The Stereoselective Self-Assembly of Chiral Metallo-Organic Cryptophanes

Abstract : Cryptophanes are macropolycyclic cyclophanes constructed from two triply bridged concave cyclotriveratrylene analogues that encapsulate a large range of molecular and monoatomic substrates. Self-assembled metallo-organic cryptophanes based on M2+–carbonitrile (M = Pd or Pt) interactions have been obtained through the reactions of chiral nitrile-substituted cyclotribenzylenes (CTBs) 1 and 2 with [M(dppp)][OTf]2 (dppp = 1,3-bisdiphenylphosphinopropane, OTf = triflate) in 2:3 ratios in chlorinated solvents. The cryptophanes [Pd3(dppp)3(1)2]6+ and [Pd3(dppp)3(2)2]6+ were obtained exclusively in the chiral anti form in solution at room temperature whatever solvent was used; however the meso,syn form was identified as the major isomer of [Pd3(dppp)3(1)2]6+ at low temperature in CD2Cl2, and – in the case of [Pt3(dppp)3(1)2]6+ – it formed in a minor amount at room temperature. [Pd3(dppp)3(1)2][OTf]6 and [Pt3(dppp)3(1)2][OTf]6 crystallized in the anti forms with an encapsulated chloroform molecule, and gas-phase DFT calculations with the dispersion-corrected B97-D3 functional show that it is stabilized by 34.6 kJ mol–1. Interestingly, the heteroleptic cryptophane [Pd3(dppp)3(1)(2)]6+ was not detected in mixtures of [Pd(dppp)]2+ and CTBs 1 and 2 in a 3:1:1 ratio or through the equilibration of a 1:1 mixture of the preformed homoleptic cryptophanes; this points to favored self-sorting processes.