Mimics, enzyme synthetic macrocycles

Tlie basic study of intermolecular interactions is facihtated by one-bead-one-stRicture libraries which can be powerful tools for the discovery of hgands to synthetic receptors and vice versa. Encoded combinatorial libraries have been useful for disclosing ligands for well-designed macrocyclic host molecules and to elucidate their specificities for peptide sequences. These studies led via receptors with more flexibility to simple host molecules without elaborate design that ai e accessible to combinatorial synthesis. One application is the development of chemical sensors for analytes that are otherwise difficult to detect or only non-specificaUy detected. Such hbraries have been used to find new catalysts and enzyme mimics. 

Fig. 4 Some synthetic macrocycles used as enzyme mimics...

This apparent controversy was resolved by the seminal work of David Gutsche who developed reproducible synthetic procedures for the family of vase-like compounds, which in 1975 he called Calixarenes. David became interested in the chemistry of the Zinke compounds because he was a consultant to the Petrolite Corporation that produced surfactants for the oil industry. One of their products was a linear ohgomer obtained from reaction of p-tert-butylphenol and formaldehyde. Problems in the production process led to a detailed study of the reaction and during the more detailed investigations the Petrolite team rediscovered the crystalline Zinke compound. David s personal interest in these macrocyclic molecules was their possible use as platforms for enzyme mimics, in particular the Aldolase catalysis. Although he never realized such an artificial enzyme, David devoted... 

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