Oligo(p-benzamide)s compounds as organogelators

ORGN 434

Helga Seyler, seyler@uni-mainz.de and Andreas F. M. Kilbinger, akilbing@uni-mainz.de. Institute of Organic Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, Mainz, 55099, Germany
Low molecular-weight organogels received increasing attention in the last years because of their numerous applications and in order to study self-assembly phenomena in solution. The self-assembly process in the gels is driven by specific non-covalent intermolecular interactions; typically generated by π-π stacking, metal coordination, hydrogen bonding, dipole-dipole and/or electrostatic interaction. These low-molecular weight molecules self-assemble in organic solvents into long fibers, forming an entangled network resulting in a macroscopic gel formation. We have examined the gelation capability of oligo(p-benzamide)s, as well as the structure and properties of the gels formed. The organogelators were prepared using standard Fmoc- chemistry on a peptide synthesizer. The molecules consist structurally of an aromatic backbone, rigidified by intramolecular hydrogen bonds and n-alkyl side chains.