Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 29, 2026

Construction and Systematical Symmetric Studies of a Series of Supramolecular Clusters with Binary or Ternary Ammonium Triphenylacetates
Published on: February 15, 2016
Temperature-Responsive Chiral (A)6B Supramolecular Cages Based on Conformational Preferences
Shi-Gui Chen1, Zhi-Xiong Zhao1, Xiao-Nan Jiang1
1Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Lu, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Abstract:
Two chiral (A)6B-typed supramolecular cages were constructed from hydrogen-bonded C6 -symmetric zinc porphyrin hexamers and chiral C3-symmetric pyridyl hexadentates with a core of 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene. Circular dichroism and molecular simulations revealed that the symmetry of the supramolecular cages switched from pseudo-C3v to C3 with the rotational confinement of the biphenyl backbones at low temperatures, which generated conformationally chiral transfer and amplification. This unique phenomenon suggests a new strategy to develop smart materials with high sensitivity and excellent reversibility.
Related Concept Videos
¹H NMR of Conformationally Flexible Molecules: Temporal Resolution
Stereoisomerism of Cyclic Compounds
¹H NMR of Conformationally Flexible Molecules: Variable-Temperature NMR
Molecules with Multiple Chiral Centers
Stability of Substituted Cyclohexanes
The two chair conformations of cyclohexanes undergo rapid interconversion at room temperature. Both forms have identical energies and stabilities, each comprising equal amounts of the equilibrium mixture. Replacing a hydrogen atom with a functional group makes the two conformations energetically non-equivalent.
For example, in...
Chair Conformation of Cyclohexane
The hydrogen atoms linked to carbons are arranged in two different axial and equatorial orientations to achieve this...

