Hydrogen bond directed synthesis of novel benzylic amide[2]rotaxane : design and realization of rotational and translational hydrogen bond molecular machines

• Main Author: Altieri, Andrea
• Published: University of Edinburgh 2004
• Subjects: 547.6
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.640440

The aim of my PhD is to study rotaxanes. This study is intended to contribute to the understanding of rotaxanes and to provide some insights into the possibilities of their application, and is divided in two parts accordingly. In the first part of my thesis I develop and analyze new hydrogen-bond templates that contain phosphorus and can be used to improve the existing rotaxane formation processes and to synthesize new rotaxanes. The second part of my research is based on the fact that the form of rotaxanes restricts the macrocycle movements to two options only: rotational and translational movement. Thus, in the second part I focus on improving the potential practical application of rotaxanes and on developing and implementing rotational and translational molecular machines, whereby a rotational machine is critical for creating and implementing a translational machine. In the course of this work two different types of a molecular machine (a molecular accelerator and a molecular shuttle) have been created. The results achieved demonstrate that hydrogen bond-based templates containing phosphorus can be used to template the rotaxane formation, and that both movements of macrocycle, translational and rotational, can indeed be used to improve the molecular machines.