Kentaro Yamaguchi

The metal‐induced self‐assembly of a resorcin[4]arene derivative 1 that has four pyridine units as pendent groups and two equivalents of [M(dppp)(OTf)₂] (M=Pd, Pt) results in a dynamic equilibrium between an interclipped supramolecular capsule 3 and an intraclipped bowl 4 in nitromethane, although the interclipped capsule 3 is formed as a sole adduct in chloroform/methanol and the intraclipped bowl 4 is formed exclusively in an aqueous phase. This demonstrates how metal‐induced self‐assembly can be tuned by subtle changes in the solvent system. The coexistence of the two structures in nitromethane was characterized by NMR spectroscopy and coldspray ionization mass spectrometry (CSI‐MS). The crystal structure of the interclipped capsule 3 b, which is composed of two units of ligand 1 and four Pt^II ions, reveals the capsule cavity to have nanoscale dimensions of 15×20 Å. NMR spectra show that the dynamic equilibrium between 3 and 4 is dependent on concentration and temperature. Temperature‐dependent ¹H NMR spectroscopy was carried out from 273 to 343 K to verify the thermodynamic parameters that control the dynamic equilibrium process; the conversion from the interclipped supramolecular capsule 3 a to the intraclipped bowl 4 a is entropically favored and enthalpically disfavored. The rotational barrier of the restricted rotation of pyridine units in the intraclipped bowl 4 was determined by line‐shape analysis.

Upon complexation with Pd(II) ion, desymmetrized chelating ligand, 6-methyl-2,2′-bipyridine (1), gives only anti Pd·(1)₂²⁺ complex. This regioselective complexation is applied to complementary multicomplexation of liner molecular strands: namely, a strand containing two methyl-substituted 2,2′-bipyridine units is selectively complexed on Pd(II) with its counterpart strand in which methyl groups are complementarily substituted.

A series of cerium(IV) bisporphyrinate double-deckers [Ce(bbpp)2] (BBPP = 5,15-bis(4-butoxyphenyl) porphyrin dianion), [Ce(tmpp)2] (TMPP = 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-methoxyphenyl)-porphyrin dianion), [Ce(tfpp)2] (TFPP = 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-fluorophenyl)porphyrin dianion), [Ce(tmcpp)2] (TMCPP = 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-methoxycarbonylphenyl)porphyrin dianion), and [Ce(tmpp)(tmcpp)] was prepared. They bind three Ag+ ions to their concave porphyrin pi subunits (pi-clefts) according to a positive homotropic allosteric mechanism with Hill coefficients (nH) of 1.7-2.7. The rotation rates of the porphyrin ligands in [Ce(bbpp)2] were evaluated to be 200 s-1 at 20 degrees C (delta G++293 = 14.1 kcal mol-1) and 220 s-1 at -40 degrees C (delta G++233 = 11.0 kcal mol-1) without and with Ag+ ions, respectively. These results consistently support our unexpected finding that Ag+ binding can accelerate rotation of the porphyrin ligand. On the basis of UV-visible, 1H NMR, and resonance Raman spectral measurements, the rate enhancement of the rotational speed of the porphyrin ligands is attributed to conformational changes of the porphyrin in cerium(IV) bis-porphyrinate induced by binding of Ag+ guest ions in the clefts. This novel concept of positive homotropic allosterism is applicable to the molecular design of various supramolecular and switch-functionalized systems.

The fragmentation from β-carboline-type monoterpenoid glucoindole alkaloids to harman, which is a hypothetical pathway to generate simple β-carbolines, was actualized in the collision-induced dissociation in MS.