Molecular tweezers

    Molecular tweezers, sometimes termed molecular clips, are noncyclic compounds with open cavities capable of binding guests.^[3] The open cavity of the molecular tweezers binds guests using non-covalent bonding including hydrogen bonding, metal coordination, hydrophobic forces, van der Waals forces, π-π interactions, and/or electrostatic effects. They are analogous to macrocyclic molecular receptors except the two arms that bind the guest molecule are only connected at one end.

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Examples

An example of molecular tweezers was reported by Lehn and coworkers is capable of binding aromatic guests.^[1] The molecular tweezers are composed of two anthracene arms held at a distance that allows aromatic guests to gain π-π interactions from both.

An example of molecular tweezers for fullerenes called a buckycatcher has been reported.^[2] The molecular tweezer is composed of two concaved corannulene pincers that complement the the surface of the convex fullerene guest. An association constant of 8600 M^-1 between the host buckycatcher and a C60 fullerene was using ¹H NMR spectroscopy.

References