Guest Encapsulation in a Water-Soluble Molecular Capsule Based on Ionic Interactions

We report on the synthesis and characterization of a water-soluble molecular capsule based on multiple ionic interactions. The assembly has been studied by means of 1H NMR, ESI-MS spectroscopy, and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), showing an association constant in water, Ka, of 3.3 × 104 M-1. The achieved water solubility of the system opens the possibility of using this supramolecular assembly for molecular recognition in pure water. Encapsulation studies have been performed and are reported in this Communication.