Binding of tryptophan and tryptophan-containing peptides in water by a glucose naphtho crown ether

• Gianpaolo Gallo and
• Bartosz Lewandowski

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 541–546, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.42

• peptides [4][5]. Tryptophan also serves as a substrate to produce hormones such as serotonin or melatonin [6][7]. Due to the biological relevance of tryptophan synthetic receptors for this amino acid are highly sought after [8]. From a biological perspective it is especially desirable to achieve selective

• , they open exciting opportunities for the development of other monosaccharide-based selective receptors of amino acids in aqueous environments. a–c) Examples of synthetic receptors for selective binding of tryptophan in aqueous media, taken from refs. [14][15][16]; d) glucose-based naphtho crown ether 1

1,4,6,10-Tetraazaadamantanes (TAADs) with N-amino groups: synthesis and formation of boron chelates and host–guest complexes

• Artem N. Semakin,
• Ivan S. Golovanov,
• Yulia V. Nelyubina and
• Alexey Yu. Sukhorukov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 1424–1434, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.148

• as synthetic receptors to form host–guest complexes based on H-bond interactions with amide/carbamoyl groups [31][32]. In addition, N-TAADs can be viewed as analogs of hexahydrazide ligands, which were reported to stabilize high-valent metal complexes [33][34]. Since N-amino groups can be easily

Diametric calix[6]arene-based phosphine gold(I) cavitands

• Gabriele Giovanardi,
• Andrea Secchi,
• Arturo Arduini and
• Gianpiero Cera

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2022, 18, 190–196, doi:10.3762/bjoc.18.21

• macrocycles are less exploited in catalysis [28]. The larger macrocycle size, its conformational adaptability, and the possibility to selectively functionalize the macrocycle offered several opportunities to design synthetic receptors and prototypes of nanodevices, instead [29]. In this context, we recently

UV resonance Raman spectroscopy of the supramolecular ligand guanidiniocarbonyl indole (GCI) with 244 nm laser excitation

• Tim Holtum,
• Vikas Kumar,
• Daniel Sebena,
• Jens Voskuhl and
• Sebastian Schlücker

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2911–2919, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.240

• -covalent interactions namely hydrogen bonds, van der Waals, and/or hydrophobic interactions [1][2][3][4][5]. In this context, Schmuck and co-workers have introduced a class of synthetic receptors based on the guanidiniocarbonyl pyrrole (GCP) moiety (cf. Figure 1 top right) as a carboxylate binding site

Encrypting messages with artificial bacterial receptors

• Pragati Kishore Prasad,
• Naama Lahav-Mankovski,
• Leila Motiei and
• David Margulies

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2749–2756, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.225

• cell surface proteins with self-assembled synthetic receptors based on modified DNA duplexes [2] (Figure 1A). One of the oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) constituting the artificial receptors (ODN-1) is appended with a trinitrilotriacetic acid group (tri-NTA) that was developed by our group [3] and can

• reversibly change the properties of the cell. For example, we have shown that synthetic receptors appended with a thiol or a folate group enable bacteria expressing the His-tagged outer membrane protein C (His-OmpC) to bind to gold surfaces or cancer cells, respectively [2]. We have also shown that this

• cell decreases over time. This occurs because each bacterium continuously divides, which forces the synthetic receptors to split between the two daughter cells (Figure 2A). The manifestation of this phenomenon was experimentally validated [2] by observing a decrease in the fluorescence generated by the

Selective recognition of ATP by multivalent nano-assemblies of bisimidazolium amphiphiles through “turn-on” fluorescence response

• Rakesh Biswas,
• Surya Ghosh,
• Shubhra Kanti Bhaumik and
• Supratim Banerjee

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 2728–2738, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.223

• [36][37][38], conjugated polymers [39][40][41][42], quantum dots [43][44] and sensors based on organic receptors such as imidazolium, ammonium, guanidinium [45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52], etc. have also been developed. Imidazolium based synthetic receptors typically utilize a combination of

Design, synthesis and spectroscopic properties of crown ether-capped dibenzotetraaza[14]annulenes

• Krzysztof M. Zwoliński and
• Julita Eilmes

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2019, 15, 617–622, doi:10.3762/bjoc.15.57

• towards the cationic organic species [4] and ions of certain metal elements [5]. Particulary, synthetic receptors featuring crown ether moieties often equipped with extra side arms bearing pendant functional groups [6][7], have attracted a great deal of interest due to their outstanding binding ability

Synthesis of new p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene-based polyammonium triazolyl amphiphiles and their binding with nucleoside phosphates

• Vladimir A. Burilov,
• Guzaliya A. Fatikhova,
• Mariya N. Dokuchaeva,
• Ramil I. Nugmanov,
• Diana A. Mironova,
• Pavel V. Dorovatovskii,
• Victor N. Khrustalev,
• Svetlana E. Solovieva and
• Igor S. Antipin

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 1980–1993, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.173

• binding sites offering multipoint interactions with a substrate for the effective complexation [13]. Calix[4]arenes and their thia analogues have many advantages over other macrocycles that are frequently used as synthetic receptors, such as cyclodextrins [14], cucurbiturils [15], and pillararenes [16

Host–guest complexes of conformationally flexible C-hexyl-2-bromoresorcinarene and aromatic N-oxides: solid-state, solution and computational studies

• Rakesh Puttreddy,
• Ngong Kodiah Beyeh,
• S. Maryamdokht Taimoory,
• Daniel Meister,
• John F. Trant and
• Kari Rissanen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 1723–1733, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.146

• intramolecular O···H–O hydrogen bonds (HBs) [1][2]. The combination of their confined cavity and conformational flexibility has driven the interest in these synthetic receptors [3], a subclass of calixarenes [4], for a wide range of applications in fields such as catalysis [5][6][7][8][9], sensors [10][11

A conformationally adaptive macrocycle: conformational complexity and host–guest chemistry of zorb[4]arene

• Liu-Pan Yang,
• Song-Bo Lu,
• Arto Valkonen,
• Fangfang Pan,
• Kari Rissanen and
• Wei Jiang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 1570–1577, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.134

• , Wuhan, 430079, China 10.3762/bjoc.14.134 Abstract Large amplitude conformational change is one of the features of biomolecular recognition and is also the basis for allosteric effects and signal transduction in functional biological systems. However, synthetic receptors with controllable conformational

Complexation of molecular clips containing fragments of diphenylglycoluril and benzocrown ethers with paraquat and its derivatives

• Leonid S. Kikot',
• Catherine Yu. Kulygina,
• Alexander Yu. Lyapunov,
• Svetlana V. Shishkina,
• Roman I. Zubatyuk,
• Tatiana Yu. Bogaschenko and
• Tatiana I. Kirichenko

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2017, 13, 2056–2067, doi:10.3762/bjoc.13.203

• on crown ethers differing in the structure of the intramolecular cavity and in the type of complexation, is still relevant. Among the large variety of synthetic receptors, so-called molecular tweezers and clips are of interest [16][17]. These are a particular case of U-shaped hosts, highly

p-tert-Butylthiacalix[4]arenes functionalized by N-(4’-nitrophenyl)acetamide and N,N-diethylacetamide fragments: synthesis and binding of anionic guests

• Alena A. Vavilova and
• Ivan I. Stoikov

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2017, 13, 1940–1949, doi:10.3762/bjoc.13.188

• in the regulation of anions is a cause of many diseases [7][8][9][10][11][12]. Thus, selective synthetic receptors can be used in medicine as medicinal and diagnostic agents. However, the design and synthesis of the systems for recognizing anions remains one of the important scientific challenges in

• influence of the number and nature of substituents on the complexation properties of the synthetic receptors based on thiacalix[4]arene was demonstrated. The most effective receptor, i.e., p-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene tetrasubstituted at the lower rim by N-(4’-nitrophenyl)acetamide in cone conformation

From supramolecular chemistry to the nucleosome: studies in biomolecular recognition

• Marcey L. Waters

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1863–1869, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.175

• -translational modifications such as trimethyllysine are antibodies, but antibodies have significant limitations in this context, as they are too sequence specific. Thus, we aimed to develop synthetic receptors that would mimic the binding pockets of proteins to recognize trimethyllysine, but not the surrounding

• sequence. This turned out to be an ideal problem to address using DCC, and we have now developed a number of synthetic receptors for methylated lysine and arginine that have applications as sensors for these modifications (Figure 6). Lessons learned As a child, my parents said that I “marched to my own

Amidofluorene-appended lower rim 1,3-diconjugate of calix[4]arene: synthesis, characterization and highly selective sensor for Cu²⁺

• Rahman Hosseinzadeh,
• Mohammad Nemati,
• Reza Zadmard and
• Maryam Mohadjerani

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 1749–1757, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.163

• environmental pollutant or an essential trace element in human body – is a great challenge and the development of synthetic receptors based on organic ligands for the detection of Cu2+ seems to be necessary [13]. Accordingly, during the last decades, synthesis and modification of chemosensors based on

Art, auto-mechanics, and supramolecular chemistry. A merging of hobbies and career

• Eric V. Anslyn

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2016, 12, 362–376, doi:10.3762/bjoc.12.40

• the creation of synthetic receptors and self-assembly. For synthetic ease, the receptors and assemblies routinely possess a high degree of symmetry, which lends them an aspect of aesthetic beauty. Pictures of electron orbitals similarly can be seen as akin to works of art. This similarity was an early

• synthetic receptors we created were designed to answer basic science questions about enzyme mechanisms [19][47], rate enhancements from ion-pairing and general acid-catalysis [48], as well as reveal the strengths of hydrogen bonding. Interspersed among this work using synthetic receptors there was a

• to answer these questions where mechanistically interesting, there was a question – “How many people really care about such subtle details?” Thus, while mechanistic pursuits remain a constant in our group’s work, we switched from using synthetic receptors as mechanistic probes to using such receptors

Smart molecules for imaging, sensing and health (SMITH)

• Bradley D. Smith

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2015, 11, 2540–2548, doi:10.3762/bjoc.11.274

• -authored a book chapter entitled “Applications of Synthetic Receptors for Biomolecules [45].” The chapter grouped the most common applications into four general groups; Separations, Imaging and Sensing, Catalysis, and Pharmaceutical Activity – important topics that will continue to attract the attention of

Why a diaminopyrrolic tripodal receptor binds mannosides in acetonitrile but not in water?

• Diogo Vila-Viçosa,
• Oscar Francesconi and
• Miguel Machuqueiro

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2014, 10, 1513–1523, doi:10.3762/bjoc.10.156

• Scientifico e Tecnológico, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy 10.3762/bjoc.10.156 Abstract Intermolecular interactions involving carbohydrates and their natural receptors play important roles in several biological processes. The development of synthetic receptors is very useful to study these recognition

• : conformational analysis; constant-pH MD; mannose; multivalent glycosystems; pH; synthetic receptor; Introduction The recognition of specific carbohydrates is an important step in several biological processes [1]. To better understand these recognition processes, several synthetic receptors have been developed

Supramolecular chemistry II

• Christoph A. Schalley

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2011, 7, 1541–1542, doi:10.3762/bjoc.7.181

• synthetic receptors, crystallographic studies of halogen bonding and the use of polymers for protein binding. The second series again has a broad scope, as you will discover in the coming months as the series develops. With the second Thematic Series on supramolecular chemistry, we wish to contribute to the

Anthracene appended pyridinium amide–urea conjugate in selective fluorometric sensing of L-N-acetylvaline salt

• Kumaresh Ghosh,
• Tanmay Sarkar and
• Asoke P. Chattopadhyay

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2010, 6, 1211–1218, doi:10.3762/bjoc.6.139

• performing real time analysis. However, the development of receptors for these molecules is slow due to their insolubility in organic solvents, especially amino acids. For strong complexation of zwitterionic amino acids, synthetic receptors should possess complementary binding sites for both ammonium and

RAFT polymers for protein recognition

• Alan F. Tominey,
• Julia Liese,
• Sun Wei,
• Klaus Kowski,
• Thomas Schrader and
• Arno Kraft

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2010, 6, No. 66, doi:10.3762/bjoc.6.66

• manufacturing of robust and specific synthetic receptors for a given protein target [1]. Proteins are a formidable challenge in this respect because they represent large macromolecules with a characteristic shape, size and highly complex functionalized surface. Artificial protein receptors are desired for

Anthracene coupled adenine for the selective sensing of copper ions

• Kumaresh Ghosh and
• Tanushree Sen

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2010, 6, No. 44, doi:10.3762/bjoc.6.44

• ]. Although there are various reports in this regard, synthetic receptors with improved binding efficiency are still in demand. In addition, the coordination of the metal ion with nucleobases plays an important role in the stability of the nucleic acid structure [25]. Among the nucleobases adenine provides

Molecular recognition of organic ammonium ions in solution using synthetic receptors

• Andreas Späth and
• Burkhard König

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2010, 6, No. 32, doi:10.3762/bjoc.6.32

• develop synthetic receptors for their selective molecular recognition. The type of host compounds for organic ammonium ion binding span a wide range from crown ethers to calixarenes to metal complexes. Typical intermolecular interactions are hydrogen bonds, electrostatic and cation–π interactions

• , hydrophobic interactions or reversible covalent bond formation. In this review we discuss the different classes of synthetic receptors for organic ammonium ion recognition and illustrate the scope and limitations of each class with selected examples from the recent literature. The molecular recognition of

• ammonium ions in amino acids is included and the enantioselective binding of chiral ammonium ions by synthetic receptors is also covered. In our conclusion we compare the strengths and weaknesses of the different types of ammonium ion receptors which may help to select the best approach for specific

Synthesis of indolo[3,2-b]carbazole-based new colorimetric receptor for anions: A unique color change for fluoride ions

• Ajit Kumar Mahapatra,
• Giridhari Hazra and
• Prithidipa Sahoo

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2010, 6, No. 12, doi:10.3762/bjoc.6.12

• are widely used as signals for detection of anions without the need for any expensive equipment or even without the requirement of any equipment whatsoever [12][13]. In the last few years, although some synthetic receptors have become available for fluoride ions [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23

Recognition properties of receptors consisting of imidazole and indole recognition units towards carbohydrates

• Monika Mazik and
• André Hartmann

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2010, 6, No. 9, doi:10.3762/bjoc.6.9

• change of the binding model; for a discussion on solvent effects in carbohydrate binding by synthetic receptors, see ref. [56]). The interactions between the β-glucoside 6a and the indole-based receptor 5 in CDCl3 were shown to be strong but less favorable than those with the receptor 4. The best fit of

Synthesis and binding studies of two new macrocyclic receptors for the stereoselective recognition of dipeptides

• Ana Maria Castilla,
• M. Morgan Conn and
• Pablo Ballester

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2010, 6, No. 5, doi:10.3762/bjoc.6.5

• constitutes an alternative approach to the classical active-site enzyme inhibition design. One of the strategies employed for binding protein surfaces relies on the use of arrays of synthetic receptors originally designed for the recognition of oligopeptides. Consequently, the selective recognition of

• among clinical isolates of several Gram-positive species [5][6][7][8]. Therefore, although many examples already exist in the literature [9][10], the design and synthesis of new synthetic receptors for this dipeptide is still a relevant endeavor not only in terms of understanding the interactions that

• observed in their binding abilities as a function of conformational rigidity (macrocyclic vs linear receptors). Results and Discussion Design of the synthetic receptors: general considerations The design of the receptors described in this article is based on the interactions that occur in the β-sheets