Enantiomeric separation of chiral molecules by chiral resorcinarene based cavitands

Chiral resorcin[4]arene cavitands will be developed to have an extended cavity by adjoining two hydroxyl groups on a resorcinol unit with a benzyl group that will be further connected with aromatic amino acid gates at the upper rims. Aromatic amino acid moieties on the upper rims will either produce a seam of hydrogen bond or hydrophobic collapse to close the cavity of the cavitands. The amino acid moieties on top of the cavitand will then act like gates to control the dynamic of trapping small guest molecules in/out the cavity. The asymmetrical environment at gates, originated from stereochemistry of amino acid moieties at the rims, will induce enantiomeric discrimination of racemic mixture such as drugs, agrochemicals, food additives and fragrances. The ability of these novel chiral gated resorcin[4]arene cavitands to regulate constrictive and enantiomeric selective binding of chiral molecules would provide the materials for chiral separation that could be further developed for various applications including drug delivery, sensor technology, and catalysis.