Extended and contorted conformations of alkanediammonium ions in symmetrical α,α',δ,δ'-tetramethylcucurbit[6]uril cavity

J Org Chem. 2014 Nov 21;79(22):11194-8. doi: 10.1021/jo502255x. Epub 2014 Nov 6.

Abstract

Binding interactions between symmetrical α,α',δ,δ'-tetramethylcucurbit[6]uril (TMeQ[6]) and a series of alkyldiammonium ions in aqueous solution and in the solid state were investigated by (1)H NMR spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, X-ray crystallography, and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Their (1)H NMR spectra reveal that the actual binding behaviors vary depending upon the alkyl chain length. Their single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses indicate the guest 1,2-ethanediammonium is located outside of the TMeQ[6] portal, while the other four alkyldiammonium guests can be accommodated in the TMeQ[6] cavity, forming 1:1 inclusion complexes. Most importantly, the long-chain alkyldiammoniums (1,8-octanediammonium and 1,10-decanediammonium) take a contorted conformation when bound within the TMeQ[6] cavity. Additionally, ITC experiments show that the complexation of the alkyldiammonium guests with TMeQ[6] is mainly enthalpy driven, which benefits from ion-dipole interactions.