Discrete Stacking of Large Aromatic Molecules within Organic-Pillared Coordination Cages

✍ Scribed by Michito Yoshizawa; Junichi Nakagawa; Kazuhisa Kumazawa; Muneki Nagao; Masaki Kawano; Tomoji Ozeki; Makoto Fujita

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 292 KB
• Volume: 117
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0044-8249
• DOI: 10.1002/ange.200462171

✦ Synopsis

Aromatic stacking of p-conjugated planar molecules leads to the exhibition of unique chemical and physical properties. Discotic liquid crystals are, for example, a columnar assembly of aromatic compounds that contain long alkyl chains, [1] and organic electroconductive materials involve alternate chargetransfer stacking of electron-donating and -accepting pconjugated compounds. [2] Whereas such infinite assemblies have been thoroughly studied, precisely controlled discrete assemblies composed of more than two p-conjugated molecules have been explored much less frequently. [3][4][5][6] As discrete assemblies of a limited number of p-stacked molecules are expected to show new properties different from those of isolated or infinitely stacked p-systems, a general method for constructing such structures has to be developed. Here, we report the self-assembly of a metal-hinged, organic-pillared cage with a large cavity that can accommodate two or more large p-conjugated molecules. The cage consists of two large organic panels (A), three rodlike pillars (B), and six metal hinges (C; Scheme 1). The large, box-shaped cavity accom-Scheme 1. Schematic representation of the organic-pillared cage accommodating two or more p-conjugated guests. The ensemble selfassembles from components A-D (A: aromatic panel; B: