Anion Transport with Chalcogen Bonds

J Am Chem Soc. 2016 Jul 27;138(29):9093-6. doi: 10.1021/jacs.6b05779. Epub 2016 Jul 19.

Abstract

In this report, we introduce synthetic anion transporters that operate with chalcogen bonds. Electron-deficient dithieno[3,2-b;2',3'-d]thiophenes (DTTs) are identified as ideal to bind anions in the focal point of the σ holes on the cofacial endocyclic sulfur atoms. Anion binding in solution and anion transport across lipid bilayers are found to increase with the depth of the σ holes of the DTT anionophores. These results introduce DTTs and related architectures as a privileged motif to engineer chalcogen bonds into functional systems, complementary in scope to classics such as 2,2'-bipyrroles or 2,2'-bipyridines that operate with hydrogen bonds and lone pairs, respectively.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't