A Switchable Palladium(II) Trefoil Entangled Tetrahedron with Temperature Dependence and Concentration Independence

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2022 Sep 26;61(39):e202210476. doi: 10.1002/anie.202210476. Epub 2022 Aug 23.

Abstract

Self-assembly makes metallo-interlocked architectures attractive targets, but being in equilibrium with smaller species means that they can suffer from dilution effects. We show that a junctioned system gives rise to a [Pd4 (L)2 ]8+ trefoil entangled tetrahedron irrespective of concentration. Heating the sample reversibly shifts the equilibrium from the knot to an isomeric non-interlocked dual metallo-cycle, demonstrating that thermodynamic equilibria can still be exploited for switching even in the absence of concentration effects.

Keywords: Interlocked Architecture; Palladium; Self-Assembly.