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Updated: Jun 26, 2025

Synthesis of Information-bearing Peptoids and their Sequence-directed Dynamic Covalent Self-assembly
Published on: February 6, 2020
Guest-induced narcissistic self-sorting in water via imine formation
Bingda Li1, Bin Sun1, Shuai Fang1
1Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China. lihao2015@zju.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Two anionic tetrahedral cages were self-assembled as the only observable products in weakly basic water via imine condensation. The success of the high-yielding formation of the cages in water relies on (i) multivalency enhancing the stability of the imine bond and affording these cages water compatibility and (ii) a guest template with a complementary size and geometry that provides a hydrophobic driving force by occupying the corresponding cage cavity. When all four precursors, namely two trisaldehydes and two trisamines, were combined in water, narcissistic self-sorting occurred when both guest templates were present. In organic media where the hydrophobic effect is absent, narcissistic self-sorting did not occur in the analogous cage systems, confirming the importance of guest templates.
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