Tröger's base-embedded macrocycles with chirality

Abstract

The birth and development of supramolecular chemistry have heralded a new era, where macrocycles have become an irreplaceable research tool. Therefore, the construction of novel macrocycles has become a hot spot. Tröger's base (TB), as a fragment with both rigidity and chirality, promises tremendous potential in the realm of supramolecular chemistry, and its unique properties continue to motivate researchers to explore its inclusion in macrocycles. However, the construction of a TB-embedded macrocycle is always difficult due to the frequent occurrence of excessive tension. For successful synthesis, part of the function of TB in macrocycle is often overlooked or sacrificed to facilitate the macrocyclization process, leading to serious deficiencies in the utilization of the functions of TB. Thus, the research on TB-embedded macrocycles is still in its preliminary stage. Hence, in this review, TB-embedded macrocycles are highlighted, focusing not only on the linkers of these macrocycles but also on the correlation between the properties of TB and TB-embedded macrocycles. We hope that this review will further guide the synthesis of more excellent macrocycles.