Preparation and multivalently enhanced guest-binding affinity of water-soluble cyclophane heptadecamers

Water-soluble cyclophane heptadecamers (17a and 17b), which were constructed with the core cyclophane heptadecamer and 36 polar side chains with a terminal galactose or glucose residue, respectively, were prepared. An analogous cyclophane pentamer (5a) was also prepared. The stoichiometry for the complex of the cyclophane oligomers with fluorescence guests such as TNS was confirmed to be 1:1 host:guest by a Job plot. The guest-binding affinity of cyclophane heptadecamers 17a and 17b was much enhanced relative to that of a corresponding monocyclic cyclophane (1a), i.e., the 1:1 binding constant (K) values for 17a with TNS, 2,6-ANS, and 1,8-ANS were ca. 1700-, 1600-, and 1500-fold larger than those of 1a for the identical guests, respectively, which reflects the multivalency effects in macrocycles. Meanwhile, the corresponding K values for the cyclophane pentamer 5a with TNS, 2,6-ANS, and 1,8-ANS were ca. 250-, 250-, and 110-fold larger than those of 1a for the identical guest, respectively.