Topological Isomerism of Möbius‐Shaped Aramide Macrocycles Induced by Host‐Guest Interactions
In contrast to traditional Möbius molecules characterized by fully conjugated backbones, synthetic amide-linked Möbius-shaped macrocycles represent a hitherto-unreported class of topological architectures. Here we report the rational design of the first hydrogen-bonded Möbius-shaped aramide macrocycles. Central to this design are intramolecular hydrogen bonds within a para-linked aromatic segment, which critically stabilize the conformation and lock the macrocyclic ring into a single-twist topology. Crystallographic analyses unambiguously confirm their single-twisted Möbius-shaped architectures, while LOL-π calculations support sustained electronic delocalization across the macrocyclic backbones. Notably, a reversible topological switching between a single-twisted Möbius-shaped and a planar Hückel-shaped conformation occurs upon the introduction of water clusters, which occupy the central cavity and competitively disrupt the para-linker hydrogen bonds. Furthermore, complexation with chiral amino acids induces characteristic circular dichroism responses, successfully translating host-guest recognition into distinct chiroptical outputs. This work establishes a fully amide-linked macrocyclic platform that enables stimuli-responsive interconversion between Möbius- and Hückel-shaped conformations.
Authors
- Zhiyao Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7994-356X)
- Lihua Yuan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0578-4214)
- Kuirong Fu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5225-4477)
- Zejiang Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9592-8703)
- Cheng Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2049-1324)
- Wen Feng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1590-071X)
- Xiaowei Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9479-4857)
- Maoxia Yang
- Yimin Cai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4697-8317)
Institutions
- Chengdu University of Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Published
- 2026-07-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.7978333
- Primary Topic
- Synthesis and Properties of Aromatic Compounds
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities