In light of the considerable impact synthetic 2D polymers are expected to have on many fundamental and applied aspects of the natural and engineering sciences, it is surprising that little research has been carried out on these intriguing macromolecules. Although numerous approaches have been reported over the last several decades, the synthesis of a one monomer unit thick, covalently bonded molecular sheet with a long-range ordered (periodic) internal structure has yet to be achieved. This Review provides an overview of these approaches and an analysis of how to synthesize 2D polymers. This analysis compares polymerizations in (initially) a homogeneous phase with those at interfaces and considers structural aspects of monomers as well as possibly preferred connection modes. It also addresses issues such as shrinkage as well as domain and crack formation, and briefly touches upon how the chances for a successful structural analysis of the final product can possibly be increased.

A database of 7.9 million compounds commercially available from 29 suppliers in 2008-2009 was assembled and analyzed. 5.2 million structures of this database were identified to be unique and were subjected to an assessment of physical and biological properties and estimation of molecular diversity. The rules of Lipinski and Veber were applied to the molecular weight, the calculated water/n-octanol partition coefficients (Clog P), the calculated aqueous solubility (log S), the numbers of hydrogen-bond donors and acceptors, and the calculated Caco-2 membrane permeability to identify the drug-like compounds, whereas the toxicity/reactivity filters were used to remove the structures with biologically undesired functional groups. This filtering resulted in 2.0 million (39%) structures perfectly suitable for high-throughput screening of biological activity. Modified filters applied to identify lead-like structures revealed that 16% of the unique compounds could be potential leads. Assessment of the biological activities, the analysis of diversity, and the sizes of exclusive sets of compounds are presented.

A comparative study of the relative stabilities of 17 multiply hydrogen-bonded complexes has been carried out using ab initio Hartree−Fock and density functional methods at the HF/6-311(d,p) and B3LYP/6-311(d,p) levels, respectively. Predicted hydrogen-bond geometries, relative stabilities, solvent and structural effects, and electrostatic potential contours are discussed in conjunction with experimental data. The B3LYP method, which secures a better agreement of the optimized geometries with the available X-ray data, has also been applied to calculate the gas-phase free energies and enthalpies. The computations reveal that the frequently used incremental approach, which takes into consideration the primary and secondary electrostatic interactions, can often be deceptive in interpreting the stabilities of the multiply hydrogen-bonded dimers. The explanation that reduced entropy enhances the stability of dimers involving intramolecular hydrogen bonds in their monomeric parts compared to similar structures lacking such bonds has also been found to be misleading. A comparison of the calculated results with available experimental stabilities measured in CHCl3 solutions shows that water present in the solvent may cause dramatic changes in relative stabilities. Electrostatic potential contours calculated at the B3LYP/6-311(d,p) level provide a useful qualitative explanation of the stability differences in the investigated complexes.

1H and (13)C NMR spectra of the complexes of camphor enantiomers with alpha-cyclodextrin in D(2)O manifest splittings due to chiral recognition. The complexes were found to be of 1:2 guest-to-host stoichiometry. Free energies of the complex formation obtained from (1)H NMR titration data are equal to -7.95 +/- 0.09 kcal mol(-)(1) for the complex with (1S,4S)- and -7.61 +/- 0.06 kcal mol(-)(1) for that with (1R,4R)-enantiomer. Thus, the free energy difference between the complexes is equal to 0.34 +/- 0.11 kcal mol(-)(1), with the complex involving the (1S,4S)-camphor more stable. A strong positive cooperativity of the guests binding has been found. In agreement with experimental results, molecular dynamics simulations yielded greater stability of the complex with (1S,4S)-camphor. However, they reproduced only qualitatively the experimental trend since the corresponding difference in average energies obtained from molecular dynamic simulations carried out in a water solution is equal to 5 kcal/mol with the CVFF force field.

Vermutlich werden synthetische 2D‐Polymere auf vielen Gebieten der Naturwissenschaft und Technik Bedeutung erlangen, und zwar grundlegende ebenso wie praktische. Daher überrascht es, dass auf diesem Gebiet bisher so wenige Fortschritte zu verzeichnen sind. In den letzten Jahrzehnten sind zwar viele Ansätze zur Synthese solcher Polymere beschrieben worden, die tatsächliche Synthese eines kovalent verknüpften, periodischen, molekularen Films mit der Dicke einer Monomereinheit ist bisher jedoch nicht gelungen. Unser Aufsatz liefert einen Überblick über bisherige Strategien sowie eine Analyse, wie die Synthese eines 2D‐Polymers wohl gelingen könnte. Bei unserer Analyse wird die Polymerisation in einer (anfänglich) homogenen Phase mit der Polymerisation an Grenzflächen verglichen, und es werden strukturelle Aspekte von Monomeren sowie möglicherweise bevorzugte Verknüpfungsmodi berücksichtigt. Es werden auch Aspekte wie Schrumpfung sowie Domänen‐ und Rissbildung behandelt, und es wird kurz darauf eingegangen, wie die Chancen für eine erfolgreiche Strukturanalyse des Endprodukts verbessert werden könnten.

How and why do molecules tangle or thread? Investigations of molecular knots (knotanes) may shed some light on the mechanisms of (supra)molecular templation and the folding of molecules that result in intertwining. The topological chirality of these fascinating molecules leads to new types of isomerism and paves the way to nanosized molecular motors. Their preparation and derivatization makes high demands on modern synthetic methods and analytical separation since molecular knots are formed in a more or less planned design based on metal coordination or hydrogen-bonding patterns. This Review describes the development of templation techniques for the synthesis of knotanes and their chiral resolution as well as their selective functionalization and use as building blocks in the synthesis of higher knotane assemblies. Such assemblies can possess linear, branched, or even macrocyclic structures which, on the one hand, introduce unprecedented isomeric compositions that arise from multiple topological stereogenic units and, on the other, define new types of artificial macromolecules beyond polymers and dendritic species.

The readily available in gram quantities tris(allyloxy)knot of the amide-type 5 (knotane) can be completely and partially deprotected with nBu(3)SnH in the presence of a palladium catalyst resulting in hydroxyknotanes 7-9. These, in turn, react with diethylchlorophosphate giving rise to knotanes equipped with between one and three phosphoryl groups. Sulfonylation of bis(allyloxy)monohydroxyknotane 8 with p-toluenesulfonyl chloride and, following removal of one or two allyl groups from the intermediate monosulfonate 13, give rise to sulfonyloxy-allyloxy-hydroxy- and sulfonyloxy-dihydroxy-knotanes 15 and 14, respectively. This provides a convenient method for the preparation of knotanes with any substitution pattern. All new knotanes have been isolated in preparative amounts and as highly pure substances with an exception of allyloxy-dihydroxyknotane 9. This compound could only be obtained as a mixture with the corresponding monohydroxy-derivative 8. The structures of all synthesized compounds were established by means of FAB and MALDI TOF mass spectrometry, (1)H and (31)P NMR spectroscopy. The triphosphorylated knotane 10 exhibits high solubility in alcohols, allowing its complete enantiomeric resolution with a commercially available chiral HPLC column. (1)H,(1)H DQF-COSY correlation spectroscopy along with H/D exchange experiments and ab initio calculations provided the first detailed (1)H NMR signal assignments of knotanes in [D(6)]DMSO solution. The combination of variable temperature (1)H and (31)P NMR spectroscopy and molecular modeling has been applied to study the conformational behavior of the new knotanes in different solvents. It has been shown that in DMSO solution at room temperature knotanes exist in a relatively rigid nonsymmetrical conformation similar to that found in the solid state while faster conformational exchange leading to the average D(3) symmetrical structure was detected in a number of other solvents.

Knotaxane[1] ± so nennen wir die bisher unbekannten Rotaxane mit Knoten als Stopper an den beiden Achsenenden ± sind ein noch unerf¸llter Wunschtraum in der topologischen Chemie.[