Designing Papercraft Models: Metal–Organic Cages Based on cis-Capped Palladium Building Blocks and Tridentate Bridging Ligands

• Published in: Journal of chemical education Vol. 101; no. 7; pp. 2933 - 2937
• Main Author: Horikoshi, Ryo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Easton American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc 09.07.2024; American Chemical Society
• Subjects: Cages; Cardboard; Chemical bonds; College students; Comprehension; Encapsulation; Ethylenediamine; Ions; Ligands; Luminescence; Metals; Molecular structure; Molecules; Palladium; Self-assembly; First-Year Undergraduate/General; Hands-On Learning/Manipulatives; Molecular Properties/Structure; Inorganic Chemistry
• ISSN: 0021-9584; 1938-1328
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c00400

This report outlines the creation of papercraft models designed to elucidate the rational design and characteristics of metal–organic cages tailored for first-year nonchemistry majors. Metal–organic cages are advanced materials formed by self-assembling metal ions and bridging ligands into cage-like structures. Notable examples include [(en)­Pd]6(4TPT)4 12+ (1) and [(en)­Pd]6(3TPT)4 12+ (2) [where en = ethylenediamine, 4TPT = 2,4,6-tri­(4-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine, and 3TPT = 2,4,6-tri­(3-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine], exhibiting isomeric properties. Compound 1 features a hollow octahedral structure, while compound 2 adopts a bowl-shaped form, allowing for the encapsulation of small molecules within its cavity. Using cardboard imprinted with molecular structures and supplemented with paper clips, students actively engaged in fabricating papercraft models of compounds 1 and 2. This hands-on approach deepened their comprehension of the rational design principles and small-molecule encapsulation mechanisms inherent in these compounds while reinforcing their understanding of coordination bonds and isomerism fundamentals.