Assembly of water-soluble, dynamic, covalent container molecules and their application in the room-temperature stabilization of protoadamantene.

The thermodynamically controlled reactions of water-soluble tetraformylcavitand 2 with two equivalents of H(2)N(CH(2))(n) NH(2) (n=2-4) in the presence of a suitable templating guest give hemicarceplexes 1 a-c⋅guest, the yield of which depends on the match between size and shape of the guest and that of the inner phase. These hemicarceplexes are dynamic and dissociate upon addition of acid and reform upon basification. In water, they exchange guests through temporary hydrolysis of imine bonds. To test 1 b as molecular reaction flask, 3-noradamantyldiazirine 6 was encapsulated and photolyzed at 350 nm to produce Bredt olefin protoadamantene 5 and 1-noradamantyldiazomethane 8 in a 4:1 ratio. Encapsulated protoadamantene is stable for days at room temperature in (CD(3))(2)SO/CD(3)CN (t(1/2) = 5.5 days) and has a lifetime of several minutes in D(2)O.

Transient innermolecular carbene-hemicarcerand complex of fluorophenylcarbene.

Laser flash photolysis of fluorophenyldiazirine incarcerated in hemicarcerand 2 affords incarcerated fluorophenylcarbene [2⊙3], which forms a metastable, innermolecular π-complex with aryl moieties of 2. This carbene complex can be observed spectroscopically. Extensive computational studies provide insights into the structure, spectroscopy, energetics, and kinetics of the 2⊙3 carbene complex.

Multicomponent assembly of cavitand-based polyacylhydrazone nanocapsules.

The thermodynamically controlled syntheses of different di-, tetra-, and hexacavitand polyacylhydrazone nanocapsules are reported. [2+4]-, [4+8]-, and [6+12]-nanocapsules assemble upon reacting a tetraformyl cavitand with two equivalents of isophthalic dihydrazide, or terephthalic dihydrazide in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid, whereby the building blocks are linked together through 8, 16, or 24 newly formed acylhydrazone bonds. Futhermore, the reaction of the tetraformylcavitands with different trigonal planar trihydrazides, simultaneously leads to the formation of [2+4]- and [6+8]-nanocapsules in varying ratios that depend on the cavitand to trihydrazide ratio and the nature of the cavitand and trihydrazide building blocks. The product ratios are rationalized with the different conformational strain of the acylhydrazone linkages in these nanocapsules. Diffusion NMR experiments with the hexacavitand polyacylhydrazone nanocapsules yield solvodynamic radii that range from 1.6 to 2.5 nm, consistent with estimates from force field calculations, and support, that these capsules have solvent filled, spherical interiors, the sizes of which approaches those of smaller proteins.

Rational design of a nanometre-sized covalent octahedron.

The thermodynamically controlled reaction of six tetraformylcavitands with twelve rigid, linear diamines yields quantitatively polyimine octahedrons with diameters of up to 5 nm. The cavitands are optimized to match the ideal geometry of a 60° tetratopic vertex unit and are connected along the octahedron edges with the diamines through 24 newly formed imine bonds.

Templated dynamic cryptophane formation in water.

Several dynamic hexaimine cryptophanes, that are built up from two triformylcyclotribenzylene cavitands and three diamino linkers and spontaneously assemble in water in the presence of a suitable templating guest, are reported. X-ray structure, kinetics and thermodynamics of assembly and molecular recognition properties are discussed.

Thermodynamically controlled synthesis of a chiral tetra-cavitand nanocapsule and mechanism of enantiomerization.

The dynamic covalent synthesis, structure and conformational dynamics of a chiral polyimine nanocapsule 1a are reported. Reaction of four tetraformyl cavitands and eight H(2)N(CH(2))(2)NH(2) yields quantitatively 1a, which has a compact, asymmetrically folded, pseudo-C(2)-symmetric structure, as determined by X-ray crystallography, and encapsulates four CHCl(3) and three CH(3)OH guests in the solid state. In solution, 1a enantiomerizes by passing over a barrier of ΔG(298)(double dagger) = 21.5 ± 0.7 kcal mol(-1) via a refolding process.

Innermolecular reactions of fluorophenylcarbene inside a hemicarcerand.

Photolysis of fluorophenyldiazirine, incarcerated in hemicarcerand 2, affords fluorophenylcarbene, which attacks an aryl unit of the host, leading (after rearrangement) to a fluoromethoxy/phenyltropone derivative of the hemicarcerand. The incarcerated carbene is probably unstable at temperatures above 100 K.

Edge-directed dynamic covalent synthesis of a chiral nanocube.

The dynamic multicomponent syntheses of nanometer-sized chiral molecular cubes 1a and 1b from 8 tritopic 90 degree corner units and 12 linear spacers using an edge-directed approach is described. Thus, the TFA-catalyzed reaction of 8 equiv C3-trihexadecyloxy-triformylcyclotribenzylene 2 as corner unit with 12 equiv of 1,4-phenylenediamine 3a or benzidine 3b as spacers yields nanocubes 1a and 1b, respectively in close to quantitative yield. The same reactions carried out with enantiomerically pure (P)-2 (>99% ee) gave the homochiral cubes (all-P)-1a and (all-P)-1b. Force field calculations predict an edge length of 17 A and 21 A for 1a and 1b, which is consistent with their dimensions estimated from DOSY experiments. Furthermore, the asymmetric synthesis of (P)-2 through a dynamic thermodynamic resolution is described. This approach is based on the TFA-catalyzed reaction of racemic 2 with (R,R)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane (R)-5, which leads to a chiral cryptophane (>90% yield) that is built-up from two (P)-2 linked together with three diamines (R)-5. Hydrolysis of this cryptophane provides (P)-2 with >99% ee.

Multicomponent dynamic covalent assembly of a rhombicuboctahedral nanocapsule.

Molecular container compounds have a range of potential applications in chemical and biological sciences, most notably as nanoreactors, drug delivery devices, and storage materials. We report a highly efficient dynamic covalent chemistry approach for the synthesis of covalent rhombicuboctahedral nanocapsule 1 from 14 square- and triangular-shaped molecular components. The nanocapsule is obtained in a one-pot reaction in high yield and high purity, and has a solvodynamic diameter of 3.9 nm. In our approach, six formyl cavitands and eight 1,3,5-tris(p-aminophenyl)benzene molecules are assembled into a molecular rhombicuboctahedron through twenty four newly formed dynamic imine bonds. Binding studies show that 1 encapsulates tetraalkylammonium salts in toluene. We also discuss the growth mechanism of this nanocapsule.

Isotope effects as probe of constrictive and intrinsic binding in hemicarceplexes.

Kinetic isotope effects (KIE) of hemicarceplex dissociation for naphthalene and p-xylene hemicarceplexes with partially and fully deuterated guests have been measured. The KIEs are consistent with the absence of steric effects in the transition states of hemicarceplex dissociation, which supports an earlier interpretation of constrictive binding energy in hemicarceplexes as being primarily controlled by different forms of gating.

A simple one-pot multicomponent synthesis of an octahedral nanocontainer molecule.

A nearly quantitative 18-component synthesis of a nanocontainer, which is built up from six bowl-shaped cavitands that are connected together with 12 -CH=N-CH2CH2-N=CH- linkers, and its subsequent reduction are described. This nanocontainer has an estimated cavity volume of 1,700 A3, large enough to encapsulate several smaller guest molecules or a small-sized biomacromolecule. Potential uses of this nanocontainer and of water-soluble derivatives are in drug delivery, wastewater detoxification, separation technology and as molecular reactor for controlled oligomerizations. Typically, the four-step synthesis of the cavitand building block and the subsequent multicomponent synthesis of the nanocontainer, including its purification, can be accomplished in about 4 weeks.

Photochemical and thermal reactions of intermediates in the phenylnitrene rearrangement inside a hemicarcerand.

Broadband irradiation (lambda > 320 nm) of hemicarceplex H(.)1 between -74 degrees C and -84 degrees C, produces encapsulated didehydroazepine (2), triplet phenylnitrene ((3)PN), 2-azabicyclo[3.2.0]hepta-1,3,6-triene (6), and 4-azaspiro[2.4]hepta-1,4,6-triene (7). The highly strained anti-Bredt imine 6 is formed from 2 via a photochemical four-electron electrocyclization. Under the irradiation conditions, 6 rearranges further to azaspirene 7. In addition, 6 thermally rearranges to 7 via a 1,5-sigmatropic shift (DeltaG(267K) = 20.0 +/- 0.5 kcal/mol), yielding a final equilibrium composed of [7]/[6] = 5 at room temperature. The observation of a photochemical rearrangement of 2 to 6 contrasts earlier results of narrow band irradiations (lambda = 334 nm) of matrix-isolated 2, which gave (3)PN (Hayes, J. C.; Sheridan, R. S. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1990, 112, 5879-5881). Encapsulated (3)PN is remarkably stable due to the prevention of its dimerization by the surrounding hemicarcerand. Above 255 K, it slowly decays with a rate constant k = 10(7.7+/-0.4) s(-1) x exp {(13300 +/- 500 cal/mol)/RT}. The isolation of substantial amounts of a hemicarcerand lacking one acetal spanner suggests that (3)PN decays preferentially by inserting into an inward-pointing acetal C-H bond of H.

Solvent effects in thermodynamically controlled multicomponent nanocage syntheses.

The solvent effects on the condensation reaction between tetraformylcavitand 2 and ethylene-1,2-diamine 3 are reported. Earlier, it was found that the trifluoroacetic acid-catalyzed condensation of 2 and 2 equiv of 3 in CHCl(3) provides in 82% yield an octahedral nanocage 1 composed of 6 cavitands that are linked together by 12 -CH=N-CH(2)CH(2)-N=CH- linker groups (Liu, X.; Liu, Y.; Li, G.; Warmuth, R. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2006, 45, 901). In tetrahydrofuran, the same reactants yield a tetrameric nanocage 4 (35% yield), which resembles a distorted tetrahedron built up from four cavitands that occupy the apexes. Each cavitand is doubly linked to one other cavitand and singly linked to the other two cavitands via -CH=N-CH(2)CH(2)N=CH- connectors. In CH(2)Cl(2), the reaction between 8 2 and 16 3 yields a square antiprismatic nanocage 5 (65% yield), in which each cavitand occupies one of the eight corners and is connected to four neighboring cavitands via -CH=N-CH(2)CH(2)-N=CH- linkers. Nanocage 5 is also the main product in CH(2)ClCH(2)Cl (26% yield) and CHCl(2)CHCl(2) (33% yield). Reduction of all imine bonds in 4 and 5 yields polyaminonanocontainers 7 and 8, respectively, which were isolated as trifluoroacetate salts. Contrary to the formation of larger capsules composed of four, six, or eight cavitands in the reaction between 2 and 3, the acid-catalyzed reaction of 2 with 2 equiv of H(2)N-X-NH(2) (X = (CH(2))(n)(=3,4,5), 1,3-C(6)H(4), 1,4-(CH(2))(2)C(6)H(4), or 1,3-(CH(2))(2)C(6)H(4)) quantitatively yields octaiminohemicarcerands 9-14, in which two cavitands are connected with four -CH=N-X-N=CH- linkers. The outcomes of these condensation reactions are rationalized with the different diamine structures and the relative orientation of cavitands in 1, 4, 5, and 9-14.

The phenylnitrene rearrangement in the inner phase of a hemicarcerand.

The photochemistry of phenyl azide 1 and 13C-labeled phenyl azide 13C-1 incarcerated inside a hemicarcerand 4 was investigated. Low-temperature photolysis of hemicarceplex 41 and 413C-1 yields incarcerated 1-azacyclohepta-1,2,4,6-tetraene 42 and 413C-2 (18-50%), respectively, which were characterized by low-temperature FT-IR and 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy. After correction for the hemicarcerand-induced upfield shift, the 13C chemical shifts of incarcerated 13C-2 compare very well (Deltadelta

Through-shell alkyllithium additions and borane reductions.

The through-shell borane reduction and methyllithium addition to benzaldehyde (1), benzocyclobutenone (2), and benzocyclobutenedione (3) incarcerated inside a hemicarcerand (4) with four tetramethylenedioxy bridges are reported. All guests could be reduced and methylated. Selective monoreduction and monomethylation were observed for 3. In the methyllithium addition to 4[symbol: see text]3, the initially formed lithium alcoholate underwent a Moore rearrangement. The reactivity of the incarcerated guests toward methyllithium increased in the order 1 < 2 << 3 and toward borane in the order 1 << 2 approximately equal 3. Guest reactivity was correlated with the inner-phase location of the reacting carbonyl group in the preferred guest inner-phase orientation. The latter was determined from the X-ray structures of 4[symbol: see text]1, 4[symbol: see text]2, and 4[symbol: see text]3, from molecular mechanical calculations, and from the hemicarcerand-induced upfield shift of the guest proton resonances. In the methyllithium and n-butyllithium addition to 4[symbol: see text]1 and 4[symbol: see text]3 at elevated temperatures, selective cleavage of a host's spanner or tetramethylenedioxy bridge, respectively, was observed. The cleavage of one spanner also took place in the methyllithium addition to the 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone hemicarceplex. These scission reactions are initiated by the initially formed lithium alcoholates, which show enhanced basicity and nucleophilicity in the inner phase as compared to the bulk phase. Mechanisms for the host scission reactions are discussed.

Mapping the potential energy surface of the tolylcarbene rearrangement in the inner phase of a hemicarcerand.

Photolysis of p-tolyldiazirine (6) in the inner phase of a hemicarcerand with four butane-1,4-dioxy linker groups (5) in C(6)D(5)CD(3) at 77 K yields the 5-methylcycloheptatetraene hemicarceplex 5 circle 3b in 41% together with innermolecular reaction products resulting from an insertion of transient p-tolylcarbene (1b) into an acetal C-H or linker C-O bond of 5 and from the addition of 1b to an aryl unit of 5. The yield of incarcerated 3b increased up to 67% if 6 is photolyzed inside a hemicarcerand with deuterated spanners and butane-1,4-dioxy linker groups (d(48)-5). Hemicarceplex 5 circle 3b is not formed if the photolysis is carried out in CDCl(3). Incarcerated 3b is stable at room temperature in the absence of oxygen and is characterized by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. In the presence of oxygen, 3b reacts quantitatively to yield toluene and CO(2). Upon heating solutions of d(48)-5 circle 3b in C(6)D(5)CD(3), 3b rearranges to 1b and m-tolylcarbene (18). Both tolylcarbenes immediately react with the surrounding host. From a product analysis and the measured rate constants for the thermal decomposition of d(48)-5 circle 3b in the temperature range 70-102 degrees C, the activation parameters for the 3b to 1b and 3b to 18 rearrangements are calculated (3b to 1b: DeltaG(373)++ = 27.3 +/- 1.4 kcal/mol, DeltaH(373)++ = 26.4 +/- 1.0 kcal/mol, TDeltaS(373)++ = -0.9 +/- 1.0 kcal/mol; 3b to 18: DeltaG(373)++ = 27.8 +/- 1.4 kcal/mol, DeltaH(373)++ = 19.7 +/- 1.0 kcal/mol, TDeltaS(373)++ = 8.1 +/- 1.0 kcal/mol). These values are compared with those calculated by Geise and Hadad at the B3LYP/6-311+G** level of theory (Geise, C. M.; Hadad, C. M. J. Org. Chem. 2002, 67, 2532-2540). The slightly higher inner phase activation free energy of the 3b to 18 rearrangement is explained through steric constraints imposed by the surrounding hemicarcerand on the transition state. The enthalpy-entropy compensation observed for the 3b to 18 rearrangement is discussed and interpreted as a result of a hemicarcerand and solvent reorganization along the reaction coordinate. It is taken as indirect evidence for the intermediacy of 2-methylbicyclo[4.1.0]hepta-2,4,6-triene in the 3b to 18 rearrangement.