title: Self-sorting molecular clips.
abstract: We report the synthesis and characterization of 12 C-shaped methylene-bridged glycoluril dimers (1-12) bearing H-bonding groups on their aromatic rings. Compounds 1, 2, (+/-)-4a, (+/-)-5, (+/-)-7, and 8 form tightly associated homodimers in CDCl3, due to the combined driving force of pi-pi and H-bonding interactions. Compounds 2, (+/-)-5, and 8, having disparate spatial distribution of their H-bonding groups, display the ability to efficiently distinguish between self and nonself even within three-component mixtures in CDCl3. When the spatial distributions of the H-bonding groups of the molecular clips are similar (e.g., 1 and 2), a mixture of homodimers and heterodimers is formed. The effect of various structural modifications (e.g., chirality, side chain steric bulk, number and pattern of H-bonds) on the strength of self-assembly and the fidelity of self-sorting are presented. On the basis of these results we prepared self-sorting systems comprising three (e.g., 1, (+/-)-5, and (+/-)-7) and even four ( 2, (+/-)-5, 9, and 10) components. The potential of molecular clips 1-12 as robust, functionalizable, self-sorting modules to control the noncovalent interaction network in systems chemistry studies is described.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.
authors.forename: Soumyadip
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: Anxin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Fettinger
authors.forename: Peter Y
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Zavalij
authors.forename: Lyle
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Isaacs
mesh_terms: D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D019281:Dimerization; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D007700:Kinetics; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D013816:Thermodynamics