A novel cyclodextrin homodimer with dual-mode substrate binding and esterase activity

A novel cyclodextrin homodimer with two beta-cyclodextrin units tethered from the primary side by a tris(2-aminoethyl)amine linker was found to be hydrolytically active. The hydrolysis of a ditopic activated carbonate ester was accelerated 150-fold and a Lineweaver-Burk plot showed a biphasic curve indicative of two different binding modes for the activated carbonate ester. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.