Resorcinarene

In chemistry, a resorcinarene (also resorcarene or calix[4]resorcinarene) is a macrocycle, or a cyclic oligomer, based on the condensation of resorcinol (1,3-dihydroxybenzene) and an aldehyde. Resorcinarenes are a type of calixarene. Other types of resorcinarenes include the related pyrogallolarenes and octahydroxypyridines, derived from pyrogallol and 2,6-dihydroxypyridine, respectively.

Resorcinarenes interact with other molecules forming a host–guest complex. Resorcinarenes and pyrogallolarenes self-assemble into larger supramolecular structures. Both in the crystalline state and in organic solvents, six resorcinarene molecules are known to form hexamers with an internal volume of around one cubic nanometer (nanocapsules) and shapes similar to the Archimedean solids. Hydrogen bonds appear to hold the assembly together. A number of solvent or other molecules reside inside. The resorcinarene is also the basic structural unit for other molecular recognition scaffolds, typically formed by bridging the phenolic oxygens with alkyl or aromatic spacers. A number of molecular structures are based on this macrocycle, namely cavitands and carcerands.