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Updated: May 24, 2026

Heterogeneous Removal of Water-Soluble Ruthenium Olefin Metathesis Catalyst from Aqueous Media Via Host-Guest Interaction
Published on: August 23, 2018
Insight into the structural deformations of beta-cyclodextrin caused by alcohol cosolvents and guest molecules
Haiyang Zhang1, Chunling Ge, David van der Spoel
1Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China.
Abstract:
Beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) is an ideal candidate for a host molecule, and it is used as such in drug delivery and separation technology. The structural behavior of free β-CD and host-guest complexes of β-CD with two isoflavonoid isomers (puerarin and daidzin) in aqueous alcohol solutions, covering methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, and 1-propanol, was investigated through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The MD results highlighted aspects of the structural flexibility and rigidity of β-CD in different alcohol solutions. The alcohol residence time within the β-CD cavity, solvent distribution around β-CD, and guest-induced structural changes were analyzed. Interaction with puerarin endowed β-CD with a more rigid structure than with daidzin and a weaker ternary complex β-CD/puerarin/alcohol was formed with a local participation of water molecules. The retention behavior of puerarin and daidzin on a β-CD-coupled medium was determined via chromatographic experiments and simulation results provided a structural explanation for such interactions.
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