Assembly and Disassembly of Supramolecular Hypervalent Iodine Macrocycles via Anion Coordination

This study explores the dynamic self-assembly of hypervalent iodine-based macrocycles (HIMs) driven by secondary bonding interactions. The reversible disassembly and reassembly of HIMs are facilitated through anion binding via addition of tetrabutylammonium (TBA) salts or removal of the anion by addition of silver nitrate. The binding constants for HIM monomers with TBA(Cl) and TBA(Br) are calculated and show a correlation with the strength of the iodine-anion bond. Furthermore, the study reveals the dynamic bonding nature of these macrocycles in solution, allowing for rearrangement and participation in dynamic bonding chemistry.