitrile. In acetonitrile:water mixture (9:1 v/v) amide interacts only with copper(II) and nickel(II) cations forming complexes of 1:1 stoichiometry. It was found that the introduction of bulky, nitrogen donor atom bearing pendant groups can influence coordination mode of pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamides. The probable model of ligand-ion interactions is proposed on the basis of 1H NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy.

Graphic abstract

Synthesis of per(5-N-carboxamide-5-dehydroxylmethyl)-β-cyclodextrins and their selective recognition ability utilizing multiple hydrogen bonds

An amide cyclodextrin with anion recognition ability exhibits unique binding mode in which unsymmetrically arranged functional groups play distinctive roles.