Acyclic congener of cucurbituril: synthesis and recognition properties

The cucurbit[n]uril (CB[n]) family of macrocycles occupies a prominent role in molecular recognition and self-assembly studies despite the current inability to access specific cucurbit[n]uril homologues, derivatives, and analogues by straightforward tailor-made synthetic procedures. In this paper, we explore an approach that circumvents the challenges posed by the tailor-made synthesis of macrocyclic CB[n] by preparing 1, which functions as an acyclic CB[6] congener. The o-xylylene connections to the glycoluril rings preorganize 1 into the (a,a,a,a)-1 conformation required for binding and reduce its tendency to undergo self-association. We surveyed the binding properties of 1 toward 16 amines (K(a)