ABSTRACT
ABii diphosphonatocavitands self-assemble in chloroform solution to form dimeric molecular capsules. The molecular capsules can incarcerate an N-methylpyridinium or N-methylpicolinium guest. We have demonstrated that the supramolecular assembly acts as a molecular rotor as a result of the restricted motion of the guest inside the molecular cavity. In the solid state, X-ray diffraction analysis of the free host showed that two cavitands interact through strong hydrogen bonds to give the supramolecular self-assembled capsule. The solid-state structure of the N-methylpicolinium complex is comparable to that of the free host and indicates that the guest is not a prerequisite for the formation of the capsule. DOSY NMR studies provided a definitive argument for the formation of the free and complexed supramolecular capsule in CDCl(3) solution. In solution, the tumbling of the N-methylpyridinium and N-methylpicolinium guests about the equatorial axes of the host can be frozen and differs by the respective energy barriers, with the larger picolinium substrate having a larger value (ΔG(++) = 69.7 kJ mol(-1)) than the shorter pyridinium guest (ΔG(++) = 44.8 kJ mol(-1)). This behavior corresponds to the restricted rotation of a rotator in a supramolecular rotor.
ABSTRACT
iii-Phosphorylated cavitands incorporating an N-methylpyridinium guest moiety as the fourth bridging unit form supramolecular associations by inclusion of the charged CH(3)N(+)-pyridinium head into a neighboring host cavity. The dimeric association is favored in solution and was characterized by NMR, mass spectrometry, DOSY experiments, and single crystal X-ray analysis.
ABSTRACT
Four tetraphosphorylated TiiiiPO cavitands 1 encapsulate the pyridinium heads of a tetrakis(N-methylpyridinium)porphyrin iodide to form a 4:1:4 (host)4/guest4+/4I- complex. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis shows the arrangement of the four cavities bound to the CH3N+ groups of the porphyrin moiety and the four iodide anions nested between the phenethyl substituents of the hosts. 1H NMR investigations show that the structure is preserved in chloroform solution and underscore the effect of the counteranions.
