Open AccessRecent Advances in the Applications of Water‐soluble Resorcinarene‐based Deep Cavitands
Author(s) -
Zhu YuJie,
Zhao MingKai,
Rebek Julius,
Yu Yang
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
chemistryopen
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 29
ISSN - 2191-1363
DOI - 10.1002/open.202200026
Subject(s) - resorcinarene , cavitand , chemistry , hydrogen bond , organic molecules , molecule , host–guest chemistry , combinatorial chemistry , hydrophobic effect , supramolecular chemistry , organic chemistry , computational chemistry
We review here the use of container molecules known as cavitands for performing organic reactions in water. Central to these endeavors are binding forces found in water, and among the strongest of these is the hydrophobic effect. We describe how the hydrophobic effect can be used to drive organic molecule guests into the confined space of cavitand hosts. Other forces participating in guest binding include cation−π interactions, chalcogen bonding and even hydrogen bonding to water involved in the host structure. The reactions of guests take advantage of their contortions in the limited space of the cavitands which enhance macrocyclic and site‐selective processes. The cavitands are applied to the removal of organic pollutants from water and to the separation of isomeric guests. Progress is described on maneuvering the containers from stoichiometric participation to roles as catalysts.