Cocrystals for sequestering and separating large PAHs

Highly adaptive boroxine organic assemblies (BOAs) derived from a boronic acid and a linear alkene function as a first-generation constitutional dynamic library (CDL) to sequester and separate large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in form of cocrystals. Configurational and conformational isomerism of the organoboroxines in host-guest assemblies is induced by electronic properties, shape and size of the PAHs through a “shrink-wrap” process/mechanism, which reveals a templating role of the PAH during the CDL assembly. The CDL was applied to separate up to three different PAHs. The cocrystals exhibit tunable electronic properties. The CDL afforded a cocrystal wherein alkenes of two different BOAs undergo [2 + 2] photocycloaddition in the same solid.