Electron-catalysed molecular recognition

Molecular recognition1–4 and supramolecular assembly5–8 cover a broad spectrum9–11 of non-covalently orchestrated phenomena between molecules. Catalysis12 of such processes, however, unlike that for the formation of covalent bonds, is limited to approaches13–16 that rely on sophisticated catalyst design. Here we establish a simple and versatile strategy to facilitate molecular recognition by extending electron catalysis17, which is widely applied18–21 in synthetic covalent chemistry, into the realm of supramolecular non-covalent chemistry. As a proof of principle, we show that the formation of a trisradical complex22 between a macrocyclic host and a dumbbell-shaped guest—a molecular recognition process that is kinetically forbidden under ambient conditions—can be accelerated substantially on the addition of catalytic amounts of a chemical electron source. It is, therefore, electrochemically possible to control23 the molecular recognition temporally and produce a nearly arbitrary molar ratio between the substrates and complexes ranging between zero and the equilibrium value. Such kinetically stable supramolecular systems24 are difficult to obtain precisely by other means. The use of the electron as a catalyst in molecular recognition will inspire chemists and biologists to explore strategies that can be used to fine-tune non-covalent events, control assembly at different length scales25–27 and ultimately create new forms of complex matter28–30.