IChO 2021 · Theory problem 9

Likes and Dislikes of Capsule

Good kids don’t do this, but if you unseam a tennis ball, you can disassemble it into two U-shaped pieces.

Figure 1

Based on this idea, compounds 1 and 2 were synthesized as U-shaped molecules with different sizes. Compound 3 was prepared as a comparison of 1 and the encapsulation behavior of these compounds was investigated.

Figure 2

The synthetic route to 2 is shown below. The elemental composition of compound 9: C; 40.49%, H; 1.70%, and O; 17.98% by mass.

Figure 3

9.1 Draw the structures of 4–9; the stereochemistry can be neglected. Use "PMB" as a substituent instead of drawing the whole structure of p-methoxybenzyl group shown in the scheme above.

In the mass spectrum of 1, the ion peak corresponding to its dimer (\(\mathbf{1}_2\)) was clearly observed, whereas an ion peak for \(\mathbf{3}_2\) was not observed in the spectrum of 3. In the \({}^{1}\ce{H}\) NMR spectra of a solution of \(\mathbf{1}_2\), all the NH protons derived from 1 were observed to be chemically equivalent, and their chemical shift was significantly different from that of the NH protons of 3. These data indicate that hydrogen bonds are formed between the NH moieties of 1 and atoms X of another molecule of 1 to form the dimeric capsule.

9.2 Circle all the appropriate atom(s) X in 1.

9.3 Give the number of the hydrogen bonds in the dimeric capsule (\(\mathbf{1}_2\)).

The dimeric capsule of 1 (\(\mathbf{1}_2\)) has an internal space wherein an appropriate small molecule Z can be encapsulated. This phenomenon is expressed by the following equation:

\[ \ce{Z}+\mathbf{1}_2\ce{->}\ce{Z}@\mathbf{1}_2 \tag{1} \]

The equilibrium constant of the encapsulation of Z into \(\mathbf{1}_2\) is given as below:

\[ K_a=\frac{[\ce{Z}@\mathbf{1}_2]}{[\ce{Z}][\mathbf{1}_2]} \tag{2} \]

Encapsulation of a molecule into a capsule could be monitored by NMR spectroscopy. For example, \(\mathbf{1}_2\) in \(\ce{C6D6}\) gave different signals in the \({}^{1}\ce{H}\) NMR spectra before and after addition of \(\ce{CH4}\).

Compound 2 also forms a rigid and larger dimeric capsule (\(\mathbf{2}_2\)). The \({}^{1}\ce{H}\) NMR spectrum of \(\mathbf{2}_2\) was measured in \(\ce{C6D6}\), \(\ce{C6D5F}\), and a \(\ce{C6D6}/\ce{C6D5F}\) solvent mixture, with all other conditions being kept constant. The chemical shifts for the \(\ce{H}^{a}\) proton of 2 in the above solvents are summarized below, and no other signals from the \(\ce{H}^{a}\) in 2, except for the listed, were observed. Assume that the interior of the capsule is always filled with the largest possible number of solvent molecules and that each signal corresponds to one species of the filled capsule.

Figure 4
solvent \(\delta\) (ppm) of \(\ce{H}^{a}\)
\(\ce{C6D6}\) 4.60
\(\ce{C6D5F}\) 4.71
\(\ce{C6D6}/\ce{C6D5F}\) 4.60, 4.71, 4.82

9.4 Determine the number of \(\ce{C6D6}\) and \(\ce{C6D5F}\) molecules encapsulated in \(\mathbf{2}_2\) giving each \(\ce{H}^{a}\) signal.

\({}^{1}\ce{H}\) NMR measurements in \(\ce{C6D6}\) revealed that \(\mathbf{2}_2\) can incorporate one molecule of 1-adamantanecarboxylic acid (AdA), and the association constants (\(K_a\)) which are expressed below were determined for various temperatures. \([\mathrm{solvent}@\mathbf{2}_2]\) denotes a species containing one or more solvent molecules.

\[ K_a=\frac{[\ce{Z}@\mathbf{2}_2]} {[\ce{Z}][\mathrm{solvent}@\mathbf{2}_2]} \tag{3} \]

Similarly, the \(K_a\) values of \(\ce{CH4}\) and \(\mathbf{1}_2\) given as eq (2) at various temperatures in \(\ce{C6D6}\) were also determined by \({}^{1}\ce{H}\) NMR measurements. The plots of the two association constants (as \(\ln K_a\) vs \(1/T\)) are shown below.

Figure 5
Figure 6

No \(\ce{C6D6}\) molecule is encapsulated in \(\mathbf{1}_2\). In line II, the entropy change (\(\Delta S\)) is ( 1 ) and enthalpy change (\(\Delta H\)) is ( 2 ), indicating that the driving force for the encapsulation in line II is ( 3 ). Therefore, line I corresponds to ( 4 ), and line II corresponds to ( 5 ).

9.5 Choose the correct options in gaps (1)–(5) in the following paragraph from A and B.

A B
( 1 ) positive negative
( 2 ) positive negative
( 3 ) \(\Delta S\) \(\Delta H\)
( 4 ) \(\mathbf{1}_2\) and \(\ce{CH4}\) \(\mathbf{2}_2\) and AdA
( 5 ) \(\mathbf{1}_2\) and \(\ce{CH4}\) \(\mathbf{2}_2\) and AdA

Official English text of the problem.

Answers

  • 9.1: The structures are listed below. In the requested drawings, retain the abbreviation PMB for the p-methoxybenzyl group. The SMILES expand PMB to give complete connectivity; stereochemistry is omitted as permitted.
Compound Name SMILES
4 Bis(4-methoxybenzyl) but-2-ynedioate COc1ccc(COC(=O)C#CC(=O)OCc2ccc(OC)cc2)cc1
5 Bis(4-methoxybenzyl) 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene-2,3-dicarboxylate C1(C(=O)OCc2ccc(OC)cc2)=C(C(=O)OCc2ccc(OC)cc2)C2C=CC1O2
6 Bis(4-methoxybenzyl) 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene-2,3-dicarboxylate C1(C(=O)OCc2ccc(OC)cc2)=C(C(=O)OCc2ccc(OC)cc2)C2CCC1O2
7 Tetrakis(4-methoxybenzyl) bicyclo[2.2.2]octa-2,5-diene-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylate C1(C(=O)OCc2ccc(OC)cc2)=C(C(=O)OCc2ccc(OC)cc2)C2CCC1C(C(=O)OCc1ccc(OC)cc1)=C2C(=O)OCc1ccc(OC)cc1
8 Bicyclo[2.2.2]octa-2,5-diene-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylic acid C1(C(=O)O)=C(C(=O)O)C2CCC1C(C(=O)O)=C2C(=O)O
9 Bicyclo[2.2.2]octa-2,5-diene-2,3,5,6-tetracarbonyl tetrachloride C1(C(=O)Cl)=C(C(=O)Cl)C2CCC1C(C(=O)Cl)=C2C(=O)Cl
  • 9.2: Circle all four carbonyl oxygen atoms of 1: the two carbonyl oxygens in each terminal glycoluril unit.

  • 9.3: The dimeric capsule contains 8 hydrogen bonds.

  • 9.4: Each capsule contains two solvent molecules.

\(\delta(\ce{H}^{a})\) / ppm Number of \(\ce{C6D6}\) molecules Number of \(\ce{C6D5F}\) molecules
4.60 2 0
4.71 0 2
4.82 1 1

The guests are benzene-\(d_6\), [2H]c1c([2H])c([2H])c([2H])c([2H])c1[2H], and fluorobenzene-\(d_5\), Fc1c([2H])c([2H])c([2H])c([2H])c1[2H].

  • 9.5: (1) A; (2) A; (3) A; (4) A; (5) B.

Thus line II has \(\Delta S>0\), \(\Delta H>0\), and is entropy-driven. Line I represents methane, C, binding to \(\mathbf{1}_2\). Line II represents adamantane-1-carboxylic acid, O=C(O)C12CC3CC(CC(C3)C1)C2, binding to \(\mathbf{2}_2\).

Solution

9.1 — Identification of compounds 4–9

The PMB group is p-methoxybenzyl, represented as the fragment *Cc1ccc(OC)cc1, where * marks its attachment to the rest of the structure.

Esterification gives 4. The starting materials are but-2-ynedioic acid, also called acetylenedicarboxylic acid, O=C(O)C#CC(=O)O, and 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol, COc1ccc(CO)cc1. Both carboxylic acid groups undergo acid-catalysed esterification:

\[ \ce{C4H2O4 + 2 C8H10O2 ->[H^+,\ \Delta] C20H18O6 + 2 H2O}. \]

Thus 4 is the di-PMB ester of acetylenedicarboxylic acid. Its molecular formula agrees with the supplied \(\ce{C20H18O6}\).

For the drawing, place a triple bond between the two central carbon atoms, with a \(\ce{-C(=O)O-PMB}\) group at each end.

A Diels–Alder reaction with furan gives 5. Furan, c1ccoc1, supplies the four-atom diene, while the activated alkyne of 4 is the dienophile:

\[ \ce{C20H18O6 + C4H4O -> C24H22O7}. \]

The cycloaddition forms two new carbon–carbon \(\sigma\) bonds. One double bond remains between the two alkyne-derived carbon atoms, and another remains between the two internal carbons of the original furan diene. The furan oxygen becomes the one-atom bridge.

Consequently, 5 has a 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene skeleton, with the two ester groups on the same double bond.

Hydrogenation gives 6. The supplied formula changes from \(\ce{C24H22O7}\) to \(\ce{C24H24O7}\), so exactly one equivalent of hydrogen is added:

\[ \ce{C24H22O7 + H2 ->[Pd/C] C24H24O7}. \]

The double bond without ester substituents is hydrogenated. The ester-bearing double bond remains, as required for the subsequent formation of the depicted conjugated diene.

To draw 5 and 6 precisely, connect two bridgehead CH groups by three paths:

  • An oxygen bridge, \(\ce{-O-}\).
  • An ester-bearing alkene bridge, \(\ce{-C(CO2PMB)=C(CO2PMB)-}\).
  • A \(\ce{-CH=CH-}\) bridge in 5, replaced by \(\ce{-CH2-CH2-}\) in 6.

Removal of the oxygen bridge gives the depicted conjugated diene. Reduced titanium removes the bridging oxygen, with rearrangement of the carbon–carbon double bonds. The product is bis(4-methoxybenzyl) cyclohexa-1,3-diene-2,3-dicarboxylate:

C1=C(C(=O)OCc2ccc(OC)cc2)C(C(=O)OCc2ccc(OC)cc2)=CCC1

Its formula is \(\ce{C24H24O6}\). Because the problem does not specify the titanium-containing coproducts, the organic reduction can be balanced formally as the half-reaction

\[ \ce{C24H24O7 + 2 H+ + 2 e- -> C24H24O6 + H2O}. \]

This equation is atom and charge bookkeeping; it does not imply an aqueous acidic reaction medium. In the actual transformation, reduced titanium accepts the oxygen.

A second Diels–Alder reaction gives 7. The conjugated diene reacts with another molecule of alkyne 4:

\[ \ce{C24H24O6 + C20H18O6 ->[\Delta] C44H42O12}. \]

The two saturated carbons of the original six-membered ring become one ethylene bridge of a bicyclo[2.2.2]octadiene framework. The remaining two bridges each contain a double bond, and every carbon of these two double bonds bears an ester group.

Therefore 7 is the tetra-PMB ester of bicyclo[2.2.2]octa-2,5-diene-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylic acid.

Acidic PMB cleavage gives 8. The four PMB ester groups are removed. Anisole, COc1ccccc1, traps the benzyl electrophile released from each protecting group. The depicted trapping product is bis(4-methoxyphenyl)methane:

COc1ccc(Cc2ccc(OC)cc2)cc1

The balanced overall equation is

\[ \ce{C44H42O12 + 4 C7H8O ->[H^+] C12H10O8 + 4 C15H16O2}. \]

Thus 8 is the tetracarboxylic acid, \(\ce{C12H10O8}\). The bicyclic carbon skeleton and both double bonds remain unchanged.

Oxalyl chloride gives 9. Oxalyl chloride, O=C(Cl)C(=O)Cl, converts each of the four carboxylic acid groups into an acid chloride:

\[ \ce{C12H10O8 + 4 C2Cl2O2 -> C12H6Cl4O4 + 4 CO + 4 CO2 + 4 HCl}. \]

For the drawings of 7–9, connect two bridgehead CH groups by three two-carbon bridges. One is \(\ce{-CH2-CH2-}\); the other two are each \(\ce{-C(Q)=C(Q)-}\), with:

Compound \(Q\)
7 \(\ce{-C(=O)O-PMB}\)
8 \(\ce{-C(=O)OH}\)
9 \(\ce{-C(=O)Cl}\)

This specifies the requested structures without assigning stereochemistry.

The elemental analysis independently confirms 9. The remaining mass percentage is chlorine:

\[ w_{\ce{Cl}}=100.00-40.49-1.70-17.98=39.83\%. \]

For a \(100.00\ \mathrm{g}\) sample, using atomic molar masses \(12.01\), \(1.008\), \(16.00\), and \(35.45\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}\),

\[ \begin{aligned} n_{\ce C}&=\frac{40.49}{12.01}=3.371\ \mathrm{mol},\\ n_{\ce H}&=\frac{1.70}{1.008}=1.687\ \mathrm{mol},\\ n_{\ce O}&=\frac{17.98}{16.00}=1.124\ \mathrm{mol},\\ n_{\ce{Cl}}&=\frac{39.83}{35.45}=1.124\ \mathrm{mol}. \end{aligned} \]

Hence

\[ n_{\ce C}:n_{\ce H}:n_{\ce O}:n_{\ce{Cl}} \simeq 3:1.5:1:1=6:3:2:2. \]

The empirical formula is \(\ce{C6H3Cl2O2}\). The known twelve-carbon skeleton requires twice this formula:

\[ \boxed{\ce{C12H6Cl4O4}}. \]

Its calculated molar mass is \(355.97\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}\), giving

\[ w_{\ce C}=40.49\%,\qquad w_{\ce H}=1.70\%,\qquad w_{\ce O}=17.98\%, \]

in agreement with every supplied percentage.

The small molecular species in the equations are water, O; hydrogen, [H][H]; carbon monoxide, [C-]#[O+]; carbon dioxide, O=C=O; and hydrogen chloride, Cl.

9.2 — Hydrogen-bond acceptors

Host 1 is the benzene-linked bis(diphenylglycoluril) host shown in the statement. Its covalent connectivity is:

O=C1NC2(c3ccccc3)NC(=O)N3Cc4cc5c(cc4CN1C23c1ccccc1)CN1C(=O)NC2(c3ccccc3)NC(=O)N(C5)C12c1ccccc1

Its U-shaped geometry is specified by the supplied drawing; a connectivity SMILES does not describe the capsule’s conformation or hydrogen-bond network.

Each glycoluril unit contains two urea carbonyl groups. Their oxygen atoms possess lone pairs that can accept hydrogen bonds from the NH groups of the other monomer:

\[ \ce{N-H}\cdots\ce{O=C}. \]

The urea nitrogen lone pairs are delocalized into the carbonyl groups, so these nitrogens are not the appropriate hydrogen-bond acceptors.

Therefore, circle the four carbonyl oxygen atoms, namely the upper and lower carbonyl oxygens at each end of 1.

9.3 — Number of hydrogen bonds

Each molecule of 1 contains:

  • Four NH hydrogen-bond donors.
  • Four carbonyl-oxygen hydrogen-bond acceptors.

The dimer therefore has eight NH donors. In the closed capsule, each NH group donates one hydrogen bond to a carbonyl oxygen on the other monomer:

\[ N_{\text{hydrogen bonds}}=2\times4=\boxed{8}. \]

This counts eight distinct donor–acceptor contacts, rather than counting both ends of a hydrogen bond separately. The equivalent hydrogen-bonded environments also account for the equivalent NH signals described in the problem.

9.4 — Solvent occupancy

Host 2 is the larger bis(glycoluril) host drawn in the statement. Its generic connectivity SMILES is given below, with each * representing one unspecified R substituent:

C1(C(=O)N3N(C9=O)Cc4c(O)c5c(c(O)c4C3)CN3C(=O)NC4(*)NC(=O)N(C5)C34*)=C9C2CCC1C(C(=O)N3N(C%10=O)Cc4c(O)c5c(c(O)c4C3)CN3C(=O)NC4(*)NC(=O)N(C5)C34*)=C2%10

Each capsule contains two such host molecules. Their spatial arrangement and the location of guests inside the cavity must be specified in words; ordinary SMILES does not encode encapsulation.

Let \(B\) denote benzene-\(d_6\) and \(F\) fluorobenzene-\(d_5\), whose SMILES are given in the Answers section.

For a capsule filled with \(n\) solvent molecules, the possible guest compositions are

\[ B_n,\ B_{n-1}F,\ B_{n-2}F_2,\ldots,F_n. \]

There are \(n+1\) compositions. Under the problem’s stated signal-counting model, the three observed signals imply

\[ n+1=3\quad\Longrightarrow\quad \boxed{n=2}. \]

The pure-solvent measurements identify the two homogeneous occupancies:

\[ \begin{aligned} 4.60\ \mathrm{ppm}&:\quad B_2@\mathbf{2}_2,\\ 4.71\ \mathrm{ppm}&:\quad F_2@\mathbf{2}_2. \end{aligned} \]

The remaining signal must correspond to the mixed pair:

\[ 4.82\ \mathrm{ppm}:\quad BF@\mathbf{2}_2. \]

Thus the guest counts are respectively \((2,0)\), \((0,2)\), and \((1,1)\). No assumption that the mixed capsule’s chemical shift is an average of the other two shifts is needed.

9.5 — Thermodynamic signs and identification of the lines

Using the fixed standard-state convention implicit in the plotted association constants, the van ’t Hoff relation is

\[ \ln K_a=-\frac{\Delta H}{R}\frac1T+\frac{\Delta S}{R}. \]

Consequently,

\[ \text{slope}=-\frac{\Delta H}{R}, \qquad \text{vertical intercept}=\frac{\Delta S}{R}. \]

For line II, the slope is negative and the vertical intercept is positive. Therefore,

\[ \boxed{\Delta H_{\mathrm{II}}>0}, \qquad \boxed{\Delta S_{\mathrm{II}}>0}. \]

Since

\[ \Delta G=\Delta H-T\Delta S, \]

the positive enthalpy change opposes binding, while the positive entropy change supplies the favorable contribution. Line II is therefore entropy-driven.

The two encapsulation processes explain the assignments.

For methane, the smaller capsule initially contains no benzene-\(d_6\):

\[ \ce{CH4}+\mathbf{1}_2 \ce{<=>} \ce{CH4}@\mathbf{1}_2. \]

Binding restricts the guest’s translational and rotational freedom, without releasing an encapsulated solvent molecule. This is consistent with the negative entropy change of line I, whose negative intercept and positive slope indicate

\[ \Delta S_{\mathrm I}<0,\qquad \Delta H_{\mathrm I}<0. \]

For adamantane-1-carboxylic acid, one guest replaces the two benzene-\(d_6\) molecules inside the larger capsule:

\[ \ce{C11H16O2}+(\ce{C6D6})_2@\mathbf{2}_2 \ce{<=>} \ce{C11H16O2}@\mathbf{2}_2+2\ce{C6D6}. \]

Release of two confined solvent molecules into the bulk solvent provides an entropy gain that can outweigh the entropy loss associated with binding one acid molecule. This explains the entropy-driven process represented by line II.

The completed choices are therefore:

Gap Result Option
(1) Positive \(\Delta S\) A
(2) Positive \(\Delta H\) A
(3) Entropy, \(\Delta S\), is the driving force A
(4) \(\mathbf{1}_2\) and methane A
(5) \(\mathbf{2}_2\) and adamantane-1-carboxylic acid B

The solution was checked against the official solution.