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Mechanosensitive Oligodithienothiophenes: Transmembrane Anion Transport Along Chalcogen‐Bonding Cascades
Author(s) -
Macchione Mariano,
Tsemperouli Maria,
Goujon Antoine,
Mallia Ajith R.,
Sakai Naomi,
Sugihara Kaori,
Matile Stefan
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
helvetica chimica acta
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.74
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1522-2675
pISSN - 0018-019X
DOI - 10.1002/hlca.201800014
Subject(s) - chemistry , acceptor , membrane , ion , chalcogen , bilayer , fluorescence , push pull , crystallography , lipid bilayer , photochemistry , organic chemistry , biochemistry , physics , engineering , quantum mechanics , electrical engineering , condensed matter physics
The design, synthesis, and evaluation of multifunctional dithieno[3,2‐ b ;2′,3′‐ d ]thiophene ( DTT ) trimers is described. Twisted push‐push‐pull or donor‐donor‐acceptor ( DDA ) trimers composed of one DTT acceptor and two DTT donors show strong mechanochromism in lipid bilayer membranes. Red shifts in excitation rather than emission and fluorescence recovery with increasing membrane order are consistent with planarization of the twisted, extra‐long mechanophores in the ground state. The complementary pull‐pull‐pull or AAA trimers with deep σ holes all along the scaffold are not mechanochromic in membranes but excel with submicromolar anion transport activity. Anion transport along membrane‐spanning strings of chalcogen‐bond donors is unprecedented and completes previous results on transmembrane cascades that operate with equally unorthodox interactions such as halogen bonds and anion‐ π interactions.