Chiral stimuli-responsive gels: helicity induction in poly(phenylacetylene) gels bearing a carboxyl group with chiral amines.

Poly(phenylacetylene) gels (gel-1-H and gel-2-H) bearing a carboxy pendant were synthesized either by the copolymerization of (4-carboxyphenyl)acetylene (gel-1-H) with a bis(phenylacetylene) derivative as the cross-linking reagent using a rhodium complex ([Rh(cod)(2)]BF(4): cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) as the catalyst or by the cross-linking of poly[(4-carboxyphenyl)acetylene] with diamines (gel-2-H). The obtained gels were found to swell in DMSO and exhibited an induced circular dichroism (ICD) in the long absorption region of the main chain in the presence of optically active amines. These results indicate that a predominantly one-handed helix can be induced in the polymer network of the gels through chiral acid-base interactions. The swelling properties and the Cotton effect intensities of the gels depend on the cross-linking ratio and the chiral amines. Gel-1-Na and gel-2-Na prepared from gel-1-H and gel-2-H, respectively, also significantly swelled in water and showed ICDs characteristic of chiral amino alcohols and free amino acids in water.