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Crown Ethers

Crown Ethers

Crown ethers are cyclic polyethers that contain multiple oxygen atoms, usually arranged in a regular pattern. The first crown ether was synthesized by Charles Pederson while working at DuPont in 1967. For this work, Pedersen was co-awarded the 1987 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Crown ethers are named using the formula x-crown-y, where x is the total number of atoms in the ring and y is the number of ether oxygen atoms. The term 'crown' refers to the crown-like shape that these ether molecules take.

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From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding

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A supramolecular keypad lock.

Cátia Parente Carvalho¹, Zoe Domínguez, José Paulo Da Silva

¹CIQSO - Center for Research in Sustainable Chemistry and Department of Chemical Engineering, Physical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry, University of Huelva, Campus El Carmen s/n, E-21071 Huelva, Spain. uwe.pischel@diq.uhu.es.

Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)

|January 10, 2015

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers demonstrated reversible photoswitching of an anthracene derivative using a CB8 macrocycle template. This supramolecular chemistry in water enabled a light- and chemically-driven keypad lock device.

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Area of Science:

Supramolecular Chemistry
Photochemistry
Materials Science

Background:

Macrocyclic compounds like CB8 can template chemical reactions.
Anthracene derivatives undergo reversible photodimerization.

Purpose of the Study:

To demonstrate reversible photoswitching of an anthracene derivative within a CB8 macrocycle.
To utilize this photoswitching for a functional device.

Main Methods:

Utilizing the CB8 macrocycle as a template in aqueous solution.
Employing UV irradiation to induce [4+4] cycloaddition and thermal or photochemical reversal.
Integrating the photoswitching system into a keypad lock mechanism.

Main Results:

Successful reversible photoswitching between anthracene and its [4+4] dimer was achieved.
The CB8 macrocycle effectively templated the reaction in water.
A prototype keypad lock device operated by light and chemical inputs was demonstrated.

Conclusions:

Supramolecular templating provides a powerful strategy for controlling photochemical reactions in water.
This approach offers a novel pathway for developing light-responsive molecular devices.