Cyclodextrins versatile hosts

Among the best known and most versatile hosts are the various cydodextrins [1,2] of which a-, P- and y-cyclodextrins are the most available. These are cyclic oligosaccharides built up of six, seven, or eight glucopyranose units, respectively. These compounds can be prepared by enzymatic hydrolysis of starch. The undoubtedly most important member of the cyclodextrin family is P-cyclodextrin (P-CD) which has become a cheap and easily available chemical, suitable for large scale applications. Schemes... 

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is one of the most powerful and versatile methods for the elucidation of molecular structure and dynamics. It is also very well suited to study molecular complexes and their properties [1]. Therefore, it has been widely used for studying inclusion complexes formed by cyclodextrins (CyD) [2-4]. Some examples of the applications of NMR in conjunction with other techniques are presented in other chapters, in particular in Chapter 6. The success of NMR spectroscopy in this field is due to its ability to study complex chemical systems and to determine stoichiometry, association constants, and conformations of molecular complexes, as well as to provide information on their symmetry and dynamics. Furthermore, compared to other techniques, NMR spectroscopy provides a superior method to study complexation phenomena, because guest and host molecules are simultaneously observed at the atomic level. 

We have previously described how versatile P-cyclodextrins are as host molecules (Section 2.6.6). If a single hydroxyl group is deprotonated, a nucleophilic centre is generated in close proximity to the hydrophobic cavity, hence resulting in enzymelike activity. ... 

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