Imidazoporphyrins as supramolecular tectons: synthesis and self-assembly of zinc 2-(4-pyridyl)-1H-imidazo[4,5-b]porphyrinate

First evidence of self-assembling of imidazoporphyrins is revealed with the example of zinc(ii) 5,10,15,20-tetramesityl-2-(4-pyridyl)-1H-imidazo[4,5-b]porphyrin in the solid state and in solution.

Molecular tectonics: gas adsorption and chiral uptake of (l)- and (d)-tryptophan by homochiral porous coordination polymers

The combination of an enantiomerically pure tecton with a Cu(ii) cation yields robust porous homochiral crystals displaying preferential adsorption ofl-tryptophan.

Enantioselective adsorption in homochiral metal-organic frameworks: the pore size influence

Uptake experiments in thin films of isoreticular chiral MOFs of type Cu2(Dcam)2(L) with identical stereogenic centers but different pore dimensions show that the enantioselectivity is significantly influenced by the pore size. The highest selectivity was found for medium pore sizes, roughly corresponding to the extension of the chiral guest molecule, limonene.

Bottom-Up Hierarchical Self-Assembly of Chiral Porphyrins through Coordination and Hydrogen Bonds

A series of chiral synthetic compounds is reported that shows intricate but specific hierarchical assembly because of varying positions of coordination and hydrogen bonds. The evolution of the aggregates (followed by absorption spectroscopy and temperature-dependent circular dichroism studies in solution) reveal the influence of the proportion of stereogenic centers in the side groups connected to the chromophore ring in their optical activity and the important role of pyridyl groups in the self-assembly of these chiral macrocycles. The optical activity spans 2 orders of magnitude depending on composition and constitution. Two of the aggregates show very high optical activity even though the isolated chromophores barely give a circular dichroism signal. Molecular modeling of the aggregates, starting from the pyridine-zinc(II) porphyrin interaction and working up, and calculation of the circular dichroism signal confirm the origin of this optical activity as the chiral supramolecular organization of the molecules. The aggregates show a broad absorption range, between approximately 390 and 475 nm for the transitions associated with the Soret region alone, that spans wavelengths far more than the isolated chromophore. The supramolecular assemblies of the metalloporphyrins in solution were deposited onto highly oriented pyrolitic graphite in order to study their hierarchy in assembly by atomic force microscopy. Zero and one-dimensional aggregates were observed, and a clear dependence on deposition temperature was shown, indicating that the hierarchical assembly took place largely in solution. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy images of porphyrins and metalloporphyrins precipitated under out-of-equilibrium conditions showed the dependence of the number and position of chiral amide groups in the formation of a fibrillar nanomaterial. The combination of coordination and hydrogen bonding in the complicated assembly of these molecules-where there is a clear hierarchy for zinc(II)-pyridyl interaction followed by hydrogen-bonding between amide groups, and then van der Waals interactions-paves the way for the preparation of molecular materials with multiple chromophore environments.

Molecular tectonics: heterometallic (Ir,Cu) grid-type coordination networks based on cyclometallated Ir(III) chiral metallatectons

A chiral-at-metal Ir(III) organometallic metallatecton was synthesised as a racemic mixture and as enantiopure complexes and combined with Cu(II) to afford a heterobimetallic (Ir,Cu) grid-type 2D coordination network.

4,2':6',4''-Terpyridines: diverging and diverse building blocks in coordination polymers and metallomacrocycles

4,2':6',4''-Terpyridine (4,2':6',4''-tpy) is one of the less well documented isomers of the well-established bis-chelating 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine. The N-donors of the outer rings in 4,2':6',4''-tpy subtend an angle of 120°, leading to a description of 4,2':6',4''-tpy as a divergent ligand. Because it typically binds metal ions through the outer N-donors only, 4,2':6',4''-tpy is an ideal linker for combination with metal nodes (often geometrically flexible d(10) ions) in coordination polymers and metallomacrocyclic complexes. The facile functionalization of terpyridines in the 4'-position allows access to a suite of 4'-X-4,2':6',4''-tpy ligands in which the 4'-substituent, X, can be selected to assist in directing the metal-ligand assembly process. This overview of recent advances in the chemistry of 4,2':6',4''-tpy and its 4'-substituted derivatives looks at relationships within a series of chiral polymers, competition between the formation of metallocyclic complexes versus polymers, and the use of extended aryl systems to encourage the formation of coordination polymers in which π-stacking of arene domains dominates in the assembly process. Use of metal(ii) acetates is key to the formation of paddle-wheel and larger cluster nodes that direct the assembly of both predetermined and unexpected architectures.