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Lee B, Go B, Jung B, Park J. Unlocking High Porosity: Post-Synthetic Solvothermal Treatment of Cu-Paddlewheel Based Metal-Organic Cages. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2308393. [PMID: 38150648 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202308393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Metal-organic cages (MOCs) have garnered significant attention due to their unique discrete structures, intrinsic porosity, designability, and tailorability. However, weak inter-cage interactions, such as van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonding can cause solid-state MOCs to lose structural integrity during desolvation, leading to the loss of porosity. In this work, a novel strategy to retain the permanent porosity of Cu-paddlewheel-based MOCs, enabling their use as heterogeneous catalysts is presented. Post-synthetic solvothermal treatments in non-coordinating solvents, mesitylene, and p-xylene, effectively preserve the packing structures of solvent-evacuated MOCs while preventing cage agglomeration. The resulting MOCs exhibit an exceptional N2 sorption capacity, with a high surface area (SBET = 1934 m2 g-1 for MOP-23), which is among the highest reported for porous MOCs. Intriguingly, while the solvothermal treatment reduced Cu(II) to Cu(I) in the Cu-paddlewheel clusters, the MOCs with mixed-valenced Cu(I)/Cu(II) maintained their crystallinity and permanent porosity. The catalytic activities of these MOCs are successfully examined in copper(I)-catalyzed hydrative amide synthesis, highlighting the prospect of MOCs as versatile reaction platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Byeongchan Lee
- Department of Physics and Chemistry, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), 333 Techno Jungang-daero, Dalseong-gun, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Bogyeong Go
- Department of Physics and Chemistry, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), 333 Techno Jungang-daero, Dalseong-gun, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Byunghyuck Jung
- Department of Physics and Chemistry, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), 333 Techno Jungang-daero, Dalseong-gun, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinhee Park
- Department of Physics and Chemistry, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), 333 Techno Jungang-daero, Dalseong-gun, Daegu, 42988, Republic of Korea
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Xu Z, Ye Y, Liu Y, Liu H, Jiang S. Design and assembly of porous organic cages. Chem Commun (Camb) 2024; 60:2261-2282. [PMID: 38318641 DOI: 10.1039/d3cc05091b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Porous organic cages (POCs) represent a notable category of porous materials, showing remarkable material properties due to their inherent porosity. Unlike extended frameworks which are constructed by strong covalent or coordination bonds, POCs are composed of discrete molecular units held together by weak intermolecular forces. Their structure and chemical traits can be systematically tailored, making them suitable for a range of applications including gas storage and separation, molecular separation and recognition, catalysis, and proton and ion conduction. This review provides a comprehensive overview of POCs, covering their synthesis methods, structure and properties, computational approaches, and applications, serving as a primer for those who are new to the domain. A special emphasis is placed on the growing role of computational methods, highlighting how advanced data-driven techniques and automation are increasingly aiding the rapid exploration and understanding of POCs. We conclude by addressing the prevailing challenges and future prospects in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zezhao Xu
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China.
| | - Yangzhi Ye
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China.
| | - Yilan Liu
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China.
| | - Huiyu Liu
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China.
| | - Shan Jiang
- School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China.
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Hosseini AN, van der Spoel D. Martini on the Rocks: Can a Coarse-Grained Force Field Model Crystals? J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:1079-1088. [PMID: 38261634 PMCID: PMC10839907 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c00012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Computational chemistry is an important tool in numerous scientific disciplines, including drug discovery and structural biology. Coarse-grained models offer simple representations of molecular systems that enable simulations of large-scale systems. Because there has been an increase in the adoption of such models for simulations of biomolecular systems, critical evaluation is warranted. Here, the stability of the amyloid peptide and organic crystals is evaluated using the Martini 3 coarse-grained force field. The crystals change shape drastically during the simulations. Radial distribution functions show that the distance between backbone beads in β-sheets increases by ∼1 Å, breaking the crystals. The melting points of organic compounds are much too low in the Martini force field. This suggests that Martini 3 lacks the specific interactions needed to accurately simulate peptides or organic crystals without imposing artificial restraints. The problems may be exacerbated by the use of the 12-6 potential, suggesting that a softer potential could improve this model for crystal simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Najla Hosseini
- Department of Cell and Molecular
Biology, Uppsala University, Box 596, SE-75124 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - David van der Spoel
- Department of Cell and Molecular
Biology, Uppsala University, Box 596, SE-75124 Uppsala, Sweden
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Beran GJO. Frontiers of molecular crystal structure prediction for pharmaceuticals and functional organic materials. Chem Sci 2023; 14:13290-13312. [PMID: 38033897 PMCID: PMC10685338 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc03903j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The reliability of organic molecular crystal structure prediction has improved tremendously in recent years. Crystal structure predictions for small, mostly rigid molecules are quickly becoming routine. Structure predictions for larger, highly flexible molecules are more challenging, but their crystal structures can also now be predicted with increasing rates of success. These advances are ushering in a new era where crystal structure prediction drives the experimental discovery of new solid forms. After briefly discussing the computational methods that enable successful crystal structure prediction, this perspective presents case studies from the literature that demonstrate how state-of-the-art crystal structure prediction can transform how scientists approach problems involving the organic solid state. Applications to pharmaceuticals, porous organic materials, photomechanical crystals, organic semi-conductors, and nuclear magnetic resonance crystallography are included. Finally, efforts to improve our understanding of which predicted crystal structures can actually be produced experimentally and other outstanding challenges are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory J O Beran
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Riverside Riverside CA 92521 USA
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Tarzia A, Wolpert EH, Jelfs KE, Pavan GM. Systematic exploration of accessible topologies of cage molecules via minimalistic models. Chem Sci 2023; 14:12506-12517. [PMID: 38020374 PMCID: PMC10646940 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc03991a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cages are macrocyclic structures with an intrinsic internal cavity that support applications in separations, sensing and catalysis. These materials can be synthesised via self-assembly of organic or metal-organic building blocks. Their bottom-up synthesis and the diversity in building block chemistry allows for fine-tuning of their shape and properties towards a target property. However, it is not straightforward to predict the outcome of self-assembly, and, thus, the structures that are practically accessible during synthesis. Indeed, such a prediction becomes more difficult as problems related to the flexibility of the building blocks or increased combinatorics lead to a higher level of complexity and increased computational costs. Molecular models, and their coarse-graining into simplified representations, may be very useful to this end. Here, we develop a minimalistic toy model of cage-like molecules to explore the stable space of different cage topologies based on a few fundamental geometric building block parameters. Our results capture, despite the simplifications of the model, known geometrical design rules in synthetic cage molecules and uncover the role of building block coordination number and flexibility on the stability of cage topologies. This leads to a large-scale and systematic exploration of design principles, generating data that we expect could be analysed through expandable approaches towards the rational design of self-assembled porous architectures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Tarzia
- Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24 10129 Torino Italy
| | - Emma H Wolpert
- Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, White City Campus Wood Lane London W12 0BZ UK
| | - Kim E Jelfs
- Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, White City Campus Wood Lane London W12 0BZ UK
| | - Giovanni M Pavan
- Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24 10129 Torino Italy
- Department of Innovative Technologies, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Polo Universitario Lugano Campus Est, Via la Santa 1 6962 Lugano-Viganello Switzerland
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Cook CJ, Li W, Lui BF, Gately TJ, Al-Kaysi RO, Mueller LJ, Bardeen CJ, Beran GJO. A theoretical framework for the design of molecular crystal engines. Chem Sci 2023; 14:937-949. [PMID: 36755715 PMCID: PMC9890974 DOI: 10.1039/d2sc05549j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Photomechanical molecular crystals have garnered attention for their ability to transform light into mechanical work, but difficulties in characterizing the structural changes and mechanical responses experimentally have hindered the development of practical organic crystal engines. This study proposes a new computational framework for predicting the solid-state crystal-to-crystal photochemical transformations entirely from first principles, and it establishes a photomechanical engine cycle that quantifies the anisotropic mechanical performance resulting from the transformation. The approach relies on crystal structure prediction, solid-state topochemical principles, and high-quality electronic structure methods. After validating the framework on the well-studied [4 + 4] cycloadditions in 9-methyl anthracene and 9-tert-butyl anthracene ester, the experimentally-unknown solid-state transformation of 9-carboxylic acid anthracene is predicted for the first time. The results illustrate how the mechanical work is done by relaxation of the crystal lattice to accommodate the photoproduct, rather than by the photochemistry itself. The large ∼107 J m-3 work densities computed for all three systems highlight the promise of photomechanical crystal engines. This study demonstrates the importance of crystal packing in determining molecular crystal engine performance and provides tools and insights to design improved materials in silico.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron J. Cook
- Department of Chemistry, University of California RiversideRiverside CA 92521USA
| | - Wangxiang Li
- Department of Chemistry, University of California Riverside Riverside CA 92521 USA
| | - Brandon F. Lui
- Department of Chemistry, University of California RiversideRiverside CA 92521USA
| | - Thomas J. Gately
- Department of Chemistry, University of California RiversideRiverside CA 92521USA
| | - Rabih O. Al-Kaysi
- College of Science and Health Professions-3124, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, and King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Ministry of National Guard Health AffairsRiyadh 11426Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Leonard J. Mueller
- Department of Chemistry, University of California RiversideRiverside CA 92521USA
| | | | - Gregory J. O. Beran
- Department of Chemistry, University of California RiversideRiverside CA 92521USA
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