Feet‐to‐Feet‐Connected Multitopic Resorcinarene Macrocycles

Abstract

AbstractThe past three decades have witnessed extraordinary advances in the preparation of macrocycles from a resorcinarene platform. Bridging two or more resorcinarene units through multipoint connections produces multitopic resorcinarene‐based hosts. The unique properties arising from multivalency offer diverse applications, such as molecular flasks, molecular machines, and supramolecular polymers. The face‐to‐face connection of two or more resorcinarenes results in a convergent, expanded guest binding space in which many large guests can be accommodated. In contrast, the feet‐to‐feet connection provides an extroverted, ditopic feature that can lead to different applications. Herein, we highlight the synthesis of extroverted, multitopic resorcinarene macrocycles and discuss their fascinating functions, such as molecular recognition, allosteric guest binding, and supramolecular polymerization.