Dicyclohexylurea derivatives of amino acids as dye absorbent organogels and anion sensors
Dicyclohexyl urea (DCU) derivatives of amino acids Fmoc-Phe-DCU (M1), Fmoc-Phg-DCU (M2) and Fmoc-Gaba-DCU (M3) have been shown to form phase selective, thermoreversible and mechanically robust gels in a large range of organic solvents. This is the first report of low molecular weight gelators (LMWG)...
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Published in | Organic & biomolecular chemistry Vol. 17; no. 11; pp. 3026 - 3039 |
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Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
CAMBRIDGE
Royal Soc Chemistry
13.03.2019
Royal Society of Chemistry |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Dicyclohexyl urea (DCU) derivatives of amino acids Fmoc-Phe-DCU (M1), Fmoc-Phg-DCU (M2) and Fmoc-Gaba-DCU (M3) have been shown to form phase selective, thermoreversible and mechanically robust gels in a large range of organic solvents. This is the first report of low molecular weight gelators (LMWG) from DCU derivatives of amino acids. The self-assembly mechanism of the organogels has been probed using concentration dependent H-1 NMR, DMSO titration H-1 NMR, fluorescence, FTIR, PXRD and FESEM techniques. Self-assembly leading to gelation process is mainly driven by hydrophobicity and p-p stacking interactions in between Fmoc groups. Interestingly, the gels can absorb several kinds of organic dyes efficiently and can be reused for dye absorption for multiple cycles. Additionally, M1-M3 act as sensors for anions like fluoride, acetate and hydroxide, for which they have specific fluorescence response. Gel formation by M1-M3 is completely arrested in the presence of fluoride. The possible binding mode of fluoride has been delineated using DFT studies. Calculations suggest, involvement of urea NH in a six membered intramolecular hydrogen bond, rendering it unavailable for fluoride binding. Backbone -NH of the amino acids of M1-M3 is responsible for fluoride binding. The reported small, economically viable, synthetically facile molecules not only enrich the repertoire of LMWG molecules, but can have multifaceted applications. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 1477-0520 1477-0539 |
DOI: | 10.1039/c9ob00014c |