Synthesis of C2-symmetric macrocycles containing pyridine and investigation of their molecular recognition properties

The study of chirality at the molecular level has emerged as a central theme in contemporary chemistry. Much of the situmulus for this interest originated from the chiral nature of of many biomolecules and their interaction with other molecules. Chiral molecules find use in pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. While the field of asymmetric synthesis has progressed at a tremendeus rate in recent years, there are still many instances where these methods do not provide a practical means of the preparation of pure homochiral compounds. Fundamental to the development of such materials is a thorough understanding of the factors affecting chiral recognition at the molecular level. The knowledge gained through the study of this aspect of supramolecular chemistry is also of importance because of the insight it may give us into the forces driving biological recognition phenomena such as enzyme-substrate and antibody-antigen interactions. In this project, we will be synthesis a number of novel C2-symmetric chiral macrocycles bearing ester and amides functional groups and contains pyridil units and investigation of their molecular recognition properties by 1H NMR titration methods. Thus, the effect of pyridine unit and substituent on the chiral center to enantiomeric recognition will be comparatively investigated.