Interplay of Stereochemistry and Charge Governs Guest Binding in Flexible ZnII4L4 Cages

J Am Chem Soc. 2024 Nov 27;146(47):32730-32737. doi: 10.1021/jacs.4c12320. Epub 2024 Nov 14.

Abstract

Here, we report the synthesis of a family of chiral ZnII4L4 tetrahedral cages by subcomponent self-assembly. These cages contain a flexible trialdehyde subcomponent that allows them to adopt stereochemically distinct configurations. The incorporation of enantiopure 1-phenylethylamine produced Δ4 and Λ4 enantiopure cages, in contrast to the racemates that resulted from the incorporation of achiral 4-methoxyaniline. The stereochemistry of these ZnII4L4 tetrahedra was characterized by X-ray crystallography and chiroptical spectroscopy. Upon binding the enantiopure natural product podocarpic acid, the ZnII stereocenters of the enantiopure Δ4-ZnII4L4 cage retained their Δ handedness. In contrast, the metal stereocenters of the enantiomeric Λ4-ZnII4L4 cage underwent inversion to a Δ configuration upon encapsulation of the same guest. Insights gained about the stereochemical communication between host and guest enabled the design of a process for acid/base-responsive guest uptake and release, which could be followed by chiroptical spectroscopy.