Molecular recognition and catalysis: from macrocyclic receptors to molecularly imprinted metal complexes

The results of studying a number of reactions catalyzed by several types of soluble macromolecular catalytic systems capable of selectively binding organic substrates, namely, modified cyclodextrins, calixarenes and dendrimers are presented. The use of modified cycloclextrins as components of a catalytic system in the phenol and benzene hydroxylation by hydrogen peroxide allows one both to increase the catalytic activity and to change significantly the chemical selectivity. Phosphorilated calixarene - Rh catalytic systems was found to be catalytically active in hydroformylation of linear alkenes C-7-C-12. The results of experiments on the oxidation of C-7-C-16 alkenes show that, when the ligand is the dendrimer molecule, the fraction of forming methyl ketones substantially increases for the substrates C-7-C-9. For the higher alkenes, this effect is not observed.