Synthesis of Spherical Molecular and Ionic Assemblies

本工作的目的是制备非常大的分子和离子胶囊，并研究它们的分子识别特性。一些杯芳烃、烷基取代间苯二酚芳烃和邻苯三酚芳烃将会或已经被制备出来，这些材料自组装成五聚体和六聚体的过程将会被研究。这样形成的球形组件将通过许多方法来表征。然后，这些球形组件将与潜在客体分子和潜在客体的混合物系统地呈现，以获得有关其分子识别特性的信息。最后，具有非常长的烷基“尾巴”的六聚体组合将被测试它们通过这些尾巴通过六聚体-六聚体相互作用形成更大的组合的能力。通过这个奖项，有机和大分子化学项目支持密苏里-哥伦比亚大学化学系的Jerry L. Atwood博士的研究。阿特伍德博士将探索球形分子和离子胶囊的合成。与天然化合物相关的酚类四聚体可以自组装成各种柏拉图式和阿基米德多面体形状。由此产生的球形组件定义了内部体积，因此称为分子胶囊，能够识别和区分其他分子客人。这种组件可用于药物输送或从混合物中去除污染物的实际应用。通过这个项目，学生将获得无机材料研究和超分子有机化学方面的经验，因此他们将具备特种化学品和制药行业所需的技能。

The objective of this work is to prepare very large molecular and ionic capsules and investigate their molecular recognition properties. A number of calixarenes and alkyl substituted resorcinarenes and pyrogallolarenes will be or have been prepared and the self assembly of these materials into pentamers and hexamers will be studied. The spherical assemblies thus formed will be characterized by a number of methods. These spherical assemblies will then be systematically presented with potential guest molecules and mixtures of potential guests to gain information about their molecular recognition properties. Lastly, hexameric assemblies with very long alkyl "tails" will be tested for their ability to form even larger assemblies via hexamer-hexamer interactions through these tails. With this award, the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program is supporting the research of Dr. Jerry L. Atwood of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr. Atwood will explore the synthesis of spherical molecular and ionic capsules. Tetramers of phenols related to naturally occuring compounds can self assemble into a variety of Platonic and Archimedean polyhedral shapes. The resulting spherical assemblies have defined internal volumes, hence the term molecular capsules, capable of recognizing and distinguishing other molecular guests. Such assemblies may have practical applications for drug delivery or the removal of contaminants from mixtures. Students trained as a result of working on this project will gain experience in inorganic materials research as well as supramolecular organic chemistry, hence they will have skills needed by both the specialty chemicals and pharmaceutical industries.