Catalysis with Chalcogen Bonds.

Herein, we introduce catalysts that operate with chalcogen bonds. Compared to conventional hydrogen bonds, chalcogen bonds are similar in strength but more directional and hydrophobic, thus ideal for precision catalysis in apolar solvents. For the transfer hydrogenation of quinolines and imines, rate enhancements well beyond a factor of 1000 are obtained with chalcogen bonds. Better activities with deeper σ holes and wider bite angles, chloride inhibition and correlation with computed anion binding energies are consistent with operational chalcogen bonds. Comparable to classics, such as 2,2'-bipyrroles or 2,2'-bipyridines, dithieno[3,2-b;2',3'-d]thiophenes (DTTs), particularly their diimides, but also wide-angle cyclopentadithiazole-4-ones are identified as privileged motifs to stabilize transition states in the focal point of the σ holes on their two co-facial endocyclic sulfur atoms.

Anion Transport with Chalcogen Bonds.

In this report, we introduce synthetic anion transporters that operate with chalcogen bonds. Electron-deficient dithieno[3,2-b;2',3'-d]thiophenes (DTTs) are identified as ideal to bind anions in the focal point of the σ holes on the cofacial endocyclic sulfur atoms. Anion binding in solution and anion transport across lipid bilayers are found to increase with the depth of the σ holes of the DTT anionophores. These results introduce DTTs and related architectures as a privileged motif to engineer chalcogen bonds into functional systems, complementary in scope to classics such as 2,2'-bipyrroles or 2,2'-bipyridines that operate with hydrogen bonds and lone pairs, respectively.

Enolate Stabilization by Anion-π Interactions: Deuterium Exchange in Malonate Dilactones on π-Acidic Surfaces.

Of central importance in chemistry and biology, enolate chemistry is an attractive topic to elaborate on possible contributions of anion-π interactions to catalysis. To demonstrate the existence of such contributions, experimental evidence for the stabilization of not only anions but also anionic intermediates and transition states on π-acidic aromatic surfaces is decisive. To tackle this challenge for enolate chemistry with maximal precision and minimal uncertainty, malonate dilactones are covalently positioned on the π-acidic surface of naphthalenediimides (NDIs). Their presence is directly visible in the upfield shifts of the α-protons in the (1) H NMR spectra. The reactivity of these protons on π-acidic surfaces is measured by hydrogen-deuterium (H-D) exchange for 11 different examples, excluding controls. The velocity of H-D exchange increases with π acidity (NDI core substituents: SO2 R>SOR>H>OR>OR/NR2 >SR>NR2 ). The H-D exchange kinetics vary with the structure of the enolate (malonates>methylmalonates, dilactones>dithiolactones). Moreover, they depend on the distance to the π surface (bridge length: 11-13 atoms). Most importantly, H-D exchange depends strongly on the chirality of the π surface (chiral sulfoxides as core substituents; the crystal structure of the enantiopure (R,R,P)-macrocycle is reported). For maximal π acidity, transition-state stabilizations up to -18.8 kJ mol(-1) are obtained for H-D exchange. The Brønsted acidity of the enols increases strongly with π acidity of the aromatic surface, the lowest measured pKa =10.9 calculates to a ΔpKa =-5.5. Corresponding to the deprotonation of arginine residues in neutral water, considered as "impossible" in biology, the found enolate-π interactions are very important. The strong dependence of enolate stabilization on the unprecedented seven-component π-acidity gradient over almost 1 eV demonstrates quantitatively that such important anion-π activities can be expected only from strong enough π acids.

Asymmetric Anion-π Catalysis on Perylenediimides.

Anion-π catalysis, that is the stabilization of anionic transition states on π-acidic aromatic surfaces, has so far been developed with naphthalenediimides (NDIs). This report introduces perylenediimides (PDIs) to anion-π catalysis. The quadrupole moment of PDIs (+23.2 B) is found to exceed that of NDIs and reach new records with acceptors in the core (+70.9 B), and their larger surface provides space to better accommodate chemical transformations. Unlike NDIs, the activity of PDI catalysts for enolate and enamine addition is determined by the twist of their π surface rather than their reducibility. These results, further strengthened by nitrate inhibition and circular dichroism spectroscopy, support an understanding of anion-π interactions centered around quadrupole moments, i.e., electrostatic contributions, rather than redox potentials and charge transfer. The large PDI surfaces provide access to the highest enantioselectivities observed so far in anion-π catalysis (96 % ee).

Big, strong, neutral, twisted, and chiral π acids.

General synthetic access to expanded π-acidic surfaces of variable size, topology, chirality, and π acidity is reported. The availability of π surfaces with these characteristics is essential to develop the functional relevance of anion-π interactions with regard to molecular recognition, translocation, and transformation. The problem is that, with expanded π surfaces, the impact of electron-withdrawing substituents decreases and the high π acidity needed for strong anion-π interactions can be more difficult to obtain. To overcome this problem, it is herein proposed to build large surfaces from smaller fragments and connect these fragments with bridges that are composed only of single atoms. Two central surfaces for powerful anion-π interactions, namely, perfluoroarenes and naphthalenediimides (NDIs), were selected as fragments and coupled with through sulfide bridges. Their oxidation to sulfoxides and sulfones, as well as fluorine substitution in the peripheral rings, provides access to the full chemical space of relevant π acidities. According to cyclic voltammetry, LUMO levels range from -3.96 to -4.72 eV. With sulfoxide bridges, stereogenic centers are introduced to further enrich the intrinsic planar chirality of the expanded surfaces. The stereoisomers were separated by chiral HPLC and characterized by X-ray crystallography. Their topologies range from chairs to π boats, and the latter are reminiscent of the cation-π boxes in operational neuronal receptors. With pentafluorophenyl acceptors, the π acidity of NDIs with two sulfoxide groups in the core reaches -4.45 eV, whereas two sulfone moieties give a value of -4.72 eV, which is as low as with four ethyl sulfone groups, that is, a π superacid near the limit of existence. Beyond anion-π interactions, these conceptually innovative π-acidic surfaces are also of interest as electron transporters in conductive materials.

Anion-π catalysis.

The introduction of new noncovalent interactions to build functional systems is of fundamental importance. We here report experimental and theoretical evidence that anion-π interactions can contribute to catalysis. The Kemp elimination is used as a classical tool to discover conceptually innovative catalysts for reactions with anionic transition states. For anion-π catalysis, a carboxylate base and a solubilizer are covalently attached to the π-acidic surface of naphthalenediimides. On these π-acidic surfaces, transition-state stabilizations up to ΔΔGTS = 31.8 ± 0.4 kJ mol(-1) are found. This value corresponds to a transition-state recognition of KTS = 2.7 ± 0.5 µM and a catalytic proficiency of 3.8 × 10(5) M(-1). Significantly increasing transition-state stabilization with increasing π-acidity of the catalyst, observed for two separate series, demonstrates the existence of "anion-π catalysis." In sharp contrast, increasing π-acidity of the best naphthalenediimide catalysts does not influence the more than 12 000-times weaker substrate recognition (KM = 34.5 ± 1.6 µM). Together with the disappearance of Michaelis-Menten kinetics on the expanded π-surfaces of perylenediimides, this finding supports that contributions from π-π interactions are not very important for anion-π catalysis. The linker between the π-acidic surface and the carboxylate base strongly influences activity. Insufficient length and flexibility cause incompatibility with saturation kinetics. Moreover, preorganizing linkers do not improve catalysis much, suggesting that the ideal positioning of the carboxylate base on the π-acidic surface is achieved by intramolecular anion-π interactions rather than by an optimized structure of the linker. Computational simulations are in excellent agreement with experimental results. They confirm, inter alia, that the stabilization of the anionic transition states (but not the neutral ground states) increases with the π-acidity of the catalysts, i.e., the existence of anion-π catalysis. Preliminary results on the general significance of anion-π catalysis beyond the Kemp elimination are briefly discussed.

Synthetic ion transporters that work with anion-π interactions, halogen bonds, and anion-macrodipole interactions.

The transport of ions and molecules across lipid bilayer membranes connects cells and cellular compartments with their environment. This biological process is central to a host of functions including signal transduction in neurons and the olfactory and gustatory sensing systems, the translocation of biosynthetic intermediates and products, and the uptake of nutrients, drugs, and probes. Biological transport systems are highly regulated and selectively respond to a broad range of physical and chemical stimulation. A large percentage of today's drugs and many antimicrobial or antifungal agents take advantage of these systems. Other biological transport systems are highly toxic, such as the anthrax toxin or melittin from bee venom. For more than three decades, organic and supramolecular chemists have been interested in developing new transport systems. Over time, curiosity about the basic design has evolved toward developing of responsive systems with applications in materials sciences and medicine. Our early contributions to this field focused on the introduction of new structural motifs with emphasis on rigid-rod scaffolds, artificial ß-barrels, or π-stacks. Using these scaffolds, we have constructed selective systems that respond to voltage, pH, ligands, inhibitors, or light (multifunctional photosystems). We have described sensing applications that cover the three primary principles of sensor development: immunosensors that use aptamers, biosensors (an "artificial" tongue), and differential sensors (an "artificial" nose). In this Account, we focus on our recent interest in applying synthetic transport systems as analytical tools to identify the functional relevance of less common noncovalent interactions, anion-π interactions, halogen bonds, and anion-macrodipole interactions. Anion-π interactions, the poorly explored counterpart of cation-π interactions, occur in aromatic systems with a positive quadrupole moment, such as TNT or hexafluorobenzene. To observe these elusive interactions in action, we synthesized naphthalenediimide transporters of increasing π-acidity up to an unprecedented quadrupole moment of +39 Buckinghams and characterized these systems in comparison with tandem mass spectrometry and computational simulations. With π-acidic calixarenes and calixpyrroles, we have validated our results on anion-π interactions and initiated our studies of halogen bonds. Halogen bonds originate from the σ-hole that appears on top of electron-deficient iodines, bromines, and chlorines. Halogen-bond donors are ideal for anion transport because they are as strong and at least as directional as hydrogen-bond donors, but also hydrophobic. The discovery of the smallest possible organic anion transporter, trifluoroiodomethane, illustrates the power of halogen-bond donors. This molecule contains a single carbon atom and is a gas with a boiling point of -22 °C. Anion-macrodipole interactions, finally, differ significantly from anion-π interactions and halogen bonds because they are important in nature and cannot be studied with small molecules. We have used anion-transporting peptide/urea nanotubes to examine these interactions in synthetic transport systems. To facilitate the understanding of the described results, we also include an in-depth discussion of the meaning of Hill coefficients. The use of synthetic transport systems to catch less common noncovalent interactions at work is important because it helps to expand the collection of interactions available to create functional systems. Progress in this direction furthers fundamental knowledge and invites many different applications. For illustration, we briefly discuss how this knowledge could apply to the development of new catalysts.

Anion-π and cation-π interactions on the same surface.

Herein, we address the question whether anion-π and cation-π interactions can take place simultaneously on the same aromatic surface. Covalently positioned carboxylate-guanidinium pairs on the surface of 4-amino-1,8-naphthalimides are used as an example to explore push-pull chromophores as privileged platforms for such "ion pair-π" interactions. In antiparallel orientation with respect to the push-pull dipole, a bathochromic effect is observed. A red shift of 41 nm found in the least polar solvent is in good agreement with the 70 nm expected from theoretical calculations of ground and excited states. Decreasing shifts with solvent polarity, protonation, aggregation, and parallel carboxylate-guanidinium pairs imply that the intramolecular Stark effect from antiparallel ion pair-π interactions exceeds solvatochromic effects by far. Theoretical studies indicate that carboxylate-guanidinium pairs can also interact with the surfaces of π-acidic naphthalenediimides and π-basic pyrenes.

Enthalpy-entropy compensation combined with cohesive free-energy densities for tuning the melting temperatures of cyanobiphenyl derivatives.

This work illustrates how minor structural perturbations produced by methylation of 4'-(dodecyloxy)-4-cyanobiphenyl leads to enthalpy-entropy compensation for their melting processes, a trend which can be analyzed within the frame of a simple intermolecular cohesive model. The transformation of the melting thermodynamic parameters collected at variable temperatures into cohesive free-energy densities expressed at a common reference temperature results in a novel linear correlation, from which melting temperatures can be simply predicted from molecular volumes.

Catalysis with anion-π interactions.

The conclusion is inevitable: Increasing stabilization of an anionic transition state with increasing π-acidity of the catalyst is observed; thus, anion-π interactions can contribute to catalysis.

Self-organizing surface-initiated polymerization: facile access to complex functional systems.

Facile access to complex systems is crucial to generate the functional materials of the future. Herein, we report self-organizing surface-initiated polymerization (SOSIP) as a user-friendly method to create ordered as well as oriented functional systems on transparent oxide surfaces. In SOSIP, self-organization of monomers and ring-opening disulfide exchange polymerization are combined to ensure the controlled growth of the polymer from the surface. This approach provides rapid access to thick films with smooth, reactivatable surfaces and long-range order with few defects and high precision, including panchromatic photosystems with oriented four-component redox gradients. The activity of SOSIP architectures is clearly better than that of disordered controls.

Silver baits for the "miraculous draught" of amphiphilic lanthanide helicates.

The axial connection of flexible thioalkyls chains of variable length (n=1-12) within the segmental bis-tridentate 2-benzimidazole-8-hydroxyquinoline ligands [L12(Cn) -2 H](2-) provides amphiphilic receptors designed for the synthesis of neutral dinuclear lanthanides helicates. However, the stoichiometric mixing of metals and ligands in basic media only yields intricate mixtures of poorly soluble aggregates. The addition of Ag(I) in solution restores classical helicate architectures for n=3, with the quantitative formation of the discrete D(3) -symmetrical [Ln(2) Ag2(L12(C3) -2 H)(3) ](2+) complexes at millimolar concentration (Ln=La, Eu, Lu). The X-ray crystal structure supports the formation of [La(2) Ag(2) (L12(C3) -2 H)(3) ][OTf](2) , which exists in the solid state as infinite linear polymers bridged by S-Ag-S bonds. In contrast, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in the gas phase and in solution confirm the experimental diffusion measurements, which imply the formation of discrete molecular entities in these media, in which the sulfur atoms of each lipophilic ligand are rapidly exchanged within the Ag(I) coordination sphere. Turned as a predictive tool, MD suggests that this Ag(I) templating effect is efficient only for n=1-3, while for n>3 very loose interactions occur between Ag(I) and the thioalkyl residues. The subsequent experimental demonstration that only 25 % of the total ligand speciation contributes to the formation of [Ln(2) Ag(2) (L12(C12) -2 H)(3) ](2+) in solution puts the bases for a rational approach for the design of amphiphilic helical complexes with predetermined molecular interfaces.

Supramolecular n/p-heterojunction photosystems with antiparallel redox gradients in electron- and hole-transporting pathways.

Lessons from nature call for supramolecular n/p-heterojunctions with oriented multicolored antiparallel redox gradients (OMARG-SHJs) as "ideal" photosystems. Their design combines advantages of bilayer and bulk n/p-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells for the directional separation of photogenerated charges before recombination can occur. Although conceptually attractive, OMARG-SHJs have remained beyond reach because of unresolved challenges in synthetic organic and supramolecular chemistry. Here we report the first OMARG-SHJs with two-component redox gradients in both the electron- and hole-transporting pathways. They were obtained by zipper assembly of stacks of red naphthalenediimide (NDI) electron donors along strings of oligophenylethynyl hole acceptors on top of yellow NDI electron acceptors along p-oligophenyl hole donors. The presence of both gradients is shown to be essential for achieving photoinduced charge separation over very long distances.

Ordered and oriented supramolecular n/p-heterojunction surface architectures: completion of the primary color collection.

In this study, we describe synthesis, characterization, and zipper assembly of yellow p-oligophenyl naphthalenediimide (POP-NDI) donor-acceptor hybrids. Moreover, we disclose, for the first time, results from the functional comparison of zipper and layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly as well as quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and molecular modeling data on zipper assembly. Compared to the previously reported blue and red NDIs, yellow NDIs are more pi-acidic, easier to reduce, and harder to oxidize. The optoelectronic matching achieved in yellow POP-NDIs is reflected in quantitative and long-lived photoinduced charge separation, comparable to their red and much better than their blue counterparts. The direct comparison of zipper and LBL assemblies reveals that yellow zippers generate more photocurrent than blue zippers as well as LBL photosystems. Continuing linear growth found in QCM measurements demonstrates that photocurrent saturation at the critical assembly thickness occurs because more charges start to recombine before reaching the electrodes and not because of discontinued assembly. The found characteristics, such as significant critical thickness, strong photocurrents, large fill factors, and, according to AFM images, smooth surfaces, are important for optoelectronic performance and support the existence of highly ordered architectures.

Artificial beta-barrels.

In biology, beta-barrels, cylindrically rolled-up forms of beta-sheets, are ubiquitous structural motifs within various binding proteins, pores, and enzymes. This biological multifunctionality suggested that synthetic artificial beta-barrels would provide access to many different functions beyond the limitations of peptide chemistry. Unlike the relative ease of formation of synthetic (de novo) alpha-helix bundles, the synthesis of artificial beta-barrels remains a challenge. To bypass the folding problems involved, we have employed "unfoldable" rigid-rod scaffolds as privileged staves (staves are the wood strips that form the sides of macroscopic barrels); the resulting barrel-stave supramolecules exhibit their expected multifunctionality. Several "rigid rod" beta-barrels that act as receptors, ion channels, pores, catalysts, and sensors have been prepared and studied. The most recent topic of interest concerns the use of artificial beta-barrels as multicomponent sensors ("artificial tongues") in complex analyte matrices. For multicomponent sensing, we have designed artificial beta-barrels to form pores that can open and close in response to chemical stimulation within lipid bilayers. With use of fluorogenic vesicles, changes in pore activity are readily detectable with either the naked eye or multiwell screening formats. The varying responsiveness to substrates and products makes synthetic pores versatile detectors of chemical reactions, of the activity of the enzymes that catalyze these reactions, and of their inhibitors. In sensing applications, the "perfect" selectivity of enzymes is exploited to generate analyte-specific signals. Reactive signal amplifiers are then covalently linked to the products of enzymatic signal generation to enhance their pore blockage potency. With the help of signal generators and amplifiers, we have employed artificial beta-barrel pores to sense sweet (sucrose, lactose), sour (acetate, lactate, citrate), and umami ("deliciousness", glutamate) components in various food samples. This breakthrough naturally led us to design and synthesize refined pores for advanced sensing applications. We have developed methods to build guest-binding sites not only at internal and external barrel surfaces but also near the core or near the periphery of the pore. Further refinements include the introduction of asymmetric staves for voltage gating and anchoring of the pore at the membrane-water interface.

Anion-pi slides for transmembrane transport.

The recognition and transport of anions is usually accomplished by hydrogen bonding, ion pairing, metal coordination, and anion-dipole interactions. Here, we elaborate on the concept to use anion-pi interactions for this purpose. Different to the popular cation-pi interactions, applications of the complementary pi-acidic surfaces do not exist. This is understandable because the inversion of the aromatic quadrupole moment to produce pi-acidity is a rare phenomenon. Here, we suggest that pi-acidic aromatics can be linked together to produce an unbendable scaffold with multiple binding sites for anions to move along across a lipid bilayer membrane. The alignment of multiple anion-pi sites is needed to introduce a cooperative multi-ion hopping mechanism. Experimental support for the validity of the concept comes from preliminary results with oligonaphthalenediimide (O-NDI) rods. Predicted by strongly positive facial quadrupole moments, the cooperativity and chloride selectivity found for anion transport by O-NDI rods were consistent with the existence of anion-pi slides. The proposed mechanism for anion transport is supported by DFT results for model systems, as well as MD simulations of rigid O-NDI rods. Applicability of anion-pi slides to achieve electroneutral photosynthesis is elaborated with the readily colorizable oligoperylenediimide (O-PDI) rods. To clarify validity, scope and limitations of these concepts, a collaborative research effort will be needed to address by computer modeling and experimental observations the basic questions in simple model systems and to design advanced multifunctional anion-pi architectures.

Enantioselective organocatalytic conjugate addition of aldehydes to vinyl sulfones and vinyl phosphonates as challenging Michael acceptors.

Chiral framework: Chiral amines with pyrrolidine frameworks catalyze the enantioselective conjugate addition of a wide range of aldehydes to various vinyl sulfones and vinyl phosphonates in high yields and with enantioselectivities up to >99 % ee (see scheme). The high versatility of the Michael adducts is exemplified by various functionalizations with conservation of the optical purity.Chiral amines with a pyrrolidine framework catalyze the enantioselective conjugate addition of a broad range of aldehydes to various vinyl sulfones and vinyl phosphonates in high yields and with enantioselectivities up to >99 % ee. This novel process provides synthetically useful chiral gamma-gem-sulfonyl or phosphonyl aldehydes which can be widely functionalized with retention of the enantiomeric excess. Mechanistic insights including DFT calculations are explored in detail.

Site-dependent excited-state dynamics of a fluorescent probe bound to avidin and streptavidin.

The excited-state dynamics of biotin-spacer-Lucifer-Yellow (LY) constructs bound to avidin (Avi) and streptavidin (Sav) was investigated using femtosecond spectroscopy. Two different locations in the proteins, identified by molecular dynamics simulations of Sav, namely the entrance of the binding pocket and the protein surface, were probed by varying the length of the spacer. A reduction of the excited-state lifetime, stronger in Sav than in Avi, was observed with the long spacer construct. Transient absorption measurements show that this effect originates from an electron transfer quenching of LY, most probably by a nearby tryptophan residue. The local environment of the LY chromophore could be probed by measuring the time-dependent polarisation anisotropy and Stokes shift of the fluorescence. Substantial differences in both dynamics were observed. The fluorescence anisotropy decays analysed by using the wobbling-in-a-cone model reveal a much more constrained environment of the chromophore with the short spacer. Moreover, the dynamic Stokes shift is multiphasic in all cases, with a approximately 1 ps component that can be ascribed to diffusive motion of bulk-like water molecules, and with slower components with time constants varying not only with the spacer, but with the protein as well. These slow components, which depend strongly on the local environment of the probe, are ascribed to the motion of the hydration layer coupled to the conformational dynamics of the protein.

Organic Chemistry à la Genevoise.

This article describes the situation of Department of Organic Chemistry in the year of the 450th anniversary of the University of Geneva.

Screening of pi-basic naphthalene and anthracene amplifiers for pi-acidic synthetic pore sensors.

Synthetic ion channels and pores attract current attention as multicomponent sensors in complex matrixes. This application requires the availability of reactive signal amplifiers that covalently capture analytes and drag them into the pore. pi-Basic 1,5-dialkoxynaphthalenes (1,5-DAN) are attractive amplifiers because aromatic electron donor-acceptor (AEDA) interactions account for their recognition within pi-acidic naphthalenediimide (NDI) rich synthetic pores. Focusing on amplifier design, we report here the synthesis of a complete collection of DAN and dialkoxyanthracene amplifiers, determine their oxidation potentials by cyclic voltammetry, and calculate their quadrupole moments. Blockage experiments reveal that subtle structural changes in regioisomeric DAN amplifiers can be registered within NDI pores. Frontier orbital overlap in AEDA complexes, oxidation potentials, and, to a lesser extent, quadrupole moments are shown to contribute to isomer recognition by synthetic pores. Particularly important with regard to practical applications of synthetic pores as multianalyte sensors, we further demonstrate that application of the lessons learned with DAN regioisomers to the expansion to dialkoxyanthracenes provides access to privileged amplifiers with submicromolar activity.