Synthesis of a novel cyclic donor-acceptor conjugate for selective recognition of ATP.

[reaction and structures: see text] Novel cyclophane 1 was synthesized, and its interactions with phosphate, adenosine, AMP, ADP, and ATP have been investigated. With addition of ATP, significant decrease in absorbance of 1 was observed, whereas other guest molecules showed negligible effect. The complex between 1 and ATP was confirmed through cyclic voltammetry and 1H NMR. The uniqueness of the system is that it complexes selectively with ATP in a cavity and involves synergistic effects of both electrostatic and pi-pi stacking interactions.