Arjunolic acid: A renewable template in supramolecular chemistry and nanoscience*
Braja Gopal Bag and Shaishab Kumar Dinda
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore (W), India
Abstract: Arjunolic acid, a triterpenoid, renewably resourced from Terminalia arjuna sawdust, has the potential of being used as a structural molecular framework in supramolecular chemistry and nanoscience. The nanosized chiral triterpenoid on derivatization could immobilize varieties of organic solvents at low concentrations. The low-molecular-mass organic compounds self-assembled in organic media to form fibrous network structures having fibers of nano- to micrometer diameters. A dual-component supramolecular gelation has been demonstrated, exhibiting interesting thermochromic property. An arjunolic acid-derived crown ether showed efficient binding to monovalent cations, including a primary ammonium ion paving the way for chiral recognition of amino acids.
Keywords: arjunolic acid; renewable; template; nanoscience; thermochromes; terpenes; self-assembly; soft-materials; organogel; Terminalia.
*Pure Appl. Chem. 79, 1831-2100. An issue of reviews and research papers based on lectures presented at the 1st International IUPAC Conference on Green-Sustainable Chemistry, held in Dresden, Germany, 10-15 September 2006.