Resorcinarenes: Basket shaped artificial receptors. Cavitands Part 1
Type of Proposal
Oral Presentation
Faculty
Faculty of Science
Proposal
Resorcinarenes: Basket shaped artificial receptors. Cavitands Part 1 Maria Teodora Secara, Daniel Meister, Michael Reynolds, N. Kodiah Beyeh, John F. Trant Resorcinarenes are basket-shaped molecules that can host small organic or inorganic molecules; these types of molecules that can host other molecules as guests, are called cavitands. This presentation is part of a two part series on cavitands from our group, the second of which focuses on pillararenes. Their functionality can be tuned to achieve high binding affinities for specific substrates which makes them good candidates for the creation of molecular sensors. Because the cavity is hydrophobic, it can be useful for binding many molecules of interest in water. Our group has been involved recently in the synthesis of unusual resorcinarenes incorporating halogens to allow for the binding of new guests. We have also been designing these baskets to bind charged molecules. This is particularly challenging as charged molecules tend to be very soluble in water. However, through careful design of the resorcinarene, we were able to develop one that binds pyrophosphate, excess levels of which are an indicator of disease, very selectively in water. This is one of the first known examples of a cavitand that does not need a metal to very tightly bind an anion in water. Our work in this field has been focused on developing new ways to make these compounds, better understanding how they bind together both in solution and in solid state, and a computational analysis of the interactions that drive the binding. The presentation will discuss the background of these materials, some of the syntheses and properties of these compounds, and a perspective on their potential applications in biomedicine and materials science.
Start Date
23-3-2018 12:40 PM
End Date
23-3-2018 2:00 PM
Location
Alumni Auditorium A
Resorcinarenes: Basket shaped artificial receptors. Cavitands Part 1
Alumni Auditorium A
Resorcinarenes: Basket shaped artificial receptors. Cavitands Part 1 Maria Teodora Secara, Daniel Meister, Michael Reynolds, N. Kodiah Beyeh, John F. Trant Resorcinarenes are basket-shaped molecules that can host small organic or inorganic molecules; these types of molecules that can host other molecules as guests, are called cavitands. This presentation is part of a two part series on cavitands from our group, the second of which focuses on pillararenes. Their functionality can be tuned to achieve high binding affinities for specific substrates which makes them good candidates for the creation of molecular sensors. Because the cavity is hydrophobic, it can be useful for binding many molecules of interest in water. Our group has been involved recently in the synthesis of unusual resorcinarenes incorporating halogens to allow for the binding of new guests. We have also been designing these baskets to bind charged molecules. This is particularly challenging as charged molecules tend to be very soluble in water. However, through careful design of the resorcinarene, we were able to develop one that binds pyrophosphate, excess levels of which are an indicator of disease, very selectively in water. This is one of the first known examples of a cavitand that does not need a metal to very tightly bind an anion in water. Our work in this field has been focused on developing new ways to make these compounds, better understanding how they bind together both in solution and in solid state, and a computational analysis of the interactions that drive the binding. The presentation will discuss the background of these materials, some of the syntheses and properties of these compounds, and a perspective on their potential applications in biomedicine and materials science.