Inhibition and Stabilization: Cucurbituril Induced Distinct Effects on the Schiff Base Reaction

Fluorescence monitoring of binding of a Zn (II) complex of a Schiff base with human serum albumin

Zn (II) complexes of Schiff bases have potential applications in biomedical sciences as imaging agents, cancer therapeutics and diagnostics. Thus, it is important to understand their interaction with carrier proteins, like serum albumins. The present paper focuses on the binding interactions between Human serum albumin (HSA) and Znsalampy, making use of fluorescence spectroscopic techniques at ensemble as well as at single molecular level. An idea about the binding constant is obtained from the quenching of the single Trp (Tryptophan) residue of HSA by Znsalampy. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) has also been used to monitor the protein-ligand binding. The location of Znsalampy in its complex with HSA is determined by competitive binding experiments and molecular docking calculations. The binding constant obtained from the Znsalampy-HSA interaction falls in the ideal range for biological applications and the location is found to be in the proximity of Sudlow's site I. The esterase activity of HSA is retained in the presence of the Znsalampy. Hence, it is concluded that this Znsalampy may be a potential probe and biomarker in biomedical applications.

A High-Affinity and Removable Iminium Dication Guest for Recycling of Cucurbit[7]uril Materials

An iminium dication 1 was designed as a high-affinity and easily removable guest for cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]). X-ray crystallographic analysis shows that maximized N⁺···O═C ion-dipole interactions and perfect packing coefficient are responsible for the high affinity of 1 for CB[7] (K_a > 10¹¹ M^-1). Under alkaline conditions, included 1 in CB[7]·1 is hydrolyzed into 2,6-adamantanedione and pyrrolidine that can be fully removed by further extraction, enabling the recycling of CB[7] materials.

Supramolecular Control of Reactivity toward Hydrolysis of 7-Diethylaminocoumarin Schiff Bases by Cucurbit[7]uril Encapsulation

A series of aromatic Schiff bases, featuring 7-diethylamino-coumarin and with five different substituents at an adjacent phenyl ring, were synthesized and characterized. With the aim of assessing the stability of these dyes in acidic medium, their hydrolysis reactions were kinetically studied in the absence and presence of the macrocycle cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]). Our results are consistent with a model containing three different forms of substrates (un-, mono-, and diprotonated) and three parallel reaction pathways. The pK a values and the rate constants were estimated and discussed in terms of the presence of a hydroxyl group at the ortho position and electron-releasing groups on the phenyl ring of the dyes. The kinetic study in the presence of CB[7] led to two different behaviors. Promotion of the reaction by CB[7] was observed for the hydrolysis of the Schiff bases containing only one coordination site toward the macrocycle. Conversely, an inhibitor effect was observed for the hydrolysis of a Schiff base with two coordination sites toward CB[7]. The latter effect could be explained with a model as a function of a prototropic tautomeric equilibrium and the formation of a 2:1 host/guest complex, which prevents the attack of water. Therefore, the kinetic results demonstrated a supramolecular control of the macrocycle toward the reactivity and stability of 7-diethylaminocoumarin Schiff bases in acidic medium.

Reversing Chemoselectivity: Simultaneous Positive and Negative Catalysis by Chemically Equivalent Rims of a Cucurbit[7]uril Host

Enzyme catalysis has always been an inspiration and an unattainable goal for chemists due to features such as high specificity, selectivity, and efficiency. Here, we disclose a feature neither common in enzymes nor ever described for enzyme mimics, but one that could prove crucial for the catalytic performance of the latter, namely the ability to catalyze and inhibit two different reactions at the same time. Remarkably, this can be realized by two identical, spatially resolved catalytic sites. In the future, such a synchronized catalyst action could be used not only for controlling chemoselectivity, as in the present case, but also for regulating other types of chemical reactivity.

Encapsulation of the Sulfur Compounds by Cucurbit[7]uril: A Quantum Chemistry Study

Benzothiophene (BT) and dibenzothiophene (DT) are the most important contaminants in the petroleum derivatives responsible for serious environmental and health problems. Therefore, we have investigated the absorption of these compounds for the first time by considering cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) as the host molecule and using the theoretical levels of density functional theory//B3LYP-D3/6-31G(d). BT and DT absorbed into CB[7] do not undergo a significant structural change in the CB[7] structure. The energy gap of the S-compounds@CB[7] in water and hexane solvents was approximately 5 eV, and this large value implies that the complexes have high chemical stability. Moreover, the absorption of the BT and DT into CB[7] in the water and hexane solvents is a favorable process, whereas the lowest binding energy was observed between the dibenzothiophene and CB[7] in the DT@CB[7] complex. The solvation enthalpy shows a preferential solvation of the complexes in water than in hexane solvent. This trend is confirmed by the AIM analysis that shows the highest stability for the DT@CB[7] system with the contribution of cooperative hydrogen bonding. The transfer free energy of S-compounds@CB[7] complexes from hexane to water are -66.12 and -59.56 kcal/mol for BT@CB[7] and DT@CB[7], respectively, implying the spontaneous transference of these complexes from hexane to water solvent. Overall, our results show that the cucurbiturils can be a new class of host molecules to be used in the removal of S-compounds from petroleum derivatives. Finally, a schematic flow diagram of the desulfurization process by cucurbiturils was proposed.

Controllable Synthesis and Catalytic Performance of Gold Nanoparticles with Cucurbit[n]urils (n = 5⁻8)

A series of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was prepared in situ with different cucurbit[n]urils (CB[n]s) in an alkaline aqueous solution. The nanoparticle sizes can be well controlled by CB[n]s (n = 5, 6, 7, 8) with different ring sizes. The packing densities of CB[5⁻8] and free surface area on AuNPs were determined. A direct relationship was found between the ring size and packing density of CB[n]s with respect to the AuNP-catalyzed reduction of 4-nitrophenol in the presence of NaBH₄. The larger particle size and higher surface coverage of bigger CB[n]-capped AuNPs significantly decreased the catalytic activity. Furthermore, this work could lead to new applications that utilize AuNPs under an overlayer of CB[n]s for catalysis, sensing, and drug delivery.

2:2 Complexes from Diphenylpyridiniums and Cucurbit[8]uril: Encapsulation-Promoted Dimerization of Electrostatically Repulsing Pyridiniums

Rigid linear compounds G1 and G2, which contained two 4-phenylpyridinium (PhPy⁺ ) units, have been prepared to investigate their binding with cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]). X-ray crystallographic structures revealed that in the solid state both compounds were included by CB[8], through antiparallel stacking, to form 2:2 quaternary complexes (G1)₂ @(CB[8])₂ and (G2)₂ @(CB[8])₂ . For the former complex, CB[8] entrapped G1 by holding two heterodimers of its Py⁺ and benzyl units, which were at opposite ends of the backbone. In contrast, for the first time, the second complex disclosed parallel stacking of two cationic Py⁺ units of G2 in the cavity of CB[8] in the solid state, despite the generation of important electrostatic repulsion. Isothermal titrations in water afforded high apparent association constants of 4.36×10⁶ and 6.43×10⁶  m^-1 for 1:1 complexes G1@CB[8] and G2@CB[8], respectively, and ¹ H NMR spectroscopy experiments in D₂ O confirmed a similar stacking pattern to that observed in the solid state. A previous study and crystal structures of the 2:1 complexes formed between three new controls, G3-5, and CB[8] did not display such unusual stacking of the cationic Py⁺ unit; this may be attributed to the multivalency of the two CB[8] encapsulation interactions.

Confinement induced thermodynamic and kinetic facilitation of some Diels-Alder reactions inside a CB[7] cavitand

The effect of geometrical confinement on the Diels-Alder reactions between some model dienes viz. furan, thiophene, cyclopentadiene, benzene, and a classic dienophile, ethylene has been explored by performing density functional theory-based calculations. The effect of confinement has been imposed by a rigid macrocyclic molecule cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]). Results indicate that all the reactions become thermodynamically more favorable at 298.15 K temperature and one atmospheric pressure inside CB[7] as compared to the corresponding free gaseous state reactions. Moreover, the rate constants associated with the reactions experience manifold enhancement inside CB[7] as compared to the "unconfined" reactions. Suitable contribution from the entropy factor makes the concerned reactions more facile inside CB[7]. The energy gap between the frontier molecular orbitals of the dienes and dienophiles decrease inside CB[7] as compared to that in the free state reactions thereby allowing facile orbital interactions. The nature of interaction as well as bonding has been analyzed with the help of atoms-in-molecules, noncovalent interaction, natural bond orbital as well as energy decomposition analyses. Results suggest that all the guests bind with CB[7] in an attractive fashion. Primarily, noncovalent interactions stabilize the host-guest systems. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.