Reactions that occur inside macrocyclic hosts have been studied extensively in solution. Such inner-phase reactions have now been investigated in the gas phase using cucurbituril hosts and bicyclic azoalkane guests. Distinct structure–reactivity relationships have been identified, in which not only is the intrinsic activation energy critical, but also the degree of constrictive binding and the size of the void reaction space.
- Tung-Chun Lee
- Elina Kalenius
- Werner M. Nau