On-Demand Cyclophanes: Substituent-Directed Self-Assembling, Folding, and Binding

A family of p-cyclophanes
based on bis- or tetrafunctionalized
1,4-bisthiophenol units linked by disulfide bridges was obtained by
self-assembly on a gram scale and without any chromatographic purification.
The nature of the functionalities borne by these so-called dyn[4]­arenes
plays a crucial role on their structural features as well as their
molecular recognition abilities. Tuning these functions on demand
yields tailored receptors for cations, anions, or zwitterions in organic
or aqueous media.