A chiral bisurea anion receptor, derived from a first-generation molecular motor, can undergo photochemical and thermal isomerization operating as a reconfigurable system. The two possible cis configurations in the isomerization cycle are opposite in helicity, as is shown by CD spectroscopy. ¹H NMR titrations demonstrate that the P and M helical cis isomers hold opposite enantioselectivity in the binding of binol phosphate, while anion complexation by the intermediate trans isomer is not selective. The difference in the binding affinity of the enantiomers was rationalized by DFT calculations, revealing very distinct binding modes. Thus, the enantiopreferred substrate binding in this receptor can be inverted in a dynamic fashion using light and heat.

Molecular switches, rotors, and motors play an important role in the development of nano-machines and devices, as well as responsive and adaptive functional materials. For unidirectional rotors based on chiral overcrowded alkenes, their stereochemical homogeneity is of crucial importance. Herein, a method to obtain new and functionalizable overcrowded alkenes in enantiopure form is presented. The procedure involves a short synthesis of three steps and a solvent-switchable chiral resolution by using a readily available resolving agent. X-ray crystallography revealed the mode of binding of the motor with the resolving agent, as well as the absolute configuration of the motor. ¹H NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopy techniques were used to determine the dynamic behavior of this molecular motor. This method provides rapid access to ample amounts of enantiopure molecular motors, which will greatly facilitate the further development of responsive molecular systems based on chiral overcrowded alkenes.

Transition-state theory allows for the characterization of kinetic processes in terms of enthalpy and entropy of activation by using the Eyring equation. However, for reactions in solution, it fails to take the change of viscosity of solvents with temperature into account. A second-generation unidirectional rotary molecular motor was used as a probe to study the effects of temperature-dependent viscosity changes upon unimolecular thermal isomerization processes. By combining the free-volume model with transition-state theory, a modified version of the Eyring equation was derived, in which the rate is expressed in terms of both temperature and viscosity.

A chiral bisurea anion receptor, derived from a first-generation molecular motor, can undergo photochemical and thermal isomerization operating as a reconfigurable system. The two possible cis configurations in the isomerization cycle are opposite in helicity, as is shown by CD spectroscopy. ¹H NMR titrations demonstrate that the P and M helical cis isomers hold opposite enantioselectivity in the binding of binol phosphate, while anion complexation by the intermediate trans isomer is not selective. The difference in the binding affinity of the enantiomers was rationalized by DFT calculations, revealing very distinct binding modes. Thus, the enantiopreferred substrate binding in this receptor can be inverted in a dynamic fashion using light and heat.

A Pd-catalyzed direct cross-coupling of two distinct aryl bromides mediated by tBuLi is described. The use of [Pd-PEPPSI-IPr] or [Pd-PEPPSI-IPent] as catalyst allows for the efficient one-pot synthesis of unsymmetrical biaryls at room temperature. The key for this selective cross-coupling is the use of an ortho-substituted bromide that undergoes lithium–halogen exchange preferentially.

The facile assembly of higher-order nanoarchitectures from simple building blocks is demonstrated by the loading of vesicles into soft amphiphilic nanotubes using osmosis. The nanotubes are constructed from rigid interdigitated bilayers which are capped with vesicles comprising phospholipid-based flexible bilayers. When a hyperosmotic gradient is applied to these vesicle-capped nanotubes, the closed system loses water and the more flexible vesicle bilayer is pulled inwards. This leads to inclusion of vesicles inside the nanotubes without affecting the tube structure, showing controlled reorganization of the self-assembled multicomponent system upon a simple osmotic stimulus.

The palladium-catalyzed oxidation of alkenes, the Wacker–Tsuji reaction, is undoubtedly a classic in organic synthesis and provides reliable access to methyl ketones from terminal alkenes under mild reaction conditions. Methods that switch the selectivity of the reaction to provide the aldehyde product are desirable because of the access they provide to a valuable functional group, however such methods are elusive. Herein we survey both the methods which have been developed recently in achieving such selectivity and discuss common features and mechanistic insight which offers promise in achieving the goal of a general method for anti-Markovnikov-selective olefin oxidations.

The facile assembly of higher-order nanoarchitectures from simple building blocks is demonstrated by the loading of vesicles into soft amphiphilic nanotubes using osmosis. The nanotubes are constructed from rigid interdigitated bilayers which are capped with vesicles comprising phospholipid-based flexible bilayers. When a hyperosmotic gradient is applied to these vesicle-capped nanotubes, the closed system loses water and the more flexible vesicle bilayer is pulled inwards. This leads to inclusion of vesicles inside the nanotubes without affecting the tube structure, showing controlled reorganization of the self-assembled multicomponent system upon a simple osmotic stimulus.

A copper/phosphoramidite catalyzed asymmetric allylic alkylation of Z trisubstituted allyl bromides with organolithium reagents is reported. The reaction affords all-carbon quaternary stereogenic centers in high yields and very good regio- and enantioselectivity. This systematic study illustrates the crucial role of the olefin geometry of the allyl substrate on the outcome of the reaction and provides a viable alternative to access these important structural motifs.

A palladium-catalysed cross-coupling of organolithium reagents with aryl and vinyl triflates is presented. The reaction proceeds at 50 or 70 °C with short reaction times, and the corresponding products are obtained with moderate to high yields, with a variety of alkyl and (hetero)aryl lithium reagents.

A new responsive material composed of an amphiphilic light-switchable dithienylethene unit functionalized with a hydrophobic cholesterol unit and a hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol)-modified pyridinium group has been designed. This unique single-molecule system shows responsive light-switchable self-assembly in both water and organic solvents. Light-triggered reversible vesicle formation in aqueous solutions is reported. The molecule shows a different behavior in apolar aromatic solvents, in which light-controlled formation of organogel fibers is observed. The light-triggered aggregation behavior of this molecule demonstrates that control of a supramolecular structure with light can be achieved in both aqueous and organic media and that this ability can be present in a single molecule. This opens the way toward the effective development of new strategies in soft nanotechnology for applications in controlled chemical release systems.

Azobenzenes have been used as photoresponsive units for the control of numerous biological processes. Primary prerequisites for such applications are site-selective incorporation of photoswitchable units into biomolecules and the possibility of using non-destructive and deep-tissue-penetrating visible light for the photoisomerization. Here we report a push–pull azobenzene that readily undergoes a Staudinger–Bertozzi ligation with azide groups, that can be addressed with visible light (>440 nm) and exhibits the solvato- and acidochromism typical for push–pull systems. The thermal relaxation in aqueous environment proceeds on the low-millisecond timescale, thus enabling control over biological processes on similar timescales. The approach is demonstrated in the modification of a quartz surface and in the incorporation of an azobenzene unit into a functional peptide, the third zinc finger in the mammalian factor Sp1.

Photocaged compounds are important tools for studying and regulating multiple processes, including biological functions. Reported herein is the use of the Passerini multicomponent reaction for modular preparation of photocaged carboxylic acids. The reaction is compatible with several functionalities and proceeds smoothly both in water and dichloromethane. The choice of aldehyde determines the wavelength used for deprotection and enables formation of orthogonally protected products. The isocyanide component can be used for introduction of reactive tags and photosensitizers, as well as for immobilization on a solid support.

The novel concept for the autoamplification of molecular chirality, wherein the amplification proceeds through the induction of supramolecular chirality, is presented. A solution of prochiral, ring-open diarylethenes is doped with a small amount of their chiral, ring-closed counterpart. The molecules co-assemble into helical fibers through hydrogen bonding and the handedness of the fibers is biased by the chiral, ring-closed diarylethene. Photochemical ring closure of the open diarylethene yields the ring-closed product, which is enriched in the template enantiomer.

Photocaged compounds are important tools for studying and regulating multiple processes, including biological functions. Reported herein is the use of the Passerini multicomponent reaction for modular preparation of photocaged carboxylic acids. The reaction is compatible with several functionalities and proceeds smoothly both in water and dichloromethane. The choice of aldehyde determines the wavelength used for deprotection and enables formation of orthogonally protected products. The isocyanide component can be used for introduction of reactive tags and photosensitizers, as well as for immobilization on a solid support.

The novel concept for the autoamplification of molecular chirality, wherein the amplification proceeds through the induction of supramolecular chirality, is presented. A solution of prochiral, ring-open diarylethenes is doped with a small amount of their chiral, ring-closed counterpart. The molecules co-assemble into helical fibers through hydrogen bonding and the handedness of the fibers is biased by the chiral, ring-closed diarylethene. Photochemical ring closure of the open diarylethene yields the ring-closed product, which is enriched in the template enantiomer.

Dithienylethene photochromic switching units have been incorporated into a hydrogelating system based on a tripeptide motif. The resulting hybrid system provided both a photochromic response and the ability to gelate water under acidic and neutral conditions. Fluorescence spectroscopy shows that the dithienylethene units are in sufficient proximity to each other to stack in gel fibers, with the tripeptide unit determining solubility. TEM measurements provided insight into the microscopic structure of the fibers formed.

Proteasome inhibitors are widely used in cancer treatment as chemotherapeutic agents. However, their employment often results in severe side effects, due to their non-specific cytotoxicity towards healthy tissue. This problem might be overcome by using a photopharmacological approach, that is, by attaining external, dynamic, spatiotemporal photocontrol over the activity of a cytotoxic agent, achieved by the introduction of a photoswitchable moiety into its molecular structure. Here we describe the design, synthesis, and activity of photoswitchable proteasome inhibitors. Substantial differences in proteasome inhibitory activity in cell extracts were observed before and after irradiation with light. The presented results show potential for the development of chemotherapeutic agents that can be switched on and off with light, constituting a new strategy for spatiotemporally modulating proteasomal activity.

We report the synthesis of altitudinal molecular motors that contain functional groups in their rotor part. In an approach to achieve dynamic control over the properties of solid surfaces, a hydrophobic perfluorobutyl chain and a relatively hydrophilic cyano group were introduced to the rotor part of the motors. Molecular motors were attached to quartz surfaces by using interfacial 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions. To test the effect of the functional groups on the rotary motion, photochemical and thermal isomerization studies of the motors were performed both in solution and when attached to the surface. We found that the substituents have no significant effect on the thermal and photochemical processes, and the functionalized motors preserved their rotary function both in solution and on a quartz surface. Preliminary results on the influence of the functional groups on surface wettability are also described.

An efficient and highly enantioselective copper-catalyzed allylic alkylation of phosphonates and phosphine oxides with Grignard reagents and Taniaphos or phosphoramidites as chiral ligands is reported. Transformation of these products leads to a variety of new phosphorus-containing chiral intermediates.

The copper-catalyzed hetero-allylic asymmetric alkylation (h-AAA) of functionalized Grignard reagents that contain alkene or alkyne moieties has been achieved with excellent regio- and enantioselectivity. The corresponding alkylation products were further transformed into a variety of highly functionalized cyclic and bicyclic alcohols with excellent control over the chemo-, regio-, and stereoselectivity.

We report that 3,3′-diaryl-BINOL phosphoric acids are effective enantioselective extractants in chiral separation methods based on reactive liquid–liquid extraction. These new extractants are capable of separating racemic benzylic primary amine substrates. The effect of the nature of the substituents at the 3,3′-positions of the host were examined as well as the structure of the substrate, together with important parameters such as the organic solvent, the pH of the aqueous phase, and the host stoichiometry. Titration of the substrate with the host was monitored by FTIR, NMR, UV–Vis, and CD spectroscopy, which provided insight into the structure of the host–guest complex involved in extraction. Chirality 2011. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Two types of graphene-based hybrid materials, graphene-TPP (TPP=tetraphenylporphyrin) and graphene-PdTPP (PdTPP=palladium tetraphenylporphyrin), were prepared directly from pristine graphene through one-pot cycloaddition reactions. The hybrid materials were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), by TEM, by UV/Vis, FTIR, Raman, and luminescence spectroscopy, and by fluorescence/phosphorescence lifetime measurements. The presence of the covalent linkages between graphene and porphyrin was confirmed by FTIR and Raman spectroscopy and further supported by control experiments. The presence of TPP (or PdTPP) in the hybrid material was demonstrated by UV/Vis spectroscopy, with TGA results indicating that the graphene-TPP and graphene-PdTPP hybrid materials contained approximately 18 % TPP and 20 % PdTPP. The quenching of fluorescence (or phosphorescence) and reduced lifetimes suggest excited state energy/electron transfer between graphene and the covalently attached TPP (or PdTPP) molecules.

The multistep catalytic process using designer cells, either added as freshly prepared suspensions or as stable lyophilized powder, and click reaction can be performed in one pot. The sequence of four reactions allows the production of both enantiomers of β-hydroxytriazoles with high enantiomeric excess.

The highly enantioselective synthesis of α-methyl-substituted esters is reported in up to 90% yield and up to 99% ee using copper-TaniaPhos as chiral catalyst. The transformation proved scalable to at least 6.6 mmol (1.7 g scale). The products of this transformation have been further elaborated to multifunctional building blocks with a single (branched esters and acids) or multiple stereogenic centers (vicinal dimethyl esters, as well as, hydroxy- or iodo-substituted lactones).

The first palladium based extraction system using chiral N-based ligands in the enantioselective liquid–liquid extraction (ELLE) of underivatized amino acids, is presented. The system shows the highest selectivity for the ELLE of methionine with metal complexes as hosts reported to date. Furthermore, the host can be prepared in situ from commercially available compounds. The dependency of the system on parameters such as pH, organic solvent, and temperature has been established. The intrinsic selectivity was deduced by determination of the association constants of the palladium complex with the tryptophan enantiomers.

The first asymmetric synthesis of mycolipenic acid and mycolipanolic acid by using an improved iterative procedure involving catalytic asymmetric conjugate addition of MeMgBr as the key step is described. Mycolipenic and mycolipanolic acid are obtained in 11 steps with perfect stereocontrol, and both acids are identical to their counterparts from natural sources.

A catalyst made in situ from the (cyclooctadiene)iridium chloride dimer, [Ir(COD)Cl]₂, and the monodentate phosphoramidite ligand (S)-PipPhos was used in the enantioselective hydrogenation of 2- and 2,6-substituted quinoxalines. In the presence of piperidine hydrochloride as additive full conversions and enantioselectivities of up to 96% are obtained.

The lipase-catalysed resolution of alcohols and amines yields only 50 % of the desired enantiopure product. However, addition of a racemisation catalyst leads to 100 % yield in what is called a dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR). There is a need for new racemisation catalysts that are fast and compatible with the conditions of the enzymatic reaction. We show that cationic half-sandwich ruthena- and iridacycle complexes are highly active and efficient in the racemisation of chiral alcohols and amines. Upon activation with base, these complexes are able to selectively racemise alcohols, whereas the non-activated complexes are selective catalysts for the racemisation of amines. We have applied the iridacycles in the DKR of racemic β-chloroalcohols to produce chiral epoxides in a biphasic system in good yields and high ee (ee=enantiomeric excess).

The recently developed concept of DNA-based asymmetric catalysis involves the transfer of chirality from the DNA double helix in reactions using a noncovalently bound catalyst. To date, two generations of DNA-based catalysts have been reported that differ in the design of the ligand for the metal. Herein we present a study of the first generation of DNA-based catalysts, which contain ligands comprising a metal-binding domain linked through a spacer to a 9-aminoacridine moiety. Particular emphasis has been placed on determining the effect of DNA on the structure of the Cu^II complex and the catalyzed Diels–Alder reaction. The most important findings are that the role of DNA is limited to being a chiral scaffold; no rate acceleration was observed in the presence of DNA. Furthermore, the optimal DNA sequence for obtaining high enantioselectivities proved to contain alternating GC nucleotides. Finally, DNA has been shown to interact with the Cu^II complex to give a chiral structure. Comparison with the second generation of DNA-based catalysts, which bear bipyridine-type ligands, revealed marked differences, which are believed to be related to the DNA microenvironment in which the catalyst resides and where the reaction takes place.

The monodentate BINOL-derived phosphoramidite PipPhos is used as ligand for the iridium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of 2- and 2,6-substituted quinolines. If tri-ortho-tolylphosphine and/or chloride salts are used as additives enantioselectivities are strongly enhanced up to 89%. NMR indicates that no mixed complexes are formed upon addition of tri-ortho-tolylphosphine.

We report the synthesis of unidirectional light-driven rotary molecular motors based on chiral overcrowded alkenes and their immobilisation on the surface of gold nanoparticles through two anchors. Using a combination of ¹H and ¹³C NMR, UV/Vis and CD spectroscopy, we show that these motors preserve their photochemical and thermal behaviour after they have been attached to gold nanoparticles. Furthermore, we describe the synthesis of ²H- and ¹³C-labelled derivatives that were used to verify the unidirectionality of the rotary cycle of these motors both in solution and while grafted to gold nanoparticles. Taken together, these data support the conclusion that these motors maintain their unidirectional rotary cycle when grafted to the surface of small (ca. 2 nm) gold nanoparticles. Thus, continuous irradiation of the system under appropriate conditions leads to unidirectional rotation of the upper half of the molecules relative to the entire nanoparticle.

The introduction of dibenzocyclohepten-5-ylidene as part of a unidirectional light-driven molecular motor allows a more complete picture of the pathway of thermal helix inversion to be developed. The most stable conformation is similar to that found in related motors in that it has, overall, an anti-folded structure with the substituent at the stereogenic centre adopting an axial orientation. Photochemical cis/trans isomerisation at −40 °C results in the formation of an isomer in a syn-folded conformation with the methyl group in an axial orientation. This contrasts with previous studies on related molecular rotary motors. The conformation of the higher energy intermediate typically observed for this class of compound is the anti-folded conformation, in which the methyl group is in an equatorial orientation. This conformation is available through an energetically uphill upper half ring inversion of the observed photochemical product. However, this pathway competes with a second process that leads to the more stable anti-folded conformation in which the methyl group is oriented axially. It has been shown that the conformations and pathways available for second-generation molecular motors can be described by using similar overall geometries. Differences in the metastable high-energy species are attributable to the relative energy and position on the reaction coordinate of the transition states. Kinetic studies on these new molecular motors thus provide important insights into the conformational dynamics of the rotation cycle.

A general approach for the easy functionalization of bare silica and glass surfaces with a synthetic manganese catalyst is reported. Decomposition of H₂O₂ by this dinuclear metallic center into H₂O and O₂ induced autonomous movement of silica microparticles and glass micro-sized fibers. Although several mechanisms have been proposed to rationalise movement of particles driven by H₂O₂ decomposition to O₂ and water (recoil from O₂ bubbles,36, 45 interfacial tension gradient37–42), it is apparent in the present system that ballistic movement is due to the growth of O₂ bubbles.