Supramolecular complexes based on cyclodextrins

A summary of the application of cyclodextrins (CDs) in the field of supramolecular chemistry has been given. Unique structural features of CDs, namely the separation of hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups, cause unusual physical and chemical properties of these molecules. The most important property of natural or chemically modified CDs is the ability to reversibly and selectively bind organic, inorganic, and biological molecules, forming inclusion complexes (ICs) of the “guest-host” type or nanostructured supramolecular assemblies. The most interesting examples of the application of ICs with CDs in pharmaceutical, food, and chemical industry, spectrometric analysis, separation technologies, of the use of CDs as models for molecular recognition in biology, as well as the cyclical component in the construction of supramolecular architectures (rotaxanes, pseudorotaxanes) are given in the review. The mechanism and methods of the formation of ICs, their properties and the methods of analysis have been described. Particular attention has been paid to molecular necklaces. One of the new promising directions of the application of CDs, namely, the preparation of nanosized materials, has been considered.