Very Contracted to Extended co-Conformations with or without Oscillations in Two- and Three-Station [c2]Daisy Chains

The syntheses of various two- and three-station mannosyl [c2]daisy chains, based on a dibenzo-24-crown-8 macrocyclic moiety and an ammonium, a triazolium, and a mono- or disubstituted pyridinium amide station, are reported. The ability of these molecules to act as molecular machine based mimetics has been further studied by H-1 NMR studies. In all the protonated ammonium states, the interwoven rotaxane dimers adopt an extended co-conformation. However, carbamoylation of the ammonium station led to many different other [c2]daisy chain co-conformations, depending on the other molecular stations belonging to the axle. In the two-station [c2]daisy chains containing an ammonium and a mono- or disubstituted pyridinium amide station, two large-amplitude relative movements of the interwoven components were noticed and afforded either an extended and a contracted or very contracted state with, in the latter case, an impressive chairlike conformational flipping of the mannopyranose from C-1(4) to C-4(1). In the case of the three-station-based [c2]daisy chains containing an ammonium, a triazolium, and disubstituted pyridinium amide, an extended and a half-contracted molecular state could be obtained because of the stronger affinity of the dibenzo-24-crown-8 part for, respectively, the ammonium, the triazolium, and the disubstituted pyridinium amide. Eventually, with axles comprising an ammonium, a triazolium, and a monosubstituted pyridinium amide, an extended conformation was noticed in the protonated state whereas a continuous oscillation between half-contracted and contracted states, in fast-exchange on the NMR time scale, was triggered by carbamoylation. Variations of the solvent or the temperature allow the modification of the population of each co-conformer. Thermodynamic data provided a small free Gibbs energy AG of 2.1 kJ.mol(-1) between the two translational isomers at 298 K.