Stabilization and Controlled Release of Reactive Molecules by Solid-State van der Waals Capsules - 主-客体和超分子化学

We have shown that the isolated environment provided by a solid-state van der Waals capsule with an interdigitated structure can efficiently stabilize a series of reactive molecules, such as cyclopentadiene and trichlorosilane, in the crystalline state, even under relatively harsh conditions. More importantly, in CH3OH/H2O liquid medium, the capsule compound can be stimulated to conveniently release its guest molecules by adjusting the temperature of the system, and the host molecules are easily separated and reused because of their insolubility in CH3OH/H2O solution. As a representative application, the capsule can stabilize molecules of cyclopentadiene at ambient temperature and then controllably release it upon heating for further reaction to produce a Diels–Alder adduct. This work demonstrates that stabilization and extraordinary control over reactive molecules can be achieved by solid-state vdW assemblies which are facilely prepared and recycled. Furthermore, the approach could be generalized to a wide variety of different reactive molecules through rational tailoring of the supramolecular hosts.