Environmentally responsive molecular baskets: unimolecular mimics of both micelles and reversed micelles.
[structure: see text] When four facially amphiphilic cholate derivatives are attached to a tetraaminocalixarene scaffold, the resulting molecule responds to environmental changes by rotation of the cholate units. In polar solvents, the molecule adopts a micellelike conformation with the hydrophilic alpha-faces of the cholates pointing outward. In nonpolar solvents, it turns inside out, assuming a reversed micellelike conformation with the hydrophobic beta-faces pointing outward. Switching between the two conformations is driven by solvophobic interactions and is fully reversible.
Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011-3111, USA.
Eui-Hyun
EH
Ryu
Yan
Y
Zhao
D047250:Calixarenes / Q000737:chemistry; D020355:Cholates / Q000737:chemistry*; D008823:Micelles; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D018716:Molecular Mimicry; D015394:Molecular Structure; D019906:Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular
D020355:Cholates; D008823:Micelles; D047250:Calixarenes