Interconversion of single and double helices formed from synthetic molecular strands

Synthetic single-helical conformations are quite common, but the formation of double helices based on recognition between the two constituent strands is relatively rare. Known examples include duplex formation through base-pair-specific hydrogen bonding and stacking, as found in nucleic acids and their analogues, and polypeptides composed of amino acids with alternating L and D configurations1,2. Some synthetic polymers3 and self-assembled fibres4 have double-helical winding induced by van der Waals interactions. A third mode of non-covalent interaction, coordination of organic ligands to metal ions5,6,7, can give rise to double, triple and quadruple helices, although in this case the assembly is driven by the coordination geometry of the metal and the structure of the ligands, rather than by direct inter-strand complementarity. Here we describe a family of oligomeric molecules with bent conformations, which exhibit dynamic exchange between single and double molecular helices in solution, through spiral sliding of the synthetic oligomer strands. The bent conformations leading to the helical shape of the molecules result from intramolecular hydrogen bonding within 2′-pyridyl-2-pyridinecarboxamide units8,9,10,11,12, with extensive intermolecular aromatic stacking stabilizing the double-stranded helices that form through dimerization.