9412515 Abelt College of William and Mary Supramolecular hosts in which 9,10-dicyanoanthracene is tethered, capped, and sandwiched with beta-cyclodextrin will be synthesized. The interaction between the hosts and quenching guests will be studied by spectrofluorimetry. Several analytical methods will be developed to elucidate the static and dynamic quenching components. The ultimate goal is to identify the structural motifs that lead to both strong binding and a large static/dynamic quenching ratio. Such hosts will be ideal as photoinduced-electron-transfer catalysts. This grant from the Organic Dynamics Program supports the continuing work of Professor Christopher J. Abelt at the College of William and Mary. A pendant organic molecule, which can accept electrons upon ultraviolet light irradiation, will be bonded to a conically-shaped carbohydrate molecule. The carbohydrate molecule can act as a host to other molecules (guests) that can fit into this conically-shaped host. The guest molecules will be electron donors so that upon irradiation, an electron will be transferred from the guest to the pendant organic molecule. Since the volume of the host limits the field of guest molecules, selective electron transfer will occur.
