A Deep, Water‐Soluble Cavitand Acts as a Phase‐Transfer Catalyst for Hydrophobic Species

Abstract

Overcoming inhibition: A deep, water-soluble cavitand has been shown to extract various N-substituted maleimides into aqueous solution through the hydrophobic effect. These complexes react with a water-soluble thiol to confer water solubility to the product, thus leading to a drastic reduction in binding affinity and allowing this system to function as a phase-transfer catalyst. Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under http://www.wiley-vch.de/contents/jc_2002/2006/z600405_s.pdf or from the author. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.