Trapping of bulky guests inside dimeric molecular capsules formed by a deep-cavity cavitand

The inclusion of three bulky guests, adamantyl(ferrocenylmethyl)amine (2), adamantylferrocenecarboxylamide (3), and 1,1'-bis(adamantylaminomethyl)ferrocene (4), inside dimeric molecular capsules formed by an octaacid deep-cavity cavitand (1) was investigated using (1)H NMR spectroscopy and voltammetric techniques. Guests 2 and 3 were encapsulated inside 1(2) assemblies, as evidenced by (1)H NMR spectroscopic data. Although both guests are electroactive, the supramolecular complexes 2@1(2) and 3@1(2) showed no voltammetric current responses in the potential window corresponding to the electrochemical oxidation of their ferrocenyl groups. In contrast, each of the adamantyl ends of compound 4 is bound by the cavitand 1, but the central ferrocene residue was not fully encapsulated in this supramolecular assembly and the voltammetric behavior of 4·1(2) was clearly detected. In marked contrast with the experimental results obtained with guests 2 and 3, we could not obtain any evidence for the simultaneous encapsulation of free ferrocene and adamantane inside the 1(2) capsular assembly.