Phosphate-phosphate oligomerization drives higher order co-assemblies with stacks of cyanostar macrocycles.

ABSTRACT: The importance of phosphate in biology and chemistry has long motivated investigation of its recognition. Despite this interest, phosphate's facile oligomerization is only now being examined following the discovery of complexes of anion-anion dimers of hydroxyanions. Here we address how oligomerization dictates phosphate's recognition properties when engaged with planar cyanostar macrocycles that can also oligomerize by stacking. The crystal structure of cyanostar with phosphate shows an unprecedented tetrameric stack of cyanostar macrocycles threaded by a phosphate trimer, [H₂PO₄···H₂PO₄···H₂PO₄]^3-. The solution behaviour, studied as a function of solvent quality, highlights how dimers and trimers of phosphate dr

SUBMITTER: Fatila EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5941797 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature