Supramolecular polymerization of oligopyrenotides – stereochemical control by single, natural nucleotides

Abstract

Amphiphilic heptapyrenotides (Py₇) assemble into supramolecular polymers. Here we present a comprehensive spectroscopic study of aggregates and co-aggregates of the non-chiral Py₇ and its mono- or di-substituted nucleotide analogs (Py₇-N and N-Py₇-N′). The data show that the formation of supramolecular polymers from oligopyrenotides is highly sensitive to the nature of the attached, chiral auxiliary. A single natural nucleotide may be sufficient for the fine tuning of the aggregates’ properties by changing the mechanism of aggregation from an isodesmic to a nucleation–elongation process, which results in a high degree of amplification of chirality in the formed supramolecular polymers. Watson–Crick complementarity does not play a significant role, since co-aggregates of oligomers modified with complementary nucleotides show no signs of supramolecular polymerization. Depending on the nucleotide, the helical sense of the polymers is shifted to an M-helix or a P-helix. The findings demonstrate the value of oligopyrenotides as oligomeric building blocks for the generation of optically active supramolecular polymers.