State Key Laboratory of Materials Processing and Die & Mould Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinwai Street, Beijing 100875, China.
Molecules. 2021 Apr 21;26(9):2426. doi: 10.3390/molecules26092426.
The design and synthesis of novel macrocyclic host molecules continues to attract attention because such species play important roles in supramolecular chemistry. However, the discovery of new classes of macrocycles presents a considerable challenge due to the need to embody by design effective molecular recognition features, as well as ideally the development of synthetic routes that permit further functionalization. In 2010, we reported a new class of macrocyclic hosts: a set of tetracationic imidazolium macrocycles, which we termed "Texas-sized" molecular boxes (TxSBs) in homage to Stoddart's classic "blue box" (CBPQT). Compared with the rigid blue box, the first generation TxSB displayed considerably greater conformational flexibility and a relatively large central cavity, making it a good host for a variety of electron-rich guests. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of TxSB chemistry, detailing our recent progress in the area of anion-responsive supramolecular self-assembly and applications of the underlying chemistry to water purification, information storage, and controlled drug release. Our objective is to provide not only a review of the fundamental findings, but also to outline future research directions where TxSBs and their constructs may have a role to play.
新型大环主体分子的设计与合成一直备受关注，因为这类物质在超分子化学中起着重要作用。然而，由于需要通过设计体现有效的分子识别特征，并且理想情况下开发允许进一步功能化的合成途径，因此发现新的大环类仍然具有相当大的挑战性。2010 年，我们报道了一类新的大环主体：一组四阳离子咪唑大环，我们将其称为“德克萨斯州大小”的分子盒（TxSB），以向 Stoddart 的经典“蓝盒”（CBPQT）致敬。与刚性蓝盒相比，第一代 TxSB 表现出相当大的构象灵活性和相对较大的中心空腔，使其成为各种富电子客体的良好主体。在这篇综述中，我们全面总结了 TxSB 化学，详细介绍了我们在阴离子响应超分子自组装领域的最新进展以及该化学在水净化、信息存储和控制药物释放方面的应用。我们的目标不仅是提供基本发现的综述，还概述未来的研究方向，其中 TxSB 及其结构可能会发挥作用。
