Cholate-Based Synthesis of Size-Tunable Cage Compounds

We describe cholate-based cage amphiphiles
with a unique architecture
that combines elements of structural rigidity and flexibility. The
cage compounds are built by extending and bridging three polar chains
underneath the concave steroid rings of cholate and capping with another
rigid, symmetrically trifunctionalized cyanuric acid moiety. The connecting
chains are varied to include, for instance, oligo­(ethylene glycol)
or chains containing 1,2,3-triazole units to present flexibility in
the chemical and structural space and potentially deliver functional
molecules for molecular recognition applications.