Guest molecules confined in amphipathic crystals as revealed by X-ray diffraction and MAS NMR

Angiolina Comotti, Silvia Bracco, Piero Sozzani, Samuel M. Hawxwell, Chunhua Hu, Michael D. Ward

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Multinuclear 1H- 13C heterocorrelated (HETCOR) NMR spectroscopy combined with X-ray diffraction revealed the unusual dual properties of identical guest molecules confined in two crystallographically distinct host cavities within single crystals based on hexagonal frameworks comprising guanidinium ions and organomonosulfonates. The environments of the two cavities differ substantially, as one is lined by the highly polar quasihexagonal guanidinium-sulfonate network, while the other is defined by walls consisting of nonpolar aromatic groups. The effect of these different environments on the NMR properties of the guest molecules is evident from chemical shift data and two-dimensional HETCOR spectra. The large magnetic susceptibility effect due to ring currents of the aromatic hosts enables determination of the host-guest distances and suggests intermolecular CH ··· π interactions. The 13C relaxation times reveal the molecular dynamics of the guests in two nanoscale environments that differ with respect to shape and dimensionality.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2999-3002
Number of pages4
JournalCrystal Growth and Design
Volume9
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1 2009

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemistry
  • General Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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