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Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Synthesis of Information-bearing Peptoids and their Sequence-directed Dynamic Covalent Self-assembly
Published on: February 6, 2020
Geometrically restricted intermediates in the self-assembly of an M12L24 cuboctahedral complex
Daishi Fujita1, Hiroyuki Yokoyama, Yoshihiro Ueda
1Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan).
Abstract:
The self-assembly of a cuboctahedral M12 L24 complex is traced by time-dependent NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The metastable intermediate structures that exist during the self-assembly process are not a chaotic mixture of numerous species, but instead are geometrically restricted. Short-lived M8 L16 (D4d ) and relatively long-lived M9 L18 (D3h ) are fully characterized as major intermediates. Employing a ligand with a smaller bend angle (112°) allows these two species to be kinetically trapped and more clearly observed by NMR spectroscopy. X-ray crystallography shows that M9 L18 has the framework topology predicted by geometric discussion.
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