Herringbone Helical Foldamers from Aromatic Ether Derived ϵ‐Amino Acid Peptides

Abstract

Oligomers based on an aromatic ether derived ϵ‐amino acid peptides folded into herringbone helical structures, induced by successive NH−O−NH & O−NH−O bifurcated hydrogen bonding interactions and reinforced by π‐π stacking between aryls from adjacent layers. The diaryl ether bonds −O− worked both as structural units to provide turn motifs for changing the amplitude of the slope along the axis of helix for herringbone formation, and also as acceptors for hydrogen bonding. Attachment of a single chiral carbon to the C‐termini of the peptides induced excess of single‐handed screw sense and amplification through the chain propagation as exemplified by chain length dependent circular dichroism (CD) investigations.