title: Hydrogen bonding directed self-assembly of small-molecule amphiphiles in water.
abstract: Compounds comprising one or two quadruply hydrogen bonding units, 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone (UPy) and tris(tetraethylene glycol monomethyl ether) moieties, were reported to form highly stable hydrogen-bonded assemblies in water. Compound 1, containing one UPy, assembles into vesicles, and compound 2, containing two UPy units, forms micelles. The aggregates disassemble reversibly when the solution pH is raised to 9.0 or above. The results demonstrate the utility of hydrogen bonding to direct the self-assembly of small-molecule building blocks in aqueous media.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100190, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jiang-Fei
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Li-Ya
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: Yu-Zhe
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Li-Zhu
authors.initials: LZ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Chen-Ho
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Tung
authors.forename: Qing-Zheng
authors.initials: QZ
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008823:Micelles; D015394:Molecular Structure; D011744:Pyrimidinones / Q000737:chemistry*; D012996:Solutions; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: C029046:2-ureido-4(3H)-pyrimidinone; D008823:Micelles; D011744:Pyrimidinones; D012996:Solutions; D014867:Water