Inclusion of Hydroxycinnamic Acids in Methylated Cyclodextrins: Host-Guest Interactions and Effects on Guest Thermal Stability

There is ongoing interest in exploiting the antioxidant activity and other medicinal properties of natural monophenolic/polyphenolic compounds, but their generally low aqueous solubility limits their applications. Numerous studies have been undertaken to solubilize such compounds via supramolecular derivatization with co-crystal formation with biocompatible coformer molecules and cyclodextrin (CD) complexation being two successful approaches. In this study, eight new crystalline products obtained by complexation between methylated cyclodextrins and the bioactive phenolic acids (ferulic, hydroferulic, caffeic, and p-coumaric acids) were investigated using thermal analysis (hot stage microscopy, thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry) and X-ray diffraction. All of the complexes crystallized as ternary systems containing the host CD, a phenolic acid guest, and water. On heating each complex, the primary thermal events were dehydration and liberation of the respective phenolic acid component, the mass loss for the latter step enabling determination of the host-guest stoichiometry. Systematic examination of the X-ray crystal structures of the eight complexes enabled their classification according to the extent of inclusion of each guest molecule within the cavity of its respective CD molecule. This revealed three CD inclusion compounds with full guest encapsulation, three with partial guest inclusion, and two that belong to the rare class of ‘non-inclusion’ compounds.

Continuous hydroformylation of 1-decene in an aqueous biphasic system enabled by methylated cyclodextrins

Long-term applications of cyclodextrins in the aqueous biphasic hydroformylation of higher olefins with high selectivities and simultaneous catalyst recycling.

Inclusion of trans-resveratrol in methylated cyclodextrins: synthesis and solid-state structures

The phytoalexin trans-resveratrol, 5-[(1E)-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethenyl]-1,3-benzenediol, is a well-known, potent antioxidant having a variety of possible biomedical applications. However, its adverse physicochemical properties (low stability, poor aqueous solubility) limit such applications and its inclusion in cyclodextrins (CDs) has potential for addressing these shortcomings. Here, various methods of the attempted synthesis of inclusion complexes between trans-resveratrol and three methylated cyclodextrins (permethylated α-CD, permethylated β-CD and 2,6-dimethylated β-CD) are described. Isolation of the corresponding crystalline 1:1 inclusion compounds enabled their full structure determination by X-ray analysis for the first time, revealing a variety of guest inclusion modes and unique supramolecular crystal packing motifs. The three crystalline inclusion complexes were also fully characterized by thermal analysis (hot stage microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry). To complement the solid-state data, phase-solubility studies were conducted using a series of CDs (native and variously derivatised) to establish their effect on the aqueous solubility of trans-resveratrol and to estimate association constants for complex formation.