Capocasa G, Frateloreto F, Valentini M, Di Stefano S. Molecular entanglement can strongly increase basicity.
Commun Chem 2024;
7:116. [PMID:
38806668 PMCID:
PMC11133330 DOI:
10.1038/s42004-024-01205-3]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Brønsted basicity is a fundamental chemical property featured by several kinds of inorganic and organic compounds. In this Review, we treat a particularly high basicity resulting from the mechanical entanglement involving two or more molecular subunits in catenanes and rotaxanes. Such entanglement allows a number of basic sites to be in close proximity with each other, highly increasing the proton affinity in comparison with the corresponding, non-entangled counterparts up to obtain superbases, properly defined as mechanically interlocked superbases. In the following pages, the development of this kind of superbases will be described with a historical perusal, starting from the initial, serendipitous findings up to the most recent reports where the strong basic property of entangled molecular units is the object of a rational design.
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