Interplay between hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions in the self-assembly of a gemini amphiphilic pseudopeptide: from nano-spheres to hydrogels

The formation of soluble nano-spheres or stable hydrogels through the self-assembling of a simple gemini amphiphilic pseudopeptide can be controlled by the tuning of the hydrophilic/hydrophobic interactions in aqueous medium

Stereochemical plasticity modulates cooperative binding in a CoII12L6 cuboctahedron

Biomolecular receptors are able to process information by responding differentially to combinations of chemical signals. Synthetic receptors that are likewise capable of multi-stimuli response can form the basis of programmable molecular systems, wherein specific input sequences create distinct outputs. Here we report a pseudo-cuboctahedral assembly capable of cooperatively binding anionic and neutral guest species. The binding of pairs of fullerene guests was observed to effect the all-or-nothing cooperative templation of an S6-symmetric host stereoisomer. This bis-fullerene adduct exhibits different cooperativity in binding pairs of anions from the fullerene-free parent: in one case, positive cooperativity is observed, while in another all binding affinities are enhanced by an order of magnitude, and in a third the binding events are only minimally perturbed. This intricate modulation of binding affinity, and thus cooperativity, renders our new cuboctahedral receptor attractive for incorporation into systems with complex, programmable responses to different sets of stimuli.This work was supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). F.J.R. acknowledges Cambridge Australia Scholarships and the Cambridge Trust for PhD funding

Target-driven selection in a dynamic nitrone library

Nitrones undergo dynamic exchange in chloroform at room temperature through two mechanisms-hydrolysis and recombination or hydroxylamine addition/elimination, this dynamic exchange is harnessed to select a nitrone-based bis(amidopyridine) receptor for diacids from a group of four nitrones through its binding to a glutaric acid-based target.</p