2-Hydroxychalcone-ß-Cyclodextrin Conjugate with pH-Modulated Photoresponsive Binding Properties.

Stimuli-responsive supramolecular receptors are important building blocks for the construction of self-assembled functional materials. We report the design and synthesis of a pH- and light-responsive 2-hydroxychalcone-ß-cyclodextrin conjugate (1-Ct) and its characterization by spectroscopic and computational methods. 1-Ct follows the typical reaction network of trans-chalcone-flavylium photoswitches. Upon light irradiation, 1-Ct can be photochemically converted into the cis-chalcone/hemiketal forms (1-Cc/1-B) under neutral pH conditions or to the flavylium cation (1-AH+) at acidic pH values. This stimuli-responsive ß-cyclodextrin host, 1-Ct, was found to form stronger intramolecular self-inclusion complexes (Kintra = 14) than 1-AH+ (Kintra = 3) and weaker than 1-Cc/1-B (overall Kintra = 179), allowing control over their stability and binding properties by combinations of pH and light stimuli.

Supramolecular protein polymers using mini-ferritin Dps as the building block.

A missense mutant of a Dps protein (DNA-binding protein from starved cells) from Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus was used as a building block to develop a new supramolecular assembly complex which enhances the iron uptake, a physiological function of this mini-ferritin. The missense mutation was conducted in an exposed and flexible region of the N-terminal, wherein a threonine residue in position 10 was replaced by a cysteine residue (DpsT10C). This step enabled a click chemistry approach to the variant DpsT10C, where a thiol-ene coupling occurs. Two methods and two types of linker were used resulting in two different mini-ferritin supramolecular polymers, which have maintained secondary structure and native iron uptake physiological function. Electrophoretic assays and mass spectrometry were utilized to confirm that both functionalization and coupling reactions occured as predicted. The secondary structure has been investigated by circular dichroism and synchrotron radiation circular dichroism. Size and morphology were obtained by dynamic light scattering, size exclusion chromatography and atomic force microscopy, respectively. The iron uptake of the synthesized protein polymers was confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy loading assays.

Cyclodextrin-Based Ionic Liquids as Enantioselective Stationary Phases in Gas Chromatography.

New permethylated mono-6-deoxy-6-pyridin-1-ium and mono-6-deoxy-6-(1-vinyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium)-α- and -ß-cyclodextrin trifluoromethanesulfonate ionic liquids were synthesized from the corresponding permethylated mono-6-hydroxycyclodextrins in a one-pot reaction and solvent-free procedure. Regioselective transformation of native α- and ß-cyclodextrins with the use of a bulky tert-butyldiphenylsilyl protecting group afforded the desired 6-monosubstituted permethylated cyclodextrin derivatives in moderate yields. The new ionic liquids were tested as stationary phases in capillary GC columns towards chiral discrimination in enantio-GC analysis of racemic mixtures. The permethylated 6-deoxy-6-pyridin-1-ium-α-cyclodextrin trifluoromethanesulfonate displayed good enantiomeric separations for some racemic esters and lactones, as well as epoxides. In particular, for both the racemic whiskey lactone and the high boiling point menthyl laurate, not successfully separated in a commercial cyclodextrin phase, the enantiomeric separations were achieved isothermally at 140 °C.

New chiral imidazolium ionic liquids from isomannide.

New chiral bis and mono-imidazolium ionic liquids derived from isomannide were synthesized. The structural features of the chiral organic cations impart a special arrangement of the chiral cavity. The new chiral chloride salts of isomannide derivatives are pivotal compounds for the synthesis of different organic ionic liquids. After metathesis different anions were associated to the chiral cations providing a new class of chiral ionic liquids.