J. Appl. Cryst.の発刊に際して

Molecular self-assembly is the spontaneous association of molecules under equilibrium conditions into stable, structurally well-defined aggregates joined by noncovalent bonds. Molecular self-assembly is ubiquitous in biological systems and underlies the formation of a wide variety of complex biological structures. Understanding self-assembly and the associated noncovalent interactions that connect complementary interacting molecular surfaces in biological aggregates is a central concern in structural biochemistry. Self-assembly is also emerging as a new strategy in chemical synthesis, with the potential of generating nonbiological structures with dimensions of 1 to 10(2) nanometers (with molecular weights of 10(4) to 10(10) daltons). Structures in the upper part of this range of sizes are presently inaccessible through chemical synthesis, and the ability to prepare them would open a route to structures comparable in size (and perhaps complementary in function) to those that can be prepared by microlithography and other techniques of microfabrication.

Molecular self-assembly and nanochemistry: A chemical strategy for the synthesis of nanostructures

In 1981, the macrocyclic methylene-bridged glycoluril hexamer (CB[6]) was dubbed "cucurbituril" by Mock and co-workers because of its resemblance to the most prominent member of the cucurbitaceae family of plants--the pumpkin. In the intervening years, the fundamental binding properties of CB[6]-high affinity, highly selective, and constrictive binding interactions--have been delineated by the pioneering work of the research groups of Mock, Kim, and Buschmann, and has led to their applications in waste-water remediation, as artificial enzymes, and as molecular switches. More recently, the cucurbit[n]uril family has grown to include homologues (CB[5]-CB[10]), derivatives, congeners, and analogues whose sizes span and exceed the range available with the alpha-, beta-, and gamma-cyclodextrins. Their shapes, solubility, and chemical functionality may now be tailored by synthetic chemistry to play a central role in molecular recognition, self-assembly, and nanotechnology. This Review focuses on the synthesis, recognition properties, and applications of these unique macrocycles.

The cucurbit[n]uril family

Yuming Yang,†,§ Qiang Zhao,‡,§ Wei Feng,† and Fuyou Li*,† †Department of Chemistry and State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China ‡Key Laboratory for Organic Electronics and Information Displays (KLOEID) and Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM), Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210046, P. R. China.

Luminescent chemodosimeters for bioimaging.

Fluorescent Chemosensors Based on Spiroring-Opening of Xanthenes and Related Derivatives Xiaoqiang Chen, Tuhin Pradhan, Fang Wang, Jong Seung Kim,* and Juyoung Yoon* Departments of Chemistry and Nano Science and of Bioinspired Science (WCU), Ewha Womans University, Seoul 120-750, Korea State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Technology, Nanjing 210009, China Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Korea

Fluorescent chemosensors based on spiroring-opening of xanthenes and related derivatives.

ConspectusSupramolecular architectures and materials have attracted immense attention during the last decades because they not only open the possibility of obtaining a large variety of aesthetically interesting structures but also have applications in gas storage, sensors, separation, catalysis, and so on. On the other hand, cucurbit[n]urils (Q[n]s), a relatively new class of macrocyclic hosts with a rigid hydrophobic cavity and two identical carbonyl fringed portals, have attracted much attention in supramolecular chemistry. Because of the strong charge–dipole and hydrogen bonding interactions, as well as hydrophobic and hydrophilic effect derived from the negative portals and rigid cavities of Q[n]s, nearly all research in Q[n]s has been focused on utilizing the portals and cavities to construct supramolecular assemblies similar to other macrocyclic receptors such as cyclodextrin and calixarenes. Interestingly, a recent study revealed that other weak noncovalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding and...

Self-assemblies based on the "outer-surface interactions" of cucurbit[n]urils: new opportunities for supramolecular architectures and materials.

Cucurbit[n]urils are a family of molecular container hosts bearing a rigid hydrophobic cavity and two identical carbonyl fringed portals. They have attracted much attention in supramolecular chemistry because of their superior molecular recognition properties in aqueous media. This review highlights the recent advances and challenges in the field of cucurbit[n]uril-based coordination chemistry. It not only presents progress in the knowledge of such macrocyclic compounds, which range from simple to complicated architectures, but also presents new routes of synthesis and their advantages in hybrid porous solids. The concept of structure “inducer” for their structural design to achieve predictable structures and controlled pores is described. The large pore sizes and hydrophobic cavities of these compounds that lead to unprecedented properties and potential applications are also discussed.

Cucurbit[n]uril-based coordination chemistry: from simple coordination complexes to novel poly-dimensional coordination polymers

Twisted Cucurbit[14]uril

Light-emitting materials with tunable properties may offer fascinating applications in optoelectronic devices, fluorescent sensors, and imaging agents. Herein, a new supramolecular approach based on host–guest interactions that greatly decreases the number of required synthetic steps and produces a system with tunable and dynamical photophysical properties was developed. Because of the novel electronic distributions of the chromophore guest within the rigid hydrophobic cavity of the cucurbit[8]uril host in this system, color tuning of emissions such as cyan, yellow, green, and white light with efficiency increased fluorescence lifetime, and quantum yield was easily achieved by simple addition of the host in aqueous solution. Stimulus-responsive tuning of color has long been an important area of research into light emissions. The current study distinguishes itself by its combination of simple steps using a single synthetic receptor and a single organic fluorophore guest in a single solution. Our results ma...

Facile Cucurbit[8]uril-Based Supramolecular Approach To Fabricate Tunable Luminescent Materials in Aqueous Solution

Synthesis of a symmetrical tetrasubstituted cucurbit[6]uril has been achieved by using the diether of dimethylglycoluril (1) and the dimmer of glycoluril (2). The structure of the symmetrical tetramethylcucurbit[6]uril (TMeQ[6]) has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction, 1H NMR spectroscopy and ESMS. The 1H NMR spectra of 2,2′-bipyridine added to TMeQ[6] reveal that the host-guest inclusion complex was easily formed.

Zhu Tao

Papers

Self-assemblies based on the "outer-surface interactions" of cucurbit[n]urils: new opportunities for supramolecular architectures and materials.

Cucurbit[n]uril-based coordination chemistry: from simple coordination complexes to novel poly-dimensional coordination polymers

Twisted Cucurbit[14]uril

Facile Cucurbit[8]uril-Based Supramolecular Approach To Fabricate Tunable Luminescent Materials in Aqueous Solution

Synthesis of a symmetrical tetrasubstituted cucurbit[6]uril and its host-guest inclusion complex with 2,2 ′-bipyridine