Synthesis of cyclodextrin–pyrrole conjugates possessing tuneable carbon linkers

Abstract

Cyclodextrins are naturally occurring cyclic oligosaccharides consisting of glucose units. The main feature of cyclodextrins is the ability to accommodate various lipophilic compounds in their interior, which determines them to be popular helpers to the mankind. However, there is still a demand for new derivatives for advanced applications. Herein, we report the synthesis of β-cyclodextrin–pyrrole conjugates. Their preparation is based on an amide bond formation or copper(I)-catalysed azide-alkyne cycloaddition between β-cyclodextrin and pyrrole derivatives. The main advantage of the synthetic approach lies in the possibility to attach the substituent in β-position, because polypyrroles possessing a substituent in this position are generally more conductive than the N-substituted ones. Moreover, the presented synthetic route is general and allows tuning the properties (various types of connections and lengths) of a linker. The presented cyclodextrin–pyrrole derivatives thus open the door for new applications in the field of sensors or tissue engineering.