Rational Supramolecular Strategy via Halogen Bonding for Effective Halogen Recognition in Molecular Imprinting.

Halogen bonding is a highly directional interaction and a potential tool in functional material design through self-assembly. Herein, we describe two fundamental supramolecular strategies to synthesize molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) with halogen bonding-based molecular recognition sites. In the first method, the size of the σ-hole was increased by aromatic fluorine substitution of the template molecule, enhancing the halogen bonding in the supramolecule. The second method involved sandwiching hydrogen atoms of a template molecule between iodo substituents, which suppressed competing hydrogen bonding and enabled multiple recognition patterns, improving the selectivity. The interaction mode between the functional monomer and the templates was elucidated by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and computational simulation. Finally, we succeeded in the effective chromatographic separation of diiodobenzene isomers on the uniformly sized MIPs prepared by multi-step swelling and polymerization. The MIPs selectively recognized halogenated thyroid hormones via halogen bonding and could be applied to screening endocrine disruptors.

Continuous-Flow Suzuki-Miyaura Coupling in Water and Organic Solvents Promoted by Blends of Stabilized Convoluted Polymeric Palladium Catalysts and Polymeric Auxiliary Materials.

Given that heterogeneous palladium-catalyzed C-C bond formation reactions under continuous-flow conditions are well suited for the efficient and safe production of pharmaceuticals and functional materials, the development of active and durable catalysts for this purpose is a matter of high practical significance. Here, a previously established molecular convolution methodology was used to synthesize catalysts for Suzuki-Miyaura coupling under flow conditions by blending convoluted polymeric palladium catalysts (prepared from copolymers of 4-vinylpyridine and 4-tert-butylstyrene) and crosslinked polymeric auxiliary materials (prepared from copolymers of divinylbenzene and 4-tert-butylstyrene). The optimal catalyst exhibited high performance and durability and allowed numerous biaryl products such as liquid-crystalline materials, organic electroluminescent materials, and pharmaceuticals to be continuously synthesized with turnover frequencies of up to 238 h-1 . In a demonstration of practical utility, the developed catalytic system was used for the continuous synthesis of two pharmaceuticals (felbinac and fenbufen) in water as the sole solvent.

Separation of Glycoproteins Based on Sugar Chains Using Novel Stationary Phases Modified with Poly(ethylene glycol)-Conjugated Boronic-Acid Derivatives.

Boronic acid (BA) reversibly complexes with the diol structure. BA derivatives separate glycoproteins based on the differences in the sugar chains. Separation typically occurs under basic conditions, which does not guarantee the structural stability of glycoproteins. Here, 5-boronopicolinic acid (BPA) is used to prepare silica-gel based columns with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as a linker to suppress nonselective adsorption and poly(ethylene imine) (PEI) as a scaffold to increase the BPA moiety density. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using only aqueous buffer solutions without organic solvents demonstrates the selective retention ability of the BPA columns for glycoproteins. BPA interacts with the diols in the sugar chains but not the proteins. In an evaluation for N-glycans, the BPA columns show a higher retention ability toward high mannose type and a lower affinity to N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac). Finally, a pair of glycoproteins, fetuin and asialofetuin, are selectively separated due to the presence of Neu5Ac on the nonreducing end.

Four- and two-armed hetero porphyrin dimers: their specific recognition and self-sorting behaviours.

In this study we self-assembled the four-armed porphyrin hetero dimer capsule Cap4, stabilized through amidinium-carboxylate salt bridges, in CH2Cl2 and CHCl3. The dimer capsule Cap4 was kinetically and thermodynamically more stable than the corresponding two-armed dimer Cap2. The number of arms strongly influenced their recognition behaviour; guests possessing small aromatic faces (e.g., 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene) preferred residing in the cavity of the two-armed capsule Cap2, rather than in Cap4, both thermodynamically and kinetically; in contrast, large aromatic guests (e.g., 9,10-dibromoanthracene) were encapsulated predominantly by Cap4 because of favourable entropic effects. The number of arms enabled self-sorting behaviour of the dimer formation; complexation studies using an equimolar mixture of the four porphyrin constituents of the two capsules revealed the quantitative formation of the corresponding dimers Cap2 and Cap4. Furthermore, we examined the specific molecular recognition of Cap2 and Cap4; NMR experiments of mixtures of Cap2 and Cap4 in the presence of favourable guests for Cap2 and Cap4 revealed that these guest molecules were encapsulated selectively by their preferred hosts.

Thermal stability of crown-motif [Au9(PPh3)8]3+ and [MAu8(PPh3)8]2+ (M = Pd, Pt) clusters: Effects of gas composition, single-atom doping, and counter anions.

The thermal behaviors of ligand-protected metal clusters, [Au9(PPh3)8]3+ and [MAu8(PPh3)8]2+ (M = Pd, Pt) with a crown-motif structure, were investigated to determine the effects of the gas composition, single-atom doping, and counter anions on the thermal stability of these clusters. We successfully synthesized crown-motif [PdAu8(PPh3)8][HPMo12O40] (PdAu8-PMo12) and [PtAu8(PPh3)8][HPMo12O40] (PtAu8-PMo12) salts with a cesium-chloride-type structure, which is the same as the [Au9(PPh3)8][PMo12O40] (Au9-PMo12) structure. Thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis/mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the crown-motif structure of Au9-PMo12 was decomposed at ∼475 K without weight loss to form Au nanoparticles. After structural decomposition, the ligands were desorbed from the sample. The ligand desorption temperature of Au9-PMo12 increased under 20% O2 conditions because of the formation of Au nanoparticles and stronger interaction of the formed O=PPh3 than PPh3. The Pd and Pt single-atom doping improved the thermal stability of the clusters. This improvement was due to the formation of a large bonding index of M-Au and a change in Au-PPh3 bonding energy by heteroatom doping. Moreover, we found that the ligand desorption temperatures were also affected by the type of counter anions, whose charge and size influence the localized Coulomb interaction and cluster packing between the cationic ligand-protected metal clusters and counter anions.

Competing Roles of Two Kinds of Ligand during Nonclassical Crystallization of Pillared-Layer Metal-Organic Frameworks Elucidated Using Microfluidic Systems.

To diversify metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), multi-component MOFs constructed from more than two kinds of bridging ligand have been actively investigated due to the high degree of design freedom afforded by the combination of multiple ligands. Predicting the synthesis conditions for such MOFs requires an understanding of the crystallization mechanism, which has so far remained elusive. In this context, microflow systems are efficient tools for capturing non-equilibrium states as they facilitate precise and efficient mixing with reaction times that correspond to the distance from the mixing point, thus enabling reliable control of non-equilibrium crystallization processes. Herein, we prepared coordination polymers with pillared-layer structures and observed the intermediates in the syntheses with an in-situ measurement system that combines microflow reaction with UV/Vis and X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopies, thereby enabling their rapid nucleation to be monitored. Based on the results, a three-step nonclassical nucleation mechanism involving two kinds of intermediate is proposed.

Controlling the Packing of Metal-Organic Layers by Inclusion of Polymer Guests.

The preparation of metal-organic structures with a controlled degree of disorder is currently one of the most promising fields of materials science. Here, we describe the effect of guest polymer chains on the transformation of a metal-organic framework (MOF). Heating a pillared MOF at a controlled temperature resulted in the exclusive removal of the pillar ligands, while the connectivity of the metal-organic square-grid layers was maintained. In the absence of a polymer, 2D-layers rearranged to form a new crystalline phase. In contrast, the presence of a polymer in the MOF inhibited totally the recrystallization, leading to a turbostratic phase with layers threaded and maintained apart by the polymer chains. This work demonstrates a new synthetic approach toward the preparation of anisotropic metal-organic materials with controlled disorder. It also reveals how guests can dramatically modify the conversion of host MOFs, even though no chemical reaction occurs between them.

Amphoteric Homotropic Allosteric Association between a Hexakis-Urea Receptor and Dihydrogen Phosphate.

Conformationally flexible hexakis-urea 1 was synthesized efficiently by condensing hexakis(aminomethyl)benzene with 4-nitrophenyl-(3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl)carbamate. The hexakis-urea 1 is unexpectedly soluble in organic solvents of low polarity due to intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The hexakis-urea 1 recognizes chloride, bromide, and acetate in a 1:2 host-guest ratio and in a positive allosteric manner in CDCl3 . The ability of 1 to recognize dihydrogen phosphate is a unique outcome, and the structure of the associated complex, which contains four dihydrogen phosphate ions, was clarified by single-crystal X-ray structural analysis. However, in solution, a complex with three dihydrogen phosphate ions was identified. The dihydrogen phosphate association in CDCl3 proceeds in an amphoteric allosteric manner; in a positive allosteric manner (K1 K3 ) in the subsequent step.

Site-Selective Supramolecular Complexation Activates Catalytic Ethane Oxidation by a Nitrido-Bridged Iron Porphyrinoid Dimer.

Development of supramolecular methods to further activate a highly reactive intermediate is a fascinating strategy to create novel potent catalysts for activation of inert chemicals. Herein, a supramolecular approach to enhance the oxidizing ability of a high-valent oxo species of a nitrido-bridged iron porphyrinoid dimer that is a known potent molecular catalyst for light alkane oxidation is reported. For this purpose, a nitrido-bridged dinuclear iron complex of porphyrin-phthalocyanine heterodimer 35+ , which is connected through a fourfold rotaxane, was prepared. Heterodimer 35+ catalyzed ethane oxidation in the presence of H2 O2 at a relatively low temperature. The site-selective complexation of 35+ with an additional anionic porphyrin (TPPS4- ) through π-π stacking and electrostatic interactions afforded a stable 1:1 complex. It was demonstrated that the supramolecular post-synthetic modification of 35+ enhances its catalytic activity efficiently. Moreover, supramolecular conjugates achieved higher catalytic ethane oxidation activity than nitrido-bridged iron phthalocyanine dimer, which is the most potent iron-oxo-based molecular catalyst for light-alkane oxidation reported so far. Electrochemical measurements proved that the electronic perturbation from TPPS4- to 35+ enhanced the catalytic activity.

Synthesis of Aryl C-Glycosides via Iron-Catalyzed Cross Coupling of Halosugars: Stereoselective Anomeric Arylation of Glycosyl Radicals.

We have developed a novel diastereoselective iron-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of various glycosyl halides with aryl metal reagents for the efficient synthesis of aryl C-glycosides, which are of significant pharmaceutical interest due to their biological activities and resistance toward metabolic degradation. A variety of aryl, heteroaryl, and vinyl metal reagents can be cross-coupled with glycosyl halides in high yields in the presence of a well-defined iron complex, composed of iron(II) chloride and a bulky bisphosphine ligand, TMS-SciOPP. The chemoselective nature of the reaction allows the use of synthetically versatile acetyl-protected glycosyl donors and the incorporation of various functional groups on the aryl moieties, producing a diverse array of aryl C-glycosides, including Canagliflozin, an inhibitor of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), and a prevailing diabetes drug. The cross-coupling reaction proceeds via generation and stereoselective trapping of glycosyl radical intermediates, representing a rare example of highly stereoselective carbon-carbon bond formation based on iron catalysis. Radical probe experiments using 3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-2-O-allyl-α-d-glucopyranosyl bromide (8) and 6-bromo-1-hexene (10) confirm the generation and intermediacy of the corresponding glycosyl radicals. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the observed anomeric diastereoselectivity is attributable to the relative stability of the conformers of glycosyl radical intermediates. The present cross-coupling reaction demonstrates the potential of iron-catalyzed stereo- and chemoselective carbon-carbon bond formation in the synthesis of bioactive compounds of certain structural complexity.

Oxygen Reduction to Water by a Cofacial Dimer of Iron(III)-Porphyrin and Iron(III)-Phthalocyanine Linked through a Highly Flexible Fourfold Rotaxane.

A µ-oxo-dinuclear iron complex of a supramolecular porphyrin-phthalocyanine conjugate was synthesized and its catalytic electrochemical oxygen reduction properties were investigated. In the conjugate, porphyrin and phthalocyanine units were connected to form a cofacial dimeric structure through a flexible fourfold rotaxane linkage, which was advantageous for accommodating small substrates between the iron centers. The conjugate showed efficient catalytic properties, at more positive potentials than those of other reported dinuclear porphyrinoid iron complexes, to selectively afford water through a four-electron reduction process.

Iron-Catalyzed anti-Selective Carbosilylation of Internal Alkynes.

Reported is the anti-selective carbosilylation of internal alkynes with silylborane and alkyl halides using a FeBr2 /DPPE catalyst system. The iron catalyst allows simultaneous introduction of a carbon electrophile and a silicon nucleophile to simple internal alkynes, including diaryl-, dialkyl-, and aryl/alkyl-substituted alkynes, in a highly stereoselective manner. Alkyl halides are applicable as the electrophiles, thereby enabling the synthesis of a variety of tetrasubstituted alkenylsilanes. In addition, syn-selective carbosilylation was achieved through stereoswitching, by using a silylborane having oxygen functionality on the silyl group. This novel iron-catalyzed carbosilylation is a useful tool for expedient synthesis of stereodefined multisubstituted olefins, a fundamental structural motif in organic chemistry.

Ion-Pairing Assemblies Based on Pentacyano-Substituted Cyclopentadienide as a π-Electronic Anion.

Pentacyanocyclopentadienide (PCCp(-) ), a stable π-electronic anion, provided various ion-pairing assemblies in combination with various cations. PCCp(-) -based assemblies exist as single crystals and mesophases owing to interionic interactions with π-electronic and aliphatic cations with a variety of geometries, substituents, and electronic structures. Single-crystal X-ray analysis revealed that PCCp(-) formed cation-dependent arrangements with contributions from charge-by-charge and charge-segregated assembly modes for ion pairs with π-electronic and aliphatic cations, respectively. Furthermore, some aliphatic cations gave dimension-controlled organized structures with PCCp(-) , as observed in the mesophases, for which synchrotron XRD analysis suggested the formation of charge-segregated modes. Noncontact evaluation of conductivity for (C12 H25 )3 MeN(+) ⋅PCCp(-) films revealed potential hole-transporting properties, yielding a local-scale hole mobility of 0.4 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) at semiconductor-insulator interfaces.

ONO-pincer ruthenium complex-bound norvaline for efficient catalytic oxidation of methoxybenzenes with hydrogen peroxide.

The enhanced catalytic activity of ruthenium complex-bound norvaline Boc-l-[Ru]Nva-OMe 1, in which the ONO-pincer ruthenium complex Ru(pydc)(terpy) 2 is tethered to the α-side chain of norvaline, has been demonstrated for the oxidation of methoxybenzenes to p-benzoquinones with a wide scope of substrates and unique chemoselectivity.

Partial charge transfer in the shortest possible metallofullerene peapod, La@C82 ⊂[11]cycloparaphenylene.

[11]Cycloparaphenylene ([11]CPP) selectively encapsulates La@C82 to form the shortest possible metallofullerene-carbon nanotube (CNT) peapod, La@C82 ⊂[11]CPP, in solution and in the solid state. Complexation in solution was affected by the polarity of the solvent and was 16 times stronger in the polar solvent nitrobenzene than in the nonpolar solvent 1,2-dichlorobenzene. Electrochemical analysis revealed that the redox potentials of La@C82 were negatively shifted upon complexation from free La@C82 . Furthermore, the shifts in the redox potentials increased with polarity of the solvent. These results are consistent with formation of a polar complex, (La@C82 )(δ-) ⊂[11]CPP(δ+) , by partial electron transfer from [11]CPP to La@C82 . This is the first observation of such an electronic interaction between a fullerene pea and CPP pod. Theoretical calculations also supported partial charge transfer (0.07) from [11]CPP to La@C82 . The structure of the complex was unambiguously determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis, which showed the La atom inside the C82 near the periphery of the [11]CPP. The dipole moment of La@C82 was projected toward the CPP pea, nearly perpendicular to the CPP axis. The position of the La atom and the direction of the dipole moment in La@C82 ⊂[11]CPP were significantly different from those observed in La@C82 ⊂CNT, thus indicating a difference in orientation of the fullerene peas between fullerene-CPP and fullerene-CNT peapods. These results highlight the importance of pea-pea interactions in determining the orientation of the metallofullerene in metallofullerene-CNT peapods.

Reusable Magnetite Nanoparticle (Fe3O4 NP) Catalyst for Selective Oxidation of Alcohols under Microwave Irradiation.

Iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are nontoxic and abundant materials which have long been investigated as reusable catalysts in oxidation reactions, but their use so far has been hampered by a low selectivity. Here, unsupported iron oxide NPs have been found to successfully catalyze the microwave-assisted oxidation of primary and secondary alcohols to their respective aldehydes and ketones with a high selectivity when N-methylmorpholine N-oxide was used as the terminal oxidant. The crystalline phase and size of the iron-based catalyst have a drastic effect on its activity, with small magnetite (Fe3O4) NPs being the optimal catalyst for this reaction. The nanocatalyst could be easily recovered by magnetoseparation and successfully recycled four times without any need for special pretreatment or reactivation step and with a minimal loss of activity. The subsequent loss of activity was attributed to the transition from magnetite (Fe3O4) to maghemite (γ-Fe2O3), as confirmed by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, and X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy. The nanocatalyst could then be reactivated by the high-temperature microwave treatment and used again for the microwave-assisted oxidation reaction.

Size- and orientation-selective encapsulation of C(70) by cycloparaphenylenes.

The size- and orientation-selective formation of the shortest-possible C70 peapod in solution and in the solid state by using the shortest structural unit of an "armchair" carbon nanotube (CNT), cycloparaphenylene (CPP), has been studied. [10]CPP and [11]CPP exothermically formed 1:1 complexes with C70 , thereby giving the resulting peapods. A van't Hoff plot analysis revealed that the formation of these complexes in 1,2-dichlorobenzene was mainly driven by entropy, whereas the theoretical calculations suggested that the formation of the complex in the gas phase was predominantly driven by enthalpy. C70 was found to exist in two distinct orientations inside the CPP cavity, namely "lying" and "standing", depending on the specific size of the CPP. The theoretical calculations and the X-ray crystallographic analysis revealed that the interactions between [10]CPP and the short axis of C70 in its lying orientation were isotropic and similar to those observed between [10]CPP and C60 . However, the interactions between [11]CPP and C70 in its standing orientation were anisotropic, thereby involving the radial deformation of [11]CPP into an ellipsoidal shape. This "induced fit" maximized the van der Waals interactions with the long axis of C70 . Theoretical calculations revealed that the deformation occurred readily with low energy loss, thus suggesting that CPPs are highly radially elastic molecules. These results also indicate that the same type of radial deformation should occur in CNT peapods that encapsulate anisotropic fullerenes.

Synthesis and self-assembly of NCN-pincer Pd-complex-bound norvalines.

The NCN-pincer Pd-complex-bound norvalines Boc-D/L-[PdCl(dpb)]Nva-OMe (1) were synthesized in multigram quantities. The molecular structure and absolute configuration of 1 were unequivocally determined by single-crystal X-ray structure analysis. The robustness of 1 under acidic/basic conditions provides a wide range of N-/C-terminus convertibility based on the related synthetic transformations. Installation of a variety of functional groups into the N-/C-terminus of 1 was readily carried out through N-Boc- or C-methyl ester deprotection and subsequent condensations with carboxylic acids, R(1)COOH, or amines, R(2)NH2 , to give the corresponding N-/C-functionalized norvalines R(1)-D/L-[PdCl(dpb)]Nva-R(2) 2-9. The dipeptide bearing two Pd units 10 was successfully synthesized through the condensation of C-free 1 with N-free 1. The robustness of these Pd-bound norvalines was adequately demonstrated by the preservation of the optical purity and Pd unit during the synthetic transformations. The lipophilic Pd-bound norvalines L-2, Boc-L-[PdCl(dpb)]Nva-NH-n-C11H23, and L-4, n-C4H9CO-L-[PdCl(dpb)]Nva-NH-n-C11H23, self-assembled in aromatic solvents to afford supramolecular gels. The assembled structures in a thermodynamically stable single crystal of L-2 and kinetically stable supramolecular aggregates of L-2 were precisely elucidated by cryo-TEM, WAX, SAXS, UV/Vis, IR analyses, and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. An antiparallel ß-sheet-type aggregate consisting of an infinite one-dimensional hydrogen-bonding network of amide groups and π-stacking of PdCl(dpb) moieties was observed in the supramolecular gel fiber of L-2, even though discrete dimers are assembled through hydrogen bonding in the thermodynamically stable single crystal of L-2. The disparate DSC profiles of the single crystal and xerogel of L-2 indicate different thermodynamics of the molecular assembly process.

Isolation and characterization of the cycloparaphenylene radical cation and dication.

Charged nanobelts: The radical cation and the dication of [8]cycloparaphenylene ([8]CPP) were prepared and isolated as hexahaloantimonate salts by the one- or two-electron chemical oxidation of [8]CPP with NOSbF6 or SbCl5 . ESR spectroscopy of CPP(.+) and single-crystal X-ray analysis of CPP(2+) demonstrated that the spin and charge were equally and fully delocalized over the para-phenylene rings.

Synthesis of Cross-Chain Bridging Cryptands and Induction of Molecular Chirality.

In this study, we synthesized two cryptands featuring entangled tri- and tetra(ethylene glycol) linkers. The cryptand bearing short linkers was chiral without any asymmetric carbon atoms. After chiral high-performance liquid chromatography was used to separate the enantiomers, the absolute configuration of each cryptand was determined through single-crystal X-ray and circular dichroism analyses. The racemization of the cryptand possessing long linkers proceeded at room temperature.