An amphiphilic pseudo[1]catenane: neutral guest-induced clouding point change

• Tomoki Ogoshi,
• Tomohiro Akutsu and
• Tada-aki Yamagishi

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2018, 14, 1937–1943, doi:10.3762/bjoc.14.167

• alkyl chain rings, and formed a self-inclusion structure in aqueous media, which was assigned as a pseudo[1]catenane structure. The hydrophobic chain ring was hidden inside the pillar[5]arene cavity in the pseudo[1]catenane structure, thus the bicyclic compound was soluble in water at 20 °C with a

• clouding point at 24 °C. The pseudo[1]catenane was converted to the de-threaded structure upon addition of the neutral guest 1,4-dicyanobutane, which displaced the alkyl chain ring from the inside to the outside of the cavity. The hydrophobic alkyl chain ring was now exposed to the aqueous media, causing

• aggregation of the hydrophobic alkyl chain rings, which induced insolubilization of the bicyclic compound in aqueous media at 20 °C and a decrease in its clouding point. Keywords: amphiphilic molecules; host–guest complexes; lower critical solution temperature; pillar[n]arenes; pseudo[1]catenane