Altering the Properties of Spiropyran Switches Using Coordination Cages with Different Symmetries.

ABSTRACT: Molecular confinement effects can profoundly alter the physicochemical properties of the confined species. A plethora of organic molecules were encapsulated within the cavities of supramolecular hosts, and the impact of the cavity size and polarity was widely investigated. However, the extent to which the properties of the confined guests can be affected by the symmetry of the cage─which dictates the shape of the cavity─remains to be understood. Here we show that cage symmetry has a dramatic effect on the equilibrium between two isomers of the encapsulated spiropyran guests. Working with two Pd-based coordination cages featuring similarly sized but differently shaped hydrophobic cavities, we found a highly selective stabilization of the isomer whose shape matches that of the cavity of the

SUBMITTER: Wang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9706567 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature