Rational design of a sugar-appended porphyrin gelator that is forced to assemble into a one-dimensional aggregate

[GRAPHICS] As an attempt to rationally design organogelators, an amphiphilic porphyrin bearing four beta -D-galactopyranoside groups at its periphery was synthesized. This compound tends to aggregate in a one-dimensional direction, resulting in very robust gels in DMF/alcohol mixed solvents. Spectroscopic studies and electron-micrographic observations support the view that the pi-pi stacking interaction among porphyrin moieties and the hydrogen-bonding interaction among sugar moieties operate synergistically to give rise to a stable one-dimensional aggregate structure indispensable for gel formation.