Enantioselective Hosts for Neutral Derivatives of Amino Acids

Abstract

Abstract A series of macropolycyclic receptors for hydrogen bond donor/acceptor guests were prepared and studied. Molecular modeling and X‐ray crystallography provided structural information, while NMR titration studies allowed determination of free energies of association. Some of die receptors prepared showed enantioselectivity as high as 3 kcal/mol in binding derivatives of simple amino acids in organic solvents. These studies show that conformational homogeneity is one of the most important characteristics of a selective host and that molecular modeling can play an important role in the design of such substances.