Influence of Axial and Point Chirality in the Chiral Self-Assembly of Twin N-Annulated Perylenecarboxamides

The synthesis of three bis(N-annulated perylenecarboxamides) endowed with achiral or chiral side chains is reported. The restricted rotation of the perylene moieties yields atropisomers that can be separated by chiral HPLC. The CD spectra of the six stereoisomers show a dichroic pattern in a good solvent that changes drastically upon adding a poor solvent that favors the aggregation. The cooperative character of the supramolecular polymerization mechanism of 1-3 has been determined by denaturation experiments, which reveal that the formation of homochiral aggregates is favored over the formation of heterochiral aggregates. A complete set of amplification of chirality experiments have been carried out, revealing the preponderance of axial chirality over point chirality. The results presented herein shed relevant light on the structural conditions exhibited by molecular units endowed with different elements of asymmetry to generate chiral supramolecular structures and the supremacy of axial chirality over point chirality in the origin of homochirality.