Recognition of Multiple Methyl Groups on Aromatic Rings by a Polyaromatic Cavity.

The methyl group is a small substituent, usually showing relatively weak or no interactions with other functional groups and metal ions. Herein, we present the recognition of the number of methyl groups on synthetic and natural aromatic compounds (i.e., benzene and xanthine derivatives, respectively) by the 1 nm-sized polyaromatic cavity of a coordination capsule in water. Detailed competitive encapsulation experiments as well as X-ray crystallographic analysis revealed that multiple guest-host CH3 -polyaromatic interactions in the confined nanospace are key driving forces for the high selectivity.