W0005
Supramolecular Synthesis of Bilayer Architectures via Hydrogen Bonding Interactions: Lipid Membrane Mimics. Kumar Biradha, Dorothy Dennis, Karen M. Poirier and Michael J. Zaworotko, Dept. of Chemistry, Saint Marys University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 3C3, Canada
Recent advances in the field of crystal engineering have afforded a new synthetic paradigm: supramolecular synthesis of new classes of solid that mimic the functional properties of naturally occuring materials. Previous work from our group has focused upon simple organic salts such as [(C6H5CH2)2NH2]2[HTMA] and [C6H5CH2)2[HTML] (H3TMA = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid; H3TML = 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic acid). From this work a new class of materials that is structurally related to clays but is inherently hydrophobic because of its chemical nature has been developed. In this contribution we report how the closely related compounds [(C6H5CH2)2NH2]2[HTMA] self-assemble to form bilayer architectures which are structural mimics of lipid membranes (illustrated schematically alondside). The crystal structures of these compounds will be discussed in the context of hydrogen bonding, aromatic-aromatic interactions and the crystallographic problems that we face in such systems. The ability of these novel materials to incorporate guest molecules will also be discussed.