Reversing the direction in a light-driven rotary molecular motor
Author: ["Nopporn Ruangsupapichat","Michael M. Pollard","Syuzanna R. Harutyunyan","Ben L. Feringa"]
Publication: Nature Chemistry
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Abstract
Biological rotary motors can alter their mechanical function by changing the direction of rotary motion. Achieving a similar reversal of direction of rotation in artificial molecular motors presents a fundamental stereochemical challenge: how to change from clockwise to anticlockwise motion without compromising the autonomous unidirectional rotary behaviour of the system. A new molecular motor with multilevel control of rotary motion is reported here, in which the direction of light-powered rotation can be reversed by base-catalysed epimerization. The key steps are deprotonation and reprotonation of the photochemically generated less-stable isomers during the 360° unidirectional rotary cycle, with complete inversion of the configuration at the stereogenic centre. The ability to change directionality is an essential step towards mechanical molecular systems with adaptive functional behaviour. Biological rotary motors can alter their mechanical function by changing the direction of rotary motion. Now, researchers have designed a synthetic light-driven rotary motor in which the direction of rotation can be reversed on command by changing the chirality of the molecular motor through base-induced epimerization.
Cite this article
Ruangsupapichat, N., Pollard, M., Harutyunyan, S. et al. Reversing the direction in a light-driven rotary molecular motor. Nature Chem 3, 53–60 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.872
