skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Cage Match: Comparing the Anion Binding Ability of Isostructural Versus Isofunctional Pairs of Metal‐Organic Nanocages
Abstract Affinities of six anions (mesylate, acetate, trifluoroacetate,p‐toluenecarboxylate,p‐toluenesulfonate, and perfluorooctanoate) for three related Pt2+‐linked porphyrin nanocages were measured to probe the influence of different noncovalent recognition motifs (e. g., hydrogen bonding, electrostatics, π bonding) on anion binding. Two new hosts of M6L312+(1b) and M4L28+(2) composition (M=(en)Pt2+, L=(3‐py)4porphyrin) were prepared in a one‐pot synthesis and allowed comparison of hosts that differ in structure while maintaining similar N−H hydrogen‐bond donor ability. Comparisons of isostructural hosts that differ in hydrogen‐bonding ability were made between1band a related M6L312+nanoprism (1a, M=(tmeda)Pt2+) that lacks N−H groups. Considerable variation in association constants (K1=1.6×103 M−1to 1.3×108 M−1) and binding mode (exovs.endo) were found for different host–guest combinations. Strongest binding was seen betweenp‐toluenecarboxylate and1b, but surprisingly, association of this guest with1awas only slightly weaker despite the absence of NH⋅⋅⋅O interactions. The high affinity betweenp‐toluenecarboxylate and1acould be turned off by protonation, and this behavior was used to toggle between the binding of this guest and the environmental pollutant perfluorooctanoate, which otherwise has a lower affinity for the host.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2204045 2117792
PAR ID:
10519130
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Chemistry - A European Journal published by Wiley-VCH GmbH
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Chemistry – A European Journal
Volume:
30
Issue:
2
ISSN:
0947-6539
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Aμ-oxo vanadium(V) dimeric complex, μ-oxido-bis[(2,2′-{[ethane-1,2-diylbis(azanediyl)]bis(methylene)}diphenolato)oxidovanadium(V)], [V2(C16H18N2O2)2O3] (1), was crystallized by slow evaporation from an ethanol solution. Theμ-oxo dimer crystallizes in the monoclinic space groupC2/cwhere the salan ligand1acoordinates to the vanadium center in a κ2N,κ2Ofashion, forming a distorted octahedral geometry. The bridging oxo ligand lies on a crystallographic twofold axis. The unit cell consists of four molecules of1that are linked by C—H...·πareneinteractions as well as intramolecular hydrogen bonding. 
    more » « less
  2. Abstract Bis‐porphyrin nanocages (M2BiCage, M = FeCl, Co, Zn) and their host‐guest complexes with C60and C70were used to examine how molecular porosity and interactions with carbon nanomaterials affect the CO2reduction activity of metalloporphyrin electrocatalysts. The cages were found to adsorb on carbon black to provide electrocatalytic inks with excellent accessibilities of the metal sites (≈50%) even at high metal loadings (2500 nmol cm−2), enabling good activity for reducing CO2to CO. A complex of C70bound inside(FeCl)2BiCageachieves high current densities for CO formation at low overpotentials (|jCO| >7 mA cm−2,η= 320 mV; >13.5 mA cm−2,η= 520 mV) with ≥95% Faradaic efficiency (FECO), andCo2BiCageachieves high turnover frequencies (≈1300 h−1,η= 520 mV) with 90% FECO. In general, blocking the pore with C60or C70improves the catalytic performance of(FeCl)2BiCageand has only small effects onCo2BiCage, indicating that the good catalytic properties of the cages cannot be attributed to their internal pores. Neither enhanced electron transfer rates nor metal‐fullerene interactions appear to underlie the ability of C60/C70to improve the performance of(FeCl)2BiCage, in contrast to effects often proposed for other carbon nanosupports. 
    more » « less
  3. Abstract Reaction of (P)AuOTf [P=P(t‐Bu)2o‐biphenyl] with indenyl‐ or 3‐methylindenyl lithium led to isolation of gold η1‐indenyl complexes (P)Au(η1‐inden‐1‐yl) (1 a) and (P)Au(η1‐3‐methylinden‐1‐yl) (1 b), respectively, in >65 % yield. Whereas complex1 bis static, complex1 aundergoes facile, degenerate 1,3‐migration of gold about the indenyl ligand (ΔG153K=9.1±1.1 kcal/mol). Treatment of complexes1 aand1 bwith (P)AuNTf2led to formation of the corresponding cationic bis(gold) indenyl complexestrans‐[(P)Au]211‐inden‐1,3‐yl) (2 a) andtrans‐[(P)Au]212‐3‐methylinden‐1‐yl) (2 b), respectively, which were characterized spectroscopically and modeled computationally. Despite the absence of aurophilic stabilization in complexes2 aand2 b, the binding affinity of mono(gold) complex1 atoward exogenous (P)Au+exceed that of free indene by ~350‐fold and similarly the binding affinity of1 btoward exogenous (P)Au+exceed that of 3‐methylindene by ~50‐fold. The energy barrier for protodeauration of bis(gold) indenyl complex2 awith HOAc was ≥8 kcal/mol higher than for protodeauration of mono(gold) complex1 a. 
    more » « less
  4. Helical aromatic oligoamide foldamers (1a–c) with tunable lengths were computationally examined for their ability to bind selected sugars and sugar alcohols. These helices feature cylindrically shaped inner cavities lined with multiple inward-facing amide carbonyl oxygens acting as hydrogen-bond acceptors, enabling sugar binding via hydrogen bonding. Each of the helical foldamers has an overall dipole moment that increases with the length of the helix. The binding of a guest typically results in a reduction of the overall helix dipole moment within the complex, although there are several exceptions. The strength of host–guest interactions correlated positively with the number of hydrogen bonds formed. Longer helix 1c showed stronger interaction energies (up to −84.45 kcal mol−1), particularly with disaccharides, while shorter helix 1a bound sugars more weakly due to fewer established hydrogen bonds. The helical hosts exhibit structural adaptibility upon binding guests, with host distortion upon binding decreased with increasing helix length. Despite reduced binding energies, the complexes retained binding capability in aqueous environments, demonstrating their viability for aqueous-phase applications. This study underscores the critical roles of helical length and dipole alignment in optimizing sugar binding, providing a theoretical foundation for designing synthetic receptors for sugars and sugar alcohols based on aromatic oligoamide foldamers. 
    more » « less
  5. Organoantimony Lewis acids have been coveted for their ability to bind hard anions like fluoride in competing media. Herein, we describe the synthesis of a phenyl dithienostibole (1) in which the antimony(III) center is embedded within a planar dibenzodithiophene chromophore. Compound1reacts witho‐chloranil to form the corresponding catecholatostiborane (2); it also reacts withtert‐butyl peroxide in the presence of perfluoropinacol to form the corresponding pinacolatostiborane (3). Compound2was investigated as a platform for anion binding. UV–vis titrations in CH2Cl2afforded an association constant greater than 107 M−1pointing to the high fluoridophilicity of this new system. Density functional theory calculations highlight the role played by theσ*(Sb‐Cphenyl) orbital in imparting Lewis acidity to the antimony center of2. 
    more » « less