Controlled, Sunlight-Driven Reversible Cycloaddition of Multiple Singlet Oxygen Molecules to Anthracene-Containing Trianglimine Macrocycles.

Controlled release of singlet oxygen is of interest not only to chemists, but also to biologists and medics involved in cancer therapy. Two chiral polyaza macrocyclic compounds and their corresponding endoperoxides have been synthesized. These peroxides exhibit high temperature stability, up to 80 °C. Detailed studies on their structure, including X-ray analysis as well as NMR, UV-VIS ECD spectroscopy and theoretical calculations, combined with photochemical measurements indicate that their high stability is related to the arrangement of oxygen atoms in a conformationally stable macrocyclic ring. Despite the change of carbon hybridization from sp2 to sp3 at the 9 and 10 positions of the anthracene units, the macrocyclic skeleton of the obtained compounds does not change its conformation. The obtained endoperoxides can be formed and release singlet oxygen by irradiation with UV light of 365 and 275 nm, respectively. Release of the oxygen does not degrade the macrocyclic structure.

Solvent-assisted synthesis of a shape-persistent chiral polyaza gigantocycle characterized by a very large internal cavity and extraordinarily high amplitude of the ECD exciton couplet.

A giant, chiral square-shaped octaimine macrocycle has been obtained in a controlled manner from readily available and inexpensive substrates: 9,10-diphenylanthracene-based dialdehyde and trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane. Reduction of the polyimine led to a chiral octaamine characterized by a very large internal hydrophobic cavity.

One-Step Construction of the Shape Persistent, Chiral But Symmetrical Polyimine Macrocycles.

A unique combination of structural flexibility, shape persistency and functionality, makes macrocycles and molecular cages as essential molecular entities that have displayed applications that go beyond chemistry. Among macrocycles, the selectively obtained symmetrical (poly)cyclic polyimines have shown great utility in the design of molecules varied in shape and properties. The reversible and thermodynamically controlled cycloimination reaction is governed by configurational and conformational constraints imposed on the intermediate products, ensures a sufficiently high level of preorganization. The high geometrical control over the macrocycle structure has profound effect on their assembly mode. In this Account, we were interested in showing how the structure of small building blocks affects the structure of macrocyclic product and further, how influenced the association mode of the given macromolecule. The latter is of primarily importance in supramolecular and in material chemistry.