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A light-driven synthetic molecular motor can be switched off by trapping its rotating arm in a molecular socket. In the motor reported by Ben Feringa’s group, acid helps hold the arm in place through hydrogen bonds; a strong base removes the protons and releases it. Only the unlocked molecule proceeds through its light- and heat-driven rotation cycle.
How does the molecular lock work?
The motor has two molecular halves joined by a carbon–carbon double bond. One half carries a rotating arm whose plug contains an NH2 group. The other includes a dibenzo[24]crown-8 ring that acts as a socket for that plug.
In the locked state, acid protonates the NH2 group. Hydrogen bonding then holds the plug inside the crown ether socket, preventing the motor’s rotation cycle from proceeding. A strong base removes the protons, disrupts those hydrogen bonds and unlocks the arm. Chemistry World reported Feringa explaining that irradiating the locked motor does not make it rotate, but deprotonating it unlocks the molecule (Chemistry World, January 11, 2010).
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| State | What holds or releases the plug | Can the rotation cycle proceed? |
|---|---|---|
| Acidified and locked | Protonation enables hydrogen bonding that holds the plug in the crown ether socket. | No. Irradiation alone does not make the reported locked motor rotate. |
| Basified and unlocked | Base removes protons, breaking the hydrogen bonds and releasing the plug. | Yes. Light and heat can then drive the isomerization steps that produce a full turn. |
What powers rotation after unlocking?
Once released, the motor uses light and heat to drive the isomerization steps that produce a 360-degree rotation. The lock is therefore a chemical gate: it controls whether the motor cycle can proceed, rather than supplying the energy for the movement itself.
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How fast is this molecular motor?
Chemistry World reported that this design took more than half an hour to complete a full rotation. The report attributed the slow pace to thermal isomerization steps, which take longer than the photochemical steps. Feringa described the work as a demonstration of the locking principle, not an effort to optimize speed (Chemistry World, January 11, 2010). That timing applies to this reported design; it is not a general speed for molecular motors.
What does this result demonstrate—and what does it not?
The result demonstrates a molecular-scale proof of principle: acid and base can switch a light-driven synthetic motor between a state in which its arm is held still and one in which its rotation cycle can run. The 2010 report discussed future possibilities for connecting molecular rotation to piston-like motion, but did not establish a working device application.
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Research on light-driven molecular shuttles spans topics such as optical information storage, catalysis and ion transport, but that broader field context does not show that this particular lockable motor performs those functions. A 2022 review also discusses challenges in translating molecular motion into useful systems (Frontiers in Chemistry, 2022).
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