Two benzene/2,2′-bipyridine-alternately incorporated amide polymers have been prepared, which are driven by hydrophobicity to form two different helical conformations. Both helices exhibit twist sense bias in water induced by chiral valine side chains and the coordination of the 2,2′-bipyridine unit to the Ni²⁺ ions.

A benzene/naphthalene alternately incorporated amide polymer was synthesized and characterized. ¹H NMR spectroscopy, fluorescence, and circular dichroism (CD) experiments indicated that, in chloroform, the polymer could be induced by the chiral l-aspartic acid dianion or one of its derivatives to form a helical tubular conformation with twist-sense bias. CD titration studies showed that the l-aspartic acid dianion (8 equiv.) could lead to a maximum Cotton effect. It was also revealed that the twist-sense bias obeyed the majority rule, and 70 % enantiomeric excess could realize the maximum helicity bias. Adding acetonitrile to the solution of chloroform caused inversion of the guest-induced helicity bias of the polymer.

The self-assembly of a new type of three-dimensional (3D) supramolecular polymers from tetrahedral monomers in both organic and aqueous media is described. We have designed and synthesized two tetraphenylmethane derivatives T1 and T2, both of which bear four tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) units. When the TTF units were oxidized to the radical cation TTF^.+, their pre-organized tetrahedral arrangement remarkably enhanced their intermolecular dimerization, leading to the formation of new 3D spherical supramolecular polymers. The structure of the supramolecular polymers has been inferred on the basis of UV/Vis absorption, electron paramagnetic resonance, cyclic voltammetry, and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis, as well as by comparing these properties with those of the self-assembled structures of mono-, di-, and tritopic control compounds. DLS experiments revealed that the spherical supramolecular polymers had hydrodynamic diameters of 68 nm for T1 (75 μM) in acetonitrile and 105 nm for T2 (75 μM) in water/acetonitrile (1:1). The 3D spherical structures of the supramolecular polymers formed in different solvents were also supported by SEM and AFM experiments.

Straightforward etherification of benzyl alcohols (1) via intermolecular dehydration can be efficiently catalyzed by sodium bisulfite under solvent-free conditions. In the presence of 0.3 mol% or 0.6 mol% amount of sodium bisulfite, symmetric and unsymmetric ethers are prepared from the corresponding alcohols in high yields (up to 95%). Etherification of benzhydryl alcohols is also discussed.

The enantiomeric atropoisomers of 1,1′-binaphthyl-2,2′-diol (BINOL) have become one of the most widely used chiral ligands and auxiliaries for asymmetric synthesis. This review provides an overview of enantioselective synthesis of optical active BINOLs by straightforward asymmetric oxidative coupling of identical 2-naphthol and its substituted derivatives. Chirality 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.