title: Chiral softballs: synthesis and molecular recognition properties.
abstract: Studies on the different congeners of the softball were undertaken to explore structural variants for enantioselective encapsulation. Two different spacer elements in the monomeric subunit render the dimeric softball chiral although the monomer itself is achiral. The dimers represent capsules with dissymmetric cavities with volumes ranging from 190 to 390 A(3). The cavities are distorted spheres, and asymmetric guests, such as naturally occurring terpenes, generally prefer one enantiomer of the capsule to its mirror image. The selectivities are moderate (up to 4:1). The complexation studies show that the host capsules are flexible enough to arrange themselves comfortably around a guest but still maintain enough rigidity to be influenced by the occupancy of a chiral guest. The enantiomeric capsules can interconvert (racemize) by dissociation and recombination of their subunits.
authors.affiliation: Contribution from The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology and the Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rivera
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Martín
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rebek