Synthesis of Helical-Shaped Axially Chiral Bisoxime Ethers via Chiral Phosphoric-Acid-Catalyzed Sequential Enantioselective Condensations

A successful synthesis of helical-shaped axially chiral bisoxime ethers is reported. This approach utilized symmetric L-shaped diketone scaffolds as carbonyl components for the enantioselective condensation with hydroxylamines, delivering dual axially chiral oxime ethers with up to 99% ee. Additionally, the axially chiral mono-oxime ethers of azabicyclic ketones with high ee's were also successfully produced. Various chiral bicyclic lactams can be readily synthesized via Beckmann rearrangement, demonstrating a potential application in organic synthetic chemistry.

Tuning the aqueous self-assembly of porphyrins by varying the number of cationic side chains

Due to their excellent electronic and optical properties, porphyrins are extensively studied conjugated macrocycles in supramolecular chemistry for assembling functional nanomaterials. Although the aggregation of monomers plays a significant role in driving the self-assembly process into ordered nanostructures, it remains a challenge for tuning the self-assembling behavior of porphyrins through molecular structure modifications, especially in aqueous solutions. In the present work, two novel water-soluble porphyrin derivatives were synthesized by introducing cationic linear side chains into the π-conjugated core for phosphate-templated assembly through electrostatic interactions. It was found that the stacking patterns (H- or J-type aggregation) of porphyrins could be tuned by varying the number of side chains, which are associated with dramatic morphological change. The cytotoxicity and photodynamic properties of the J-aggregation-driven nano-assemblies were also investigated for the purpose of anti-cancer treatment. This study demonstrates a facile and effective strategy to regulate the aqueous self-assembling behavior of porphyrins that can impact the structure and properties of assembly, which will be of great benefit to the design and synthesis of functional nanomaterials for specific applications.

Unique supramolecular assembly of a synthetic achiral α, γ-hybrid tripeptide

An achiral tripeptide, namely, Boc-γ-Abu-m-ABA-Aib-OMe (γ-Abu: γ−amino butyric acid; m-ABA: meta-aminobenzoic acid) was synthesized by solution phase procedure. The α, γ-hybrid peptide was designed in such a way that two dissimilar γ−amino acids, one flexible and another rigid, were positioned sidewise along with α-amino isobutyric acid (Aib) as C-terminal residue. The single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that two kinks were generated around centrally placed m-ABA. Interestingly, the peptide self-assembled via three intermolecular N–H···O and one intermolecular C–H···O hydrogen bonding interactions to supramlecular helical architecture.

Versatility in Self-assembly and Morphology of Non-Coded Anthranilic acid and Phenylglycine based Dipeptide Stereoisomers

Beauty in the self-assembly patterns of isomeric dipeptides of Boc-Ant-L-Phg-OMe (1) bearing two rigid, unnatural amino acids (Ant: Anthranilic acid, Phg: Phenylglycine) is demonstrated. Additionally, self-assembly and morphological variation by...