Supramolecular polymerization of coordination cages for tunable asymmetric catalysis
Principal investigator
The aim of the project is to investigate supramolecular polymerization as a means of tuning the enantioselectivity of reactions catalyzed by constitutive metals of coordination cages. These catalytic coordination cages act as hosts for small chirality inducing molecules. The guest molecules and constitutive ligands of these cages share structural similarities with the monomers of supramolecular polymers. As such, the cages may exhibit virtually identical arrangement of interactions (e.g. hydrogen bonding and aromatic stacking) as that governing the supramolecular polymerization. Combining cage and supramolecular polymer is an overlooked approach, with no example of catalytic applications for these objects reported to date. The proposed collaborative work, utilizes general expertise and interest involving supramolecular catalysis, from both the involved parties, as well the more specialized expertise in supramolecular polymerization and host-guest chemistry of French and Croatian research teams, respectively.