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Anion-Responsive Fluorescent Supramolecular Gels
oleh: Giacomo Picci, Matthew T. Mulvee, Claudia Caltagirone, Vito Lippolis, Antonio Frontera, Rosa M. Gomila, Jonathan W. Steed
Format: | Article |
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Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2022-02-01 |
Deskripsi
Three novel bis-urea fluorescent low-molecular-weight gelators (LMWGs) based on the tetraethyl diphenylmethane spacer—namely, <b>L1</b>, <b>L2</b>, and <b>L3</b>, bearing indole, dansyl, and quinoline units as fluorogenic fragments, respectively, are able to form gel in different solvents. <b>L2</b> and <b>L3</b> gel in apolar solvents such as chlorobenzene and nitrobenzene. Gelator <b>L1</b> is able to gel in the polar solvent mixture DMSO/H<sub>2</sub>O (H<sub>2</sub>O 15% <i>v</i>/<i>v</i>). This allowed the study of gel formation in the presence of anions as a third component. An interesting anion-dependent gel formation was observed with fluoride and benzoate inhibiting the gelation process and H<sub>2</sub>PO<sub>4</sub><sup>−</sup>, thus causing a delay of 24 h in the gel formation. The interaction of <b>L1</b> with the anions in solution was clarified by <sup>1</sup>H-NMR titrations and the differences in the cooperativity of the two types of NH H-bond donor groups (one indole NH and two urea NHs) on <b>L1</b> when binding BzO<sup>−</sup> or H<sub>2</sub>PO<sub>4</sub><sup>−</sup> were taken into account to explain the inhibition of the gelation in the presence of BzO<sup>−</sup>. DFT calculations corroborate this hypothesis and, more importantly, demonstrate considering a trimeric model of the <b>L1</b> gel that BzO<sup>−</sup> favours its disruption into monomers inhibiting the gel formation.