Chiral polymorphism in the self-assemblies of achiral molecules induced by multiple hydrogen bonds

Symmetry of Pyridine Derivatives Controlled Two-Dimensional Nanostructural Diversity by Co-Assembly with Aromatic Carboxylic Acids

The self-assembly behaviors of aromatic carboxylic acids are commonly investigated at the liquid/solid interfaces because of their rigid skeletons and both hydrogen-bond donors and receptors. However, self-assemblies of aromatic carboxylic acids with low symmetry and interactions between carboxylic acid and pyridine derivatives are worth exploring. In this work, the self-assembled structural transitions of a kind of low-symmetric aromatic carboxylic acid (H4QDA) are regulated by the coadsorption of two pyridine derivatives (DPE and T4PT) with different symmetry, which are investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy under ambient conditions. For the H4QDA/DPE system, the grid structure appears. For the H4QDA/T4PT system, the coassembled morphologies display an obvious concentration dependence. With the increase of solution concentration of T4PT, three coassembled patterns (network structure, chiral linear structure, and brick-like structure) are observed. Corresponding structural models suggest that the O-H···N hydrogen bonds have great contributions to stabilizing these coassembled structures. Our studies will help to explore the complexity, diversity, and functionality of multiple component systems and are conducive to further understanding the underlying mechanisms in the assembly process.

Tailoring long-range superlattice chirality in molecular self-assemblies via weak fluorine-mediated interactions

Controllable fabrication of enantiospecific molecular superlattices is a matter of imminent scientific and technological interest. Herein, we demonstrate that long-range superlattice chirality in molecular self-assemblies can be tailored by tuning the interplay of weak intermolecular non-covalent interactions between hexaphenylbenzene-based enantiomers. By means of high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy measurements, we demonstrate that the functionalization of a hexaphenylbenzene-based molecule with fluorine (F) atoms leads to the formation of molecular self-assemblies with distinct long-range chiral recognition patterns. We employed density functional theory calculations to quantify F-mediated lone pair F⋯π, C-H⋯F, and F⋯F interactions attributed to the distinct enantiospecific molecular self-organizations. Our findings underpin a viable route to fabricate long-range chiral recognition patterns in supramolecular assemblies by engineering the weak non-covalent intermolecular interactions.

Self-Assembly Properties of Solution Processable, Electroactive Alkoxy, and Alkylthienylene Derivatives of Fused Benzoacridines: A Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Study

Self-organization in mono- and bilayers on HOPG of two groups of benz[5,6]acridino[2,1,9,8-klmna]acridine derivatives, namely, 8,16-dialkoxybenzo[h]benz[5,6]acridino[2,1,9,8-klmna]acridines with an increasing alkoxy substituent length and 8,16-bis(3- or 4- or 5-octylthiophen-2-yl)benzo[h]benz[5,6]acridino[2,1,9,8-klmna]acridines, i.e., three positional isomers of the same benzoacridine, is investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy. The layers were deposited from a solution of the adsorbate (in hexane or dichloromethane) and imaged ex situ at molecular resolution. In all cases, the resulting two-dimensional (2D) supramolecular organization is governed by the interactions between large, fused heteroaromatic cores that form densely packed rows separated by areas covered by substituents. In 8,16-dialkoxybenzo[h]benz[5,6]acridino[2,1,9,8-klmna]acridines, the alkoxy substituents, separating the rows of densely packed cores, are interdigitated. An increasing substituent length leads to an intuitively expected increase in this 2D unit cell parameter that corresponds to the orientation of the substituent in the monolayer. In the case of 8,16-bis(3- or 4- or 5-octylthiophen-2-yl)benzo[h]benz[5,6]acridino[2,1,9,8-klmna]acridine positional isomers, the self-assembly processes are more complex. Although the determined 2D unit cell is in all cases essentially the same, the role of alkylthienylene substituents in layer formation is distinctly different. Thus, the formation of monolayers and bilayers is very sensitive to isomerism. 8,16-Bis(5-octylthiophen-2-yl)benzo[h]benz[5,6]acridino[2,1,9,8-klmna]acridine is capable of forming the most stable monolayer and the most labile bilayer. In the case of 8,16-bis(3-octylthiophen-2-yl)benzo[h]benz[5,6]acridino[2,1,9,8-klmna]acridine, an inverse phenomenon is observed leading to the most labile monolayer and the most stable bilayer. These differences are rationalized in terms of dissimilar molecular geometries of the studied isomers and different interdigitation patterns in their 2D supramolecular structures.

Tuning Achiral to Chiral Supramolecular Helical Superstructures

The design and synthesis of achiral organic functional molecules which can assemble into a chiral with selective handedness in the absence of chiral substances is an important in understanding the role chirality plays within these systems. In this review, we described general approaches towards supramolecular chiral molecules the synthesis and self-assembly of achiral molecule to active chiral molecules to investigate controlled supramolecular chiral nanostructures with their photoluminescent properties for rapid, sensitive and selective detection of analytes of choice. Various small molecules have been discussed for achiral to chiral along with induction of chirality and controlled chiral helical structures in detail. We discussed few examples where stimuli used to control the chirality such as temperature, pH etc. Finally, we will also explore on the photo responsive helicity properties of the aggregation induced emission active molecule such as tetraphenylethene conjugates.

DL-3-Aminoisobutyric acid: vibrational, NBO and AIM analysis of N-H⋯O bonded-zwitterionic dimer model

A zwitterionic dimer model constructed of inter-molecular -N-H⋯O bonding has been proposed for the solid sample of DL-3-Aminoisobutyric acid consistent with IR absorption and Raman spectral features measured in the 3500-400/50 cm^-1. This zwitterionic dimer model in water as solvent has been computed at B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) and B3LYP-D3/6-311++G(d,p) levels including Grimme's dispersion correction associated with the -N-H⋯O interaction and SCRF-SMD method. Of the several possible monomer and dimer conformational structures, the most stable dimer constructed of two zwitterion monomer units has produced vibrational modes due to the -NH₃ ⁺ cation and -CO₂‾ anion involved in the -N-H⋯O bonding in fair agreement with the observed broad but composite IR modal features near the 3500-2000 cm^-1. Except for the frequency of asymmetric stretching mode of the -NH₃ ⁺ cation, its symmetric and bending modes agree with the observed values. As for the -CO₂‾ anion, the frequencies of all of its modes are in good agreement with the experiment. Natural bond orbital (NBO), molecular electrostatic potential (MEP), atoms-in-molecules (AIM) and non-covalent interaction (NCI) analyses have been used to understand electronic characterization of the -N-H⋯O bonding.