Bai Sha, Zhang Lu-Wen, Wei Zi-Hang, Wang Fang, Zhu Qing-Wen, Han Ying-Feng
Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Natural Functional Molecule of the Ministry of Education, Xi'an Key Laboratory of Functional Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710127, P. R. China.
Nat Commun. 2024 Aug 5;15(1):6616. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-50980-z.
The separation and purification of chemical raw materials, particularly neutral compounds with similar physical and chemical properties, represents an ongoing challenge. In this study, we introduce a class of water-soluble macrocycle compound, calix[2]azolium[2]benzimidazolone (H), comprising two azolium and two benzimidazolone subunits. The heterocycle subunits form a hydrophobic binding pocket that enables H1 to encapsulate a series of neutral guests in water with 1:1 or 2:1 stoichiometry, including aldehydes, ketones, and nitrile compounds. The host-guest complexation in the solid state was further confirmed through X-ray crystallography. Remarkably, H1 was shown to be a nonporous adaptive crystal material to separate valeraldehyde from the mixture of valeraldehyde/2-methylbutanal/pentanol with high selectivity and recyclability in the solid states. This work not only demonstrates that azolium-based macrocycles are promising candidates for the encapsulation of organic molecules but also shows the potential application in separation science.
化学原料的分离与提纯，尤其是具有相似物理和化学性质的中性化合物，仍然是一项持续存在的挑战。在本研究中，我们引入了一类水溶性大环化合物，杯[2]唑鎓[2]苯并咪唑酮（H），它由两个唑鎓和两个苯并咪唑酮亚基组成。杂环亚基形成一个疏水结合口袋，使H1能够在水中以1:1或2:1的化学计量比包封一系列中性客体，包括醛、酮和腈类化合物。通过X射线晶体学进一步证实了固态下的主客体络合。值得注意的是，H1被证明是一种无孔自适应晶体材料，能够在固态下以高选择性和可回收性从戊醛/2-甲基丁醛/戊醇的混合物中分离出戊醛。这项工作不仅表明基于唑鎓的大环化合物是包封有机分子的有前途的候选物，而且还展示了其在分离科学中的潜在应用。
