COMMUNICATIONS
specific properties. Studies with OMs should therefore
provide insight into the molecular basis of novel properties
of reversible polymeric systems, for example, at surfaces and
interfaces.[8]
Molecular Clips that Undergo Heterochiral
Aggregation and Self-Sorting**
Anxin Wu, Arindam Chakraborty,
James C. Fettinger, Robert A. Flowers II,* and
Lyle Isaacs*
Received: June 4, 2002 [Z19455]
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Biological systems offer exquisite examples of the ways in
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To approach the design of supramolecular systems that
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oped metal coordination, donor-acceptor interaction, and
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gen bonding modules[3] that form the basis of supramolecular
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tiomeric self-recognition,[6] and complete asymmetric induc-
tion.[7] The use of hydrogen bonding as a tool in these
applications depended on the design of robust, functionaliz-
able, and tightly associated H-bonding modules. The further
implementation of H-bonding modules as instructed compo-
nents[1] in self-organizing systems additionally requires sys-
tems capable of self-sorting.[8] Such systems display high levels
of discrimination between self and non-self species and
consequently operate simultaneously and orthogonally within
complex mixtures. One strategy to create robust H-bonding
modules relies on increasing the number of hydrogen bonds
and tailoring their geometrical arrangement. In this paper we
employ a strategy using molecular clips,[9,10] based on molec-
ular shape and chirality. We report that compounds 1a, 1b,
(Æ )-2a, and (Æ )-2b form tightly self-associated dimers in
CDCl3 driven by the simultaneous formation of p p inter-
actions and two hydrogen bonds. The dimers possess a
confluence of properties–tight binding, high levels of chiral
discrimination, and self-sorting–that make them prime
modules for use in advanced applications.
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[15] The spacers are only a small fraction of the reversible polymers and
their influence on the properties is largely limited to conformational
flexibility.
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[23] In each of 1a d and 2AB, there are two duplexes of comparable
calculated free energies (within 1 2 kcalmolꢀ1). The individual
transitions are not resolved in UV melting experiments, and the
experimental free energy reported is very close to an average of the
two. The free energy of 3AB is assigned to the weaker duplex; the
larger duplex is effectively permanently fixed in our experimental
conditions and serves as an effective ™duplex spacer∫: J. Xu, S. L.
Craig, unpublished results.
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[*] Prof. L. Isaacs, Dr. A. Wu,+ Dr. A. Chakraborty, Dr. J. C. Fettinger
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742 (USA)
Fax : (þ 1)301-314-9121
E-mail: LI8@umail.umd.edu
Prof. R. A. Flowers II
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX 79409 (USA)
Fax : (þ 1)806-742-1289
E-mail: rflowers@ttu.edu
[27] R. I. Ma, N. R. Kallenbach, R. D. Sheardy, M. L. Petrillo, N. C.
Seeman, Nucleic Acids Res. 1986, 14, 9745 9753.
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[29] M. Shibayama, M. Uesaka, S. Inamoto, H. Mihaua, M. Nomura,
Macromolecules 1996, 29, 885 891.
[þ] National Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry
Lanzhou University
Lanzhou 730000 (P. R. China)
[**] We thank the National Institutes of Health (GM61854) for generous
financial support. L.I. is a Cottrell Scholar of Research Corporation.
Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under
4028
¹ 2002 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
0044-8249/02/4121-4028 $ 20.00+.50/0
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2002, 41, No. 21