Coordination-driven self-assembly vs dynamic covalent chemistry: versatile methods for the synthesis of molecular metallarectangles

• Li-Li Ma,
• Jia-Qin Han,
• Wei-Guo Jia and
• Ying-Feng Han

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 2027–2034, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.178

• , Ministry of Education, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China 10.3762/bjoc.14.178 Abstract Supramolecular coordination assemblies have a range of potential applications in chemical and biological sciences. Herein, simple modular methods for the synthesis of metallarectangles are described. The

• desired tetranuclear metallarectangles were synthesized by using coordination-driven self-assembly of half-sandwich rhodium-based organometallic clip units and organic ligands. The reaction of such an organometallic clip with 4-formylpyridine provided a dinuclear molecular tweezer with pendant aldehyde

• groups, and subsequent [4 + 4] condensation reactions with diamines provides another route to the target metallarectangles in good yields. The same assemblies can also be easily isolated in one-pot procedures by mixing the organometallic clip, diamines and 4-formylpyridine. Keywords: coordination-driven