Dynamic Control of Chiral Recognition in Water-Soluble Naphthotubes Induced by Hydrostatic Pressure.

The dynamic control of chiral (enantiomeric) responses in chiral host-guest complexes through external stimuli is a significant challenge in modern chemistry for developing smart stimuli-responsive materials. Herein, we report the (chir)optical properties and chiral recognition behavior of water-soluble chiral naphthotubes () under the influence of hydrostatic pressure as an external stimulus. The hydrostatic pressure spectral profiles compared to those obtained at normal pressure revealed the dynamic behavior of under hydrostatic pressure, owing to the flexible linker. In chiral recognition experiments, hydrophilic amino acids such as phenylalanine (Phe) and tryptophan (Trp) exhibited reaction volume changes (Δ°) of -0.9 cm mol for d-Phe, -1.2 cm mol for l-Phe, -5.6 cm mol for d-Trp, and -7.0 cm mol for l-Trp, with enantioselectivity ranging from 1.2 to 1.6. In contrast, hydrophobic chiral styrene oxide () showed Δ° values of 1.5 cm mol for - and 3.5 cm mol for , with a relatively higher enantioselectivity of up to 7.6. These contrasting effects of hydrostatic pressure primarily originate from the dynamics of chiral naphthotubes.