Synthesis of Anthropomorphic Molecules The NanoPutians.pdf

Synthesis of Anthropomorphic Molecules: The NanoPutians Stephanie H. Chanteau and James M. Tour* Department of Chemistry and Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, MS 222, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005 tour@ Received June 27, 2003 Described here are the synthetic details en route to an array of 2-nm-tall anthropomorphic molecules in monomeric, dimeric, and polymeric form. These anthropomorphic figures are called, as a class, NanoPutians. Using tools of chemical synthesis, the ultimate in designed miniaturization can be attained while preparing the most widely recognized structures: those that resemble humans. 1. Introduction Using tools of chemical synthesis, the ultimate in designed miniaturization can be attained. Beyond the molecular-sized domain there is no conceivable entity upon which to tailor architectures that could have programmed cohesive interactions between the individual building blocks. It is at this size region that synthetic chemists have been inherently captivated; however, their fascination is rarely shared by the layperson. The masses view chemical structures as difficult-to-grasp abstractions formulated by complex algorithms, except when mol- ecules resemble macroscopic objects such as C60. Argu- ably, the most widely recognized structures are those that resemble humans. 1 Here we describe the synthetic details en route to an array of 2 nm-tall anthropomorphic molecules, both in monomeric and polymeric form. 2,3 Accepted common names such as “cubane”, “dodeca- hedrane”, “housane”, and “chair-form” describe the con- stitution or conformation of cycloalkanes while “buck- minsterfullerene” expresses chemical structure by its relation to the artisan that built macroscopic analogues. Utilizing such a license, the anthropomorphic molecules here are dubbed, as a class, NanoPutians, following the lead of the Lilliputians in Jonathan Swift’s classic, Gulliver’s Travels. More descriptive names follow here for each molecule type. Likewise, re