Research Highlights

Picture of a iridium complex inside a resorcin capsule

"Symmetry-breaking host–guest assembly in a hydrogen-bonded supramolecular system"
S. Horiuchi, T. Yamaguchi, J. Tessarolo, H. Tanaka, E. Sakuda, Y. Arikawa, E. Meggers, G. H. Clever, K. Umakoshi, Nat. Commun. 2023, 14, 155.

Animated gif showing phosphate binding in a Pd2L4 cage

"Endohedrally Functionalized Heteroleptic Coordination Cages for Phosphate Ester Binding"
A. Platzek, S. Juber, C. Yurtseven, S. Hasegawa, L. Schneider, C. Drechsler, K. E. Ebbert, R. Rudolf, Q.-Q. Yan, J. J. Holstein, L. V. Schäfer, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, DOI: 10.1002/anie.202209305.
(Hot Paper)

Animated picture of the chirality transfer in a host-guest system showing a CPL effect

Guest-modulated Circularly Polarized Luminescence by Ligand-to-Ligand Chirality Transfer in Heteroleptic Pd(II) Coordination Cages
K. Wu, J. Tessarolo, A. Baksi, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, DOI: 10.1002/anie.202205725.
(Hot Paper, Front Cover)

Animiertes Bild eines Wirt-Gast Komplexes außerhalb des thermodynamischen Gleichgewichts

"Light-powered Dissipative Assembly of Diazocine Coordination Cages"
H. Lee, J. Tessarolo, D. Langbehn, A. Baksi, R. Herges, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c12011.

Official faculty news announcement with more information (German only)

Animated picture of palladium based cages showing different structures and C60 binding

"Cooperativity of steric bulk and H-bonding in coordination sphere engineering: heteroleptic Pd^II cages and bowls by design"
B. Chen, J. J. Holstein, A. Platzek, L. Schneider, K. Wu, G. H. Clever, Chem. Sci. 2022, 13, 1829 - 1834.

Abstract figure showing metal-oxide microcapsules and the TEM setup

"Coordination cage-based emulsifiers: templated formation of metal oxide microcapsules monitored by in situ LC-TEM"
S. Saha, Y.-T. Chen, S. Ganta, M. Gilles, B. Holzapfel, P. Lill, H. Rehage, C. Gatsogiannis, G. H. Clever, Chem. Eur. J. 2021, accepted.

Picture of a fullerene bound inside a metal-based cage and plots of the radical lifetime

"Long-Lived C₆₀ Radical Anion Stabilized inside an Electron-Deficient Coordination Cage"
S. Hasegawa, S. L. Meichsner, J. J. Holstein, A. Baksi, M. Kasanmascheff, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 9718.

(In collaboration with JProf. Dr. Müge Kasanmascheff)

"Increasing Structural and Functional Complexity in Self-Assembled Coordination Cages"
S. Pullen, J. Tessarolo, G. H. Clever, Chem. Sci. 2021, 12, 7269-7293.

"Integrative Assembly of Heteroleptic Tetrahedra Controlled by Backbone Steric Bulk"
J. Tessarolo, H. Lee, E. Sakuda, K. Umakoshi, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 6339.

Animated picture of a encapsulated guest molecule leaving a cage

"Thermodynamic Driving Forces of Guest Confinement in a Photoswitchable Cage"
S. Juber, S. Wingbermühle, P. Nuernberger, G. H. Clever, L. V. Schäfer, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2021, 23, 7321.

Silver-bridged sandwich complex with platinum units.

"Multinuclear Ag Clusters Sandwiched by Pt Complex Units: Fluxional Behavior and Chiral-at-Cluster Photoluminescence"
S. Horiuchi, S. Moon, A. Ito, J. Tessarolo, E. Sakuda, Y. Arikawa, G. H. Clever, K. Umakoshi, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 10654.

"Modular Design of G-Quadruplex MetalloDNAzymes for Catalytic C-C Bond Formations with Switchable Enantioselectivity"
P. M. Punt, M. D. Langenberg, O. Altan, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 3555.

Quinoline-based cages with photoswitchable ligands

"Multi-Stimuli Control over Assembly and Guest Binding in Metallo- Supramolecular Hosts based on DTE Photoswitches"
R. Li, J. Tessarolo, H. Lee, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 3865.

"Identification of a Heteroleptic Pd₆L₆L’₆ Coordination Cage by Screening of a Virtual Combinatorial Library"
S. Sudan, R. Li, S. Jansze, A. Platzek, R. Rudolf, G. H. Clever, F. Fadaei Tirani, R. Scopelliti, K. Severin, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 1773.

(in collaboration with Prof. Kay Severin from Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne - EPFL)

Schematic of obtaining a crystal structure via electron diffraction from single crystals or powder

"Establishing electron diffraction in chemical crystallography"
T. Grüne, J. J. Holstein, G. H. Clever, B. Keppler, Nat. Rev. Chem. 2021, 5, 660-668.

Free access link

(Front Cover)

Highlighted in a press release of TU Dortmund

Palladium cage based on Michler´s ketone, methylene blue, rhodamine B and crystal violet.

"Coal-Tar Dye-based Coordination Cages and Helicates"
I. Regeni, B. Chen, M. Frank, A. Baksi, J. J. Holstein, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 5673.

(Highlighted in a press release by the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV)

See video feature on TU Dortmund Youtube Channel

Heteroleptic cages with backbone-bridged ligands

"Backbone-Bridging Promotes Diversity in Heteroleptic Cages"

K. Wu, B. Zhang, C. Drechsler, J. J. Holstein, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 6403.

"Precise Distance Measurements in DNA G‐Quadruplex Dimers and Sandwich Complexes by Pulsed Dipolar EPR Spectroscopy"

L. M. Stratmann, Y. Kutin, M. Kasanmascheff, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2021, 60, 4939.

(VIP Paper)

Highlighted in a press release of TU Dortmund, the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV, the ChemViews Magazine and by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

(In collaboration with JProf. Dr. Müge Kasanmascheff)

"A New Mechanically-Interlocked [Pd2L4] Cage Motif by Dimerization of two Peptide-based Lemniscates"

T. R. Schulte, J. J. Holstein, L. Schneider, A. Adam, G. Haberhauer, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 22489.

(Hot Paper, Inside Cover)

(In collaboration with Prof. Gebhard Haberhauer from Duisburg-Essen University)

Schematic representation of an arcridone-based interpenetrated double cage, that acts as a photosensitizer for singlet oxygen which reacts in a Diels-Alder reaction.

"Substrate and Product Binding inside a Stimuli-Responsive Coordination Cage acting as Singlet Oxygen Photosensitizer"

S. Pullen, S. Löffler, A. Platzek, J. J. Holstein, G. H. Clever, Dalton Trans. 2020, 49, 9404.

Schematic representation of a ligand-modified oligonucleotide, that folds into a G-quadruplex structure giving rise to a heteroleptic chelate environment suitable for transition metal binding.

"Heteroleptic Coordination Environments in Metal-Mediated DNA G-Quadruplexes"

P. M. Punt, L. M. Stratmann, S. Sevim, L. Knauer, C. Strohmann, G. H. Clever, Front. Chem. 2020, 8, 26.

Structure of a new heterobimetallic coordination cage as determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

"Dynamic Complex-to-Complex Transformations of Heterobimetallic Systems Influence the Cage Structure or Spin State of Iron(II) Ions"

M. Hardy, N. Struch, J. J. Holstein, G. Schnakenburg, N. Wagner, M. Engeser, J. Beck, G. H. Clever, A. Lützen, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 3195.

Schematic representation of the effect of steric hindrance around the coordination environment in bis-monodentate ligands leading to different coordination products acting as host structures for fullerene binding.

"Tunable Fullerene Affinity of Cages, Bowls and Rings Assembled by Pd(II) Coordination Sphere Engineering"

B. Chen, S. Horiuchi, J. J. Holstein, J. Tessarolo, G. H. Clever, Chem. Eur. J. 2019, 25, 14921.

Schematic representation of an imidazole-modified oligonucleotide, that folds into G-quadruplex structures with tailored ligand environments suitable for binding of copper or zinc ions.

"Tailored Transition Metal Coordination Environments in Imidazole-modified DNA G-Quadruplexes"

P. M. Punt, G. H. Clever, Chem. Eur. J. 2019, 25, 13987.

Trapped ion mobility-derived mobilograms of a complex mixture of heteroleptic coordination cages shows clear differentiation of different species.

"Resolution of Minor Size Differences in a Family of Heteroleptic Coordination Cages by Trapped Ion Mobility ESI-MS"

K. E. Ebbert, L. Schneider, A. Platzek, C. Drechsler, B. Chen, R. Rudolf, G. H. Clever, Dalton Trans. 2019, 48, 11070.

Schematic representation of a bowl-shaped coordination compound that binds fullerene and acts as a supramolecular protecting group to control functionalization.

"Pd(II) Coordination Sphere Engineering: Pyridine Cages, Quinoline Bowls and Heteroleptic Pills Binding One or Two Fullerenes"

B. Chen, J. J. Holstein, S. Horiuchi, W. G. Hiller, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 8907.

Schematic representation of successive photoswitching in photochromic DTE-based coordination cages.

"Successive Photoswitching and Derivatization Effects in Photochromic DTE-based Coordination Cages"

R. Li, M. Han, J. Tessarolo, J. J. Holstein, J. Lübben, B. Dittrich, C. Volkmann, M. Finze, C. Jenne, G. H. Clever, ChemPhotoChem 2019, 3, 378.

Schematic representation of a chiral helicene-based bis-monodentate ligand that assembles upon palladium addition into an interpenetrated coordination cage.

"Chiral Self-Discrimination and Guest Recognition in Helicene-based Coordination Cages"

T. R. Schulte, J. J. Holstein, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 5562.

Schematic representation, X-ray structures and CD spectra of a photochromic coordination cage interacting with a chiral guest.

"Mechanistic Interplay between Light-Switching and Guest-Binding in Photochromic [Pd₂Dithienylethene₄] Coordination Cages"

R. Li, J. J. Holstein, W. G. Hiller, J. Andréasson, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 2097.

Schematic representation and molecular dynamics-derived structures of an imidazole-modified G-quadruplex that acts as metal-triggered peroxidase.

"Imidazole-modified G-quadruplex DNA as Metal-triggered Peroxidase"

P. M. Punt, G. H. Clever, Chem. Sci. 2019, 10, 2513.

Schematic representation of the assembly of an amphiphilic coordination cage-based emulsifier and cryo-TEM images of hollow spherical vesicles formed in acetonitril.

"Rational Design of an Amphiphilic Coordination Cage-based Emulsifier"

S. Saha, B. Holzapfel, Y.-T. Chen, K. Terlinden, P. Lill, C. Gatsogiannis, H. Rehage, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 17384.

Schematic representation of multifunctional metal-organic frameworks and heteroleptic coordination cages.

"Mixed-Ligand Metal-Organic Frameworks and Heteroleptic Coordination Cages as Multifunctional Scaffolds – A Comparison"

S. Pullen, G. H. Clever, Acc. Chem. Res. 2018, 51, 3052.

Simplified illustration of structure determination using electron diffraction and a molecular structure determined with this method.

"Rapid structure determination of microcrystalline molecular compounds using electron diffraction"

T. Gruene, J. T. C. Wennmacher, C. Zaubitzer, J. J. Holstein, J. Heidler, A. Fecteau-Lefebvre, S. De Carlo, E. Müller, K. N. Goldie, I. Regeni, T. Li, G. Santiso-Quinones, G. Steinfeld, S. Handschin, E. van Genderen, J. A. van Bokhoven, G. H. Clever, R. Pantelic, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 16313.

(Collaboration initiated by Dr. Tim Grüne, Paul Scherrer Institut, Switzerland, and Dr. Julian Holstein, head of crystallography in the Clever Lab)

“Electron diffraction was selected by Science Magazine as one out of twelve candidates worldwide for the research 2018 Breakthrough of the Year, and made the fifth rank in a public vote.”

Highlighted in c&en, phys.org, ScienceNews, Nature, Angew. Chem. and Nature Chem.

X-ray structure and schematic representation of a metallosupramolecular aggregate with a cage-in-ring structural motif.

"A Rotaxane-like Cage-in-Ring Structural Motif for a Metallosupramolecular Pd₆L₁₂ Aggregate"

M. Käseborn, J. J. Holstein, G. H. Clever, A. Lützen, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 12171.

(Collaboration initiated by the Lützen group, Bonn University)

Schematic representation of a rational design of heteroleptic coordination cages based on donor-site-engineering.

"Donor-site-directed Rational Assembly of Heteroleptic cis-[Pd₂L₂L'₂] Coordination Cages from Picolyl Ligands"

R. Zhu, W. M. Bloch, J. J. Holstein, S. Mandal, L. V. Schäfer, G. H. Clever, Chem. Eur. J. 2018, 24, 12976.

(Hot Paper)

Schematic representation of different coordination structures formed from palladium ions and bis-monodentate ligands.

"Structure Relationships between Bis-monodentate Ligands and Coordination Driven Self-assemblies"

S. Saha, I. Regeni, G. H. Clever, Coord. Chem. Rev. 2018, 374, 1.

Schematic representation of the formation of a multi-cavity coordination cage and its aggregation into mono-layered discs.

"Catenation and Aggregation of Multi-Cavity Coordination Cages"

R. Zhu, I. Regeni, J. J. Holstein, B. Dittrich, M. Simon, S. Prévost, M. Gradzielski, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 13652.

(VIP Paper, Front Cover)

Highlighted by Dr. Emiliano Feresin on the website of the RESOLV cluster of excellence.

Highlighted in the trend report 2019 on inorganic chemistry, published in the „Nachrichten aus der Chemie“, magazine of the German Chemical Society (GDCh).

Schematic representation of the copper-copper distance in di-copper DNA G-quadruplexes of different size.

"Di-Copper(II) DNA G-Quadruplexes as EPR Distance Rulers"

D. M. Engelhard, A. Meyer, A. Berndhäuser, O. Schiemann, G. H. Clever, Chem. Commun. 2018, 54, 7455.

X-ray structure and TEM image of an interlocked M8L16 container.

"Hierarchical Assembly of an Interlocked M₈L₁₆ Container"

W. M. Bloch, J. J. Holstein, B. Dittrich, W. Hiller, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 5534.

"Structure-Property Relationships in Cu^II-binding Tetramolecular G-Quadruplex DNA"

D. M. Engelhard, L. M. Stratmann, G. H. Clever, Chem. Eur. J. 2018, 24, 2117.

(Hot Paper, Cover Feature)

"Influence of Size, Shape, Heteroatom Content and Dispersive Contributions on Guest Binding in a Coordination Cage"

S. Löffler, A. Wuttke, B. Zhang, J. J. Holstein, R. A. Mata, G. H. Clever, Chem. Commun. 2017, 53, 11933.

"Cation-Anion Arrangement Patterns in Self-Assembled Pd₂L₄ and Pd₄L₈ Coordination Cages"

G. H. Clever, P. Punt, Acc. Chem. Res. 2017, 50, 2233.

"Temperature-dependent Dynamics of Push-Pull Rotor Systems based on Acridinylidene Cyanoacetic Esters"

M. Krick, J. J. Holstein, A. Wuttke, R. A. Mata, G. H. Clever, Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2017, 5141.

"Copper-induced Topology Switching and Thrombin Inhibition with Telomeric DNA G-Quadruplexes"

D. M. Engelhard, J. Nowack, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 11640.

"Integrative self-sorting of coordination cages based on 'naked' metal ions "

W. M. Bloch, G. H. Clever, Chem. Commun. 2017, 53, 8506.

"Chiral-at-Metal Phosphorescent Square-Planar Pt(II)-Complexes from an Achiral Organometallic Ligand"

T. R. Schulte, J. J. Holstein, L. Krause, R. Michel, D. Stalke, E. Sakuda, K. Umakoshi, G. Longhi, S. Abbate, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 6863.

"Morphological Control of Heteroleptic cis- and trans-Pd₂L₂L'₂ Cages"

W. M. Bloch, J. J. Holstein, W. Hiller, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2017, 56, 8285.

"Geometric Complementarity in Assembly and Guest Recognition of a Bent Heteroleptic cis-[Pd₂L^A₂L^B₂] Coordination Cage"

W. M. Bloch, Y. Abe, J. J. Holstein, C. M. Wandtke, B. Dittrich, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 13750.

"Endohedral Dynamics of Push-Pull Rotor-functionalized Cages"

M. Krick, J. J. Holstein, C. Würtele, G. H. Clever, Chem. Commun. 2016, 52, 10411.

"Desymmetrization of an Octahedral Coordination Complex inside a Self-Assembled Exoskeleton"

M. D. Johnstone; E. K. Schwarze; J. Ahrens; D. Schwarzer; J. J. Holstein; B. Dittrich; F. M. Pfeffer; G. H. Clever, Chem. Eur. J. 2016, 22, 10791.

"Light-induced Charge Separation in Densely Packed Donor-Acceptor Coordination Cages"

M. Frank, J. Ahrens, I. Bejenke, M. Krick, D. Schwarzer, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 8279.

Congratulations to Jennifer Ahrens (PhD student of collaboration partner Prof. Dirk Schwarzer, MPI for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen) for receiving a Poster Prize on the Bunsentagung 2016 for her contribution to our joint work. In addition, our work was featured on the cover of issue 5/2016 of the Bunsen Magazin.

"Interpenetrated Cage Structures"

M. Frank, M. D. Johnstone, G. H. Clever, Chem. Eur. J. 2016, 22, 14104.

(Review, Hot Paper)

"Internal Dynamics and Guest Binding of a Sterically Overcrowded Host"

S. Löffler, J. Lübben, A. Wuttke, R. A. Mata, M. John, B. Dittrich, G. H. Clever, Chem. Sci. 2016, 7, 4676.

"Light-controlled Interconversion between a Self-assembled Triangle and a Rhombicuboctahedral Sphere"

M. Han, Y. Luo, B. Damaschke, L. Go´mez, X. Ribas, A. Jose, P. Peretzki, M. Seibt, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 445. (VIP Paper, Inside Cover)

"Triggered Exchange of Anionic for Neutral Guests inside a Cationic Coordination Cage"

S. Löffler, J. Lübben, L. Krause, D. Stalke, B. Dittrich, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 1060.

Congratulations to Susanne Löffler for receiving a "MS-CEC Young Researcher Award 2016" for this paper from the Münster Symposium on Cooperative Effects in Chemistry!

"Modular synthesis of linear bis- and trismonodentate fused [6]polynorbornane-based ligands and their assembly into coordination cages"

M. D. Johnstone, E. K. Schwarze, G. H. Clever and F. M. Pfeffer, Chem. Eur. J. 2015, 21, 3948.

(Hot Paper, Inside Cover).

"Stepwise Halide-triggered Double- and Triple-Catenation of Self-Assembled Coordination Cages"

R. Zhu, J. Lübben, B. Dittrich, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2015, 54, 2796.

"Rational Design of a Face-Centred Square-Cuboid Coordination Cage"

M. Han, R. Michel, G. H. Clever, Chem. Eur. J. 2014, 20, 10640.

(Special Issue: European Young Chemists).

"Self-Assembled Coordination Cages based on Banana-shaped Ligands"

M. Han, D. M. Engelhard, G. H. Clever, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2014, 43, 1848.

(Open Access article).

"Reversible Stabilization of Transition-Metal-Binding DNA G-Quadruplexes"

D. M. Engelhard, R. Pievo, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, 12843.

"Assembly and Stepwise Oxidation of Interpenetrated Coordination Cages based on Phenothiazine"

M. Frank, J. Hey, I. Balcioglu, Y.-S. Chen, D. Stalke, T. Suenobu, S. Fukuzumi, H. Frauendorf, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, 10102.

"Template Control over Dimerization and Guest Selectivity of Interpenetrated Coordination Cages"

S. Freye, R. Michel, D. Stalke, M. Pawliczek, H. Frauendorf, G. H. Clever, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 8476.

"Stable and Metastable Self-Assembled Rings based on trans-chelated Pd(II)"

F. A. Pereira, T. Fallows, M. Frank, A. Chen, G. H. Clever, Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 2013, 639, 1598.

"Counter Ion Dynamics in an Interpenetrated Coordination Cage Capable of Dissolving AgCl"

S. Freye, D. M. Engelhard, M. John, G. H. Clever, Chem. Eur. J. 2013,19, 2114.

"Light-triggered Guest Uptake and Release by a Photochromic Coordination Cage"

M. Han, R. Michel, B. He, Y.-S. Chen, D. Stalke, M. John, G. H. Clever, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2013, 52, 1319.

(Hot Paper)

"An Inclusion Complex of Hexamolybdate inside a Supramolecular Cage and its Structural Conversion"

M. Han, J. Hey, W. Kawamura, D. Stalke, M. Shionoya, G. H. Clever, Inorg. Chem. 2012, 51, 9574.

Highlighted in the ACS Virtual Issue on "Synthetic Inorganic Chemistry" 2013 and the ACS Inorganic Chemistry Virtual Issue on "Inorganic Cages and Containers" 2014.