Search

We describe the preparation, dynamic, assembly characteristics of vase‐shaped basket 13− along with its ability to form an inclusion complex with anticancer drug mitoxantrone in abiotic and biotic systems. This novel cavitand has a deep nonpolar pocket consisting of three naphthalimide sides fused to a bicyclic platform at the bottom while carrying polar glycines at the top. The results of 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), 1H NMR Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST), Calorimetry, Hybrid Replica Exchange Molecular Dynamics (REMD), and Microcrystal Electron Diffraction (MicroED) measurements are in line with 1 forming dimer [12]6−, to be in equilibrium with monomers 1(R)3− (relaxed) and 1(S)3− (squeezed). Through simultaneous line‐shape analysis of 1H NMR data, kinetic and thermodynamic parameters characterizing these equilibria were quantified. Basket 1(R)3− includes anticancer drug mitoxantrone (MTO2+) in its pocket to give stable binary complex [MTO⊂1]− (Kd=2.1 μM) that can be precipitated in vitro with UV light or pH as stimuli. Both in vitro and in vivo studies showed that the basket is nontoxic, while at a higher proportion with respect to MTO it reduced its cytotoxicity in vitro. With well‐characterized internal dynamics and dimerization, the ability to include mitoxantrone, and biocompatibility, the stage is set to develop sequestering agents from deep‐cavity baskets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polydentate ligand, 3-[(2-hydroxy-benzylidene)-amino]-2-thioxo-imidazolidin-4-one, was synthesized by intermolecular cyclocondensation reaction of 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde thiosemicarbazone and ethylchloroacetate. Novel palladium(II) complex was obtained by nucleophilic substitution of both DMSO ligands from cis-[Pd(DMSO)2Cl2] with iminic nitrogen and thiolactamic sulfur from ligand. The structure of compounds was characterized on the basis of their spectral data. The cytotoxic activity of the ligand and palladium(II) complex was studied on tumor cell lines: human colon carcinoma HCT-116 and SW-480 cells using MTT viability test. The results show that investigated palladium(II) complex has significantly greater cytotoxic effect compared to ligand. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike SRbije, br. 172011 and III41010]

Discovering novel and functional photoresponsive materials is of interest for improving controlled release of molecules and scavenging toxic compounds for cleaning our environment or designing chemosensors. In this study, we report on the photoinduced decarboxylation of basket 16−, containing three glutamic acids at its rim. This concave compound is, in an aqueous environment (30 mm phosphate buffer at pH 7.0), monomeric (1H NMR DOSY, DLS) with glutamic acid residues randomly oriented about its rim (1H NMR and MM‐OPLS3). The irradiation (300 nm) of 16− leads to the exclusive removal of its α‐carboxylates to give amphiphilic 23− possessing γ‐carboxylates. The photochemical transformation is a consecutive reaction with mono‐ and bis‐decarboxylated products observed with 1H NMR spectroscopy and ESI mass spectrometry. Amphiphilic 23− is a preorganized molecule (MM‐OPLS3) that, in water, aggregates into organic nanoparticles (ca. 50–200 nm in diameter; DLS, TEM and cryo‐TEM) having a critical aggregation concentration of 12 μm (UV/Vis). As the transition of monomeric 16− into nanoparticulate 23− is triggered with light, we reasoned that stimuli‐responsive formation of the soft material lends itself to nanotechnology applications such as controlled release or scavenging of targeted compounds. Filling the basket: Photoinduced decarboxylation of molecular baskets functionalized with glutamic acids was found to, in water, give amphiphilic cavitands. These cavitands assemble into organic nanoparticles that could be used for scavenging toxic molecules, promoting chemical reactions or delivering drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reactivity of the C2v-symmetric pentakisadduct of C60 with azomethine ylides and conjugated dienes was studied experimentally and computationally. This derivative possesses four [6,6] double bonds, each with unique electrophilicity. The Diels-Alder reaction studied is a regiospecific, kinetically and thermodynamically guided [4 + 2] process producing [5:1]-hexaadducts with an octahedral addition pattern. The kinetically controlled Prato reaction gives a mixture of regioisomeric [5:1]-hexaadducts. The synthesis of geometrically well-defined supramolecular architectures may benefit from these new types of highly functionalized [5:1]-hexaadducts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient strategy for a four-step synthesis of angularly fused tricyclic hydantoins as suitable precursors of cis-fused bicyclic a- amino acids is developed by combining a highly diastereoselective Bucherer- Bergs reaction of 2-alkenylcycloalkanones and a regiospecific selenium-induced closure of pyrrolidine ring. This methodology was applied in a five-step synthesis of bicycloproline derivatives in high overall yield. The method could be used for the multigram preparation of free conformationally constrained bicyclic a-amino acids with two points of diversity (size of cycloalkyl ring and substituent at the pyrrolidine ring). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorinated piperidines find wide applications, most notably in the development of novel therapies and agrochemicals. Cyclization of alkenyl N -tosylamides promoted by BF 3 -activated aryliodine(III) carboxylates is an attractive strategy to construct 3-fluoropiperidines, but it suffers from selectivity issues arising from competitive oxoaminations and the inability to easily modulate the reactions diastereoselectivity. Herein, we report an itemized optimization of the reaction conditions carried out on both cyclic and acyclic substrates and outline the origins of substrate- and reagent-based stereo-, regio-, and chemoselectivity. Extensive mechanistic studies encompassing multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, deuterium labeling, rearrangements on stereodefined substrates, and careful structural analyses (NMR and X-ray) of the reaction products are performed. This revealed the processes and interactions crucial for achieving controlled preparation of 3-fluoropiperidines using I(III) chemistry and has provided an advanced understanding of the reaction mechanism. In brief, we propose that BF 3 -coordinated I(III) reagents attack C═C to produce the corresponding iodiranium(III) ion, which then undergoes diastereodetermining 5- exo -cyclization. Transiently formed pyrrolidines with an exocyclic σ-alkyl-I(III) moiety can further undergo aziridinium ion formation or reductive ligand coupling processes, which dictate not only the final product's ring size but also the chemoselectivity. Importantly, the selectivity of the reaction depends on the nature of the ligand bound to I(III) and the presence of electrolytes such as TBABF 4 . Reported findings will facilitate the usage of ArI(III)-dicarboxylates in the reliable construction of fluorinated azaheterocycles.

We report Pd-catalyzed cyclotrimerization of (+)-α-bromoenone, obtained from monoterpene β-pinene, into an enantiopure cyclotrimer. This C 3 symmetric compound has three bicyclo[3.1.1]heptane rings fused to its central benzene with each ring carrying a carbonyl group. The cyclotrimer undergoes diastereoselective threefold alkynylation with the lithium salts of five terminal alkynes (41-63 %, de=4-83 %). The addition enabled a rapid synthesis of a small library of novel chiral cavitands that, in shape, resemble a tripod stand. These molecular tripods include a tris-bicycloannelated benzene head attached to three alkyne legs twisted in one direction to form a nonpolar cavity with polar groups as feet. Tripods with methylpyridinium and methylisoquinolinium legs, respectively, form inclusion complexes with anti-inflammatory and chiral drugs (R)/(S)-ibuprofen and (R)/(S)-naproxen. The mode of binding shows drug molecules docked in the cavity of the host through ion-ion, cation-π, and C-H-π contacts that, in addition of desolvation, give rise to complexes having millimolar to micromolar stability in water. Our findings open the door to creating a myriad of enantiopure tripods with tunable functions that, in the future, might give novel chemosensors, catalysts or sequestering agents., (© 2022 The Authors. Chemistry - A European Journal published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Host-guest complexations can be described by two competing mechanisms, conformational selection (CS) and induced fit (IF). In this work, we used a combination of nudged elastic band (NEB), adaptive steered molecular dynamics (ASMD), and density functional theory (DFT, with a correction for dispersion) to study the dynamics of the pathways (IF/CS) by which two conformers of basket B(+) and B(-) interconvert and trap CX 4 guests (X = Cl and Br). While the results from NEB/DFT studies disclosed host-guest noncovalent contacts reducing the basket's conformational dynamics, ASMD methodology suggested an associative mechanism for the guest complexation. With theory in excellent agreement with experiments, NEB and ASMD emerge as the methods of choice for studying dynamics of supramolecular systems.

The precise positioning of functional groups about the inner space of abiotic hosts is a challenging task and of interest for developing more effective receptors and catalysts akin to those found in nature. To address it, we herein report a synthetic methodology for preparing basket-like cavitands comprised of three different aromatics as side arms with orthogonal esters at the rim for further functionalization. First, enantioenriched A (borochloronorbornene), B (iodobromonorbornene), and C (boronorbornene) building blocks were obtained by stereoselective syntheses. Second, consecutive A-to-B and then AB-to-C Suzuki-Miyaura (SM) couplings were optimized to give enantioenriched ABC cavitand as the principal product. The robust synthetic protocol allowed us to prepare (a) an enantioenriched basket with three benzene sides and each holding either tBu, Et, or Me esters, (b) both enantiomers of a so-called "spiral staircase" basket with benzene, naphthalene, and anthracene groups surrounding the inner space, and (c) a photo-responsive basket bearing one anthracene and two benzene arms., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Two limiting cases of molecular recognition, induced fit (IF) and conformational selection (CS), play a central role in allosteric regulation of natural systems. The IF paradigm states that a substrate "instructs" the host to change its shape after complexation, while CS asserts that a guest "selects" the optimal fit from an ensemble of preexisting host conformations. With no studies that quantitatively address the interplay of two limiting pathways in abiotic systems, we herein and for the first time describe the way by which twisted capsule M-1, encompassing two conformers M-1(+) and M-1(-), trap CX 4 (X=Cl, Br) to give CX 4 ⊂M-1(+) and CX 4 ⊂M-1(-), with all four states being in thermal equilibrium. With the assistance of 2D EXSY, we found that CBr 4 would, at its lower concentrations, bind M-1 via a M-1(+)→M-1(-)→CBr 4 ⊂M-1(-) pathway corresponding to conformational selection. For M-1 complexing CCl 4 though, data from 2D EXSY measurements and 1D NMR line-shape analysis suggested that lower CCl 4 concentrations would favor CS while the IF pathway prevailed at higher proportions of the guest. Since CS and IF are not mutually exclusive, we reason that our work sets the stage for characterizing the dynamics of a wide range of already existing hosts to broaden our fundamental understanding of their action. The objective is to master the way in which encapsulation takes place for designing novel and allosteric sequestering agents, catalysts and chemosensors akin to those found in nature., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Covalent capsule 1 was designed to include two molecular baskets linked with three mobile pyridines tucked into its inner space. On the basis of both theory (DFT) and experiments (NMR and X-ray crystallography), we found that the pyridine "doors" split the chamber (380 Å 3 ) of 1 so that two equally sizeable compartments (190 Å 3 ) became joined through a conformationally flexible aromatic barrier. The compartments of such unique host could be populated with CCl 4 (88 Å 3 ; PC=46 %), CBr 4 (106 Å 3 ; 56 %) or their combination CCl 4 /CBr 4 (PC=51 %), with thermodynamic stabilities ΔG° tracking the values of packing coefficients (PC). Halogen (C-X⋅⋅⋅π) and hydrogen bonding (C-H⋅⋅⋅X) contacts held the haloalkane guests in the cavities of 1. The consecutive complexations were found to occur in a negative allosteric manner, which we propose to result from the induced-fit mode of complexation. Newly designed 1 opens a way for probing the effects of inner conformational dynamics on noncovalent interactions, reactivity and intramolecular translation in confined spaces of hollow molecules., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

In this work, we report a mechanism by which stereoisomeric and twisted capsules P/M-1 direct their dynamic chirality in the presence of haloalkane guests. The capsule comprises a static, but twisted, cage that is linked to a dynamic tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (TPA) lid at its top. From the results of experimental (NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography) and computational (DFT) studies, the TPA lid was shown to assume clockwise (+) and counterclockwise (-) folds with diastereomeric (but racemic) capsules M-1(+) and M-1(-) interconverting at a rapid rate (ΔG ≠ 189K =9.1 kcal mol -1 ). The relative stability of the capsules was found to be a function of guest(s) residing in their interior (243/262 Å 3 ) with small CH 2 Cl 2 (61 Å 3 ) yielding roughly equal population of diastereomeric inclusion complexes. Larger guests, such as CCl 4 (89 Å 3 ) and CBr 4 (108 Å 3 ), however, formed M-1(-)⊂CX 4 at the expense of M-1(+)⊂CX 4 in circa 3:1 ratio. To account for the observation, theory (DFT:M06-2X/6-31+G*) and experiments ( 1 H NMR spectroscopy) were used to deduce that CX 4 guests become localized inside the twisted cage of the capsule by forming a C-X⋅⋅⋅π halogen bond [N c =d/(r H +r X )=0.91-0.92] with the benzene "floor" while encountering electrostatic repulsions with closer naphthalimide boundaries. At last, the TPA lid used its central methylene hydrogens to establish, within the M-1(-)⊂CX 4 , three stabilizing C-H⋅⋅⋅X-C interactions with the guest. The same C-H⋅⋅⋅X-C interactions, however, became weaker (or possibly vanished) after the conformational reorganization of the lid and the formation of less stable M-1(+)⊂CX 4 complex. On individual basis, C-H⋅⋅⋅X-C intermolecular contacts are weak and hardly detectable in the solution phase. In the case of capsule P/M-1, however, these contacts were multivalent and altogether strong enough to direct the host's dynamic chirality., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The reactivity of the C 2v -symmetric pentakisadduct of C 60 with azomethine ylides and conjugated dienes was studied experimentally and computationally. This derivative possesses four [6,6] double bonds, each with unique electrophilicity. The Diels-Alder reaction studied is a regiospecific, kinetically and thermodynamically guided [4 + 2] process producing [5:1]-hexaadducts with an octahedral addition pattern. The kinetically controlled Prato reaction gives a mixture of regioisomeric [5:1]-hexaadducts. The synthesis of geometrically well-defined supramolecular architectures may benefit from these new types of highly functionalized [5:1]-hexaadducts.