In nature, important molecular processes such as replication, enzyme catalysis and communication rely on the balance between supramolecular and molecular chirality and their interplay. For the design of nanostructured materials, such as sensors and memory systems, controlling chirality at different hierarchical levels by an external source is of major importance.[1] In this context, chiral self-assembling optical molecular switches offer great opportunities because both molecular and supramolecular chirality are addressable by light.[2]Recently, chiral dithienylethene molecules that exert nearly absolute stereocontrol upon irradiation with light in the gel state have been reported.[3] Here we present a molecular system based on a dithienylethene photochromic 'open' switch and its diastereomerically pure 'closed' analogue. The closed analogue amplifies the chirality of its own formation upon photochemical ring closing of the open switch by acting as a chiral template in a supramolecular assembly[1] Lehn, J.-M. Science, 2002 , 295, 2400[2] Feringa, B.L., Ed., Molecular Switches (Wiley, Weinheim, Germany, 2001 )[3] de Jong, J.J.D.; Lucas, L.N.; Kellogg, R.M.; van Esch, J.H. and Feringa, B.L. Science 2004 , 304, 278

Photoinduced amplification of chirality in the gel state

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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