Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.134, No.4, 2057-2066, 2012
Equilibrium Isotope Effects on Noncovalent Interactions in a Supramolecular Host-Guest System
The self-assembled supramolecular complex [Ga4L6](12-) (1; L = 1,5-bis[2,3-dihydroxybenzamido]naphthalene) can act as a molecular host in aqueous solution and bind cationic guest molecules to its highly charged exterior Surface or within its hydrophobic interior cavity. The distinct internal cavity of host 1 modifies the physical properties and reactivity of bound guest molecules and can be used to catalyze a variety of chemical transformations. Noncovalent host-guest interactions in large part control guest binding, molecular recognition and the chemical reactivity of bound guests. Herein we examine equilibrium isotope effects (ELEs) on both exterior and-interior guest binding to host 1 and use these effects to probe the details of noncovalent host-guest interactions. For both interior and exterior binding of a benzylphosphonium guest in aqueous solution, protiated guests are found to bind more strongly to host 1 (K-H/K-D > 1) and the preferred association of protiated guests is driven by enthalpy and opposed by entropy. Deuteration of guest methyl and benzyl C-H bonds results in a larger EIE than deuteration of guest aromatic C-H bonds. The observed Ems can be well explained by considering changes in guest vibrational force constants and zero-point energies. DFT calculations further confirm the origins of these EIEs and suggest that changes in low-frequency guest C-HID vibrational motions (bends, wags, etc.) are primarily responsible for the observed EIEs.