Metal-coordinated water-soluble cavitands act as C-H oxidation catalysts.

Cavitands can be smoothly derivatized by CuAAC chemistry to incorporate ligand species at the upper rim. These species can coordinate metal species in a number of different conformations, leading to self-assembly. The metal-coordination confers water solubility on the cavitands, and the iron-bound species are capable of catalytic C-H oxidations of fluorene under mild conditions.