Chemists Create New Building Blocks for Supramolecules

RUDN University chemists have created and researched new building blocks for creating supramolecules – complex molecular structures. These blocks will allow “tuning” the assembly of supramolecules . The results are published in Molecules .

Supramolecular chemistry is a new field of science at the intersection of chemistry, physics and chemistry. Its objects are supramolecules , complex formations from a large number of molecular blocks. Modern supramolecular chemistry is like a LEGO box with an endless number of pieces that chemists use to create ever new combinations – molecular sieves, molecular sensors, molecular batteries, and so on. They are used for drug delivery, catalysis, molecular electronic devices, and more. Details of the designer are usually connected by hydrogen bonds – between a hydrogen atom and another atom. However, researchers bypass other possible types, for example, chalcogen bonds through elements of group 16 of the periodic table. Meanwhile, they can expand the spectrum of possible supramolecules. RUDN University chemists have described new building blocks of supramolecules with chalcogen bonds and found that their assembly can be controlled by changing the structure of the blocks.

“Over the past decades, there has been significant progress in the study of supramolecular systems. In the synthesis of complex structures from simple building blocks, hydrogen bonding and metal centers are often used. While creating larger and more complex structures is an important goal, don’t forget to use other interactions to get more complex aggregates. In this sense, the chalcogen bond attracts attention . This is a powerful alternative to hydrogen bonding in supramolecular chemistry,” said Victor Khrustalev, Doctor of Science in Chemitsry, Head of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry at RUDN University

In previous work, the research team has shown new “building blocks” based on selenodiazole . Selenodiazoles are obtained from nitriles – compounds of nitrogen, carbon and radicals. They are connected to each other by chalcogen bonds. The range of possible radicals is quite wide, so selenodiazols can also be obtained in different ways. The advantage of selenodiazoles is the ability to change properties depending on the starting nitrile. The goal of RUDN University chemists was to find out how the composition of the initial nitrile affects the assembly of supramolecules from these blocks using chalcogen bonds.

In total, RUDN University chemists studied 8 selenodiazoles with different structures and discovered 7 new types of structural organization of these building blocks connected by chalcogen bonds. Chemists have managed to establish a connection between the assembly of supramolecules and the structure of the initial nitrile, but it is still impossible to predict in advance which type will be characteristic of different nitriles.

“The recently discovered supramolecular building blocks of selenodiazol are largely unexplored. Their essential advantage is easy structural rearrangement due to changes in nitriles. Theoretically, this could allow fine tuning of their self-assembly. In the future, we plan to study the possibilities of using these new compounds,” said Victor Khrustalev, Doctor of Science in Chemitsry, Head of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry at RUDN University