Chemical sensing with shapeshifting organic molecules

Abstract

A shapeshifting organic molecule dynamically adjusts its equilibrium population of discrete structural isomers in response to an analyte. By incorporating a single ¹³C-label into the bullvalene core, these changes can be read by a single ¹³C NMR experiment. The shapeshifting nature and ¹³C nucleus together act as a reporting element that generates a reproducible pattern from small changes in the chemical shifts and intensities of the carbon peaks.