Quantified structural speciation in self-sorted CoII6L4 cage systems.

ABSTRACT: The molecular components of biological systems self-sort in different ways to function cooperatively and to avoid interfering with each other. Understanding the driving forces behind these different sorting modes enables progressively more complex self-assembling synthetic systems to be designed. Here we show that subtle ligand differences engender distinct M6L4 cage geometries - an S4-symmetric scalenohedron, or pseudo-octahedra having T point symmetry. When two different ligands were simultaneously employed during self-assembly, a mixture of homo- and heteroleptic cages was generated. Each set of product structures represents a unique sorting regime: biases toward specific geometries, preferential incorporation of one ligand over another, and the amplification of homoleptic products were

SUBMITTER: Rizzuto FJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5894586 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature