Cyclodextrin-based catalysts and molecular reactors*
Christopher J. Easton
Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia
Abstract: The naturally occurring cyclodextrins and their derivatives have been developed as miniature reaction vessels, to manipulate the outcomes of chemical transformations at the molecular level. In this manner, the rate of hydrolysis of a phosphate triester has been enhanced by almost five orders of magnitude, and the ratios of products obtained from electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions, from competing reactions to give indigoid dyes, and from nitrile oxide cycloadditions have all been changed, by factors of up to 3500 times.
Keywords: Cyclodextrins; molecular reactors; catalysts; templates; reaction control.
*Paper based on a presentation at the 17th International Conference on Physical Organic Chemistry (ICPOC-17), Shanghai, China, 15-20 August 2004. Other presentations are published in this issue, pp. 1807-1921.