Cucurbituril homologues and derivatives: new opportunities in supramolecular chemistry.
The supramolecular chemistry of cucurbituril, a synthetic receptor, is fascinating because of the remarkable guest binding behavior of the host. Studies in the field, however, have met with limitations, since the only species known was the hexameric macrocyclic compound, cucurbit[6]uril. Recently we synthesized its homologues, cucurbit[n]uril (n = 5, 7, 8), and derivatives. These new members of the cucurbituril family have expanded the scope further, and interest in them has grown enormously. This Account is a compilation of recent literature covering the syntheses of the homologues and derivatives, and their supramolecular chemistry.
Lee
Jae Wook
JW
National Creative Research Initiative Center for Smart Supramolecules, and Department of Chemistry, Pohang University of Science and Technology, San 31 Hyojadong, Pohang 790-784, Republic of Korea.
Samal
S
S
Selvapalam
N
N
Kim
Hee-Joon
HJ
Kim
Kimoon
K