Increasing substrate selectivity through encapsulation
Italian chemists have come up with a homogenous catalytic system that displays substrate selectivity by developing an encapsulated catalyst that mimics enzymes to selectively hydrate one alkyne over a mixture of others.
The scientists encapsulated an NHC-Au(I) catalyst within a supramolecular host that acts like an enzyme so that only specific substrates will fit into the residual cavity left by the catalyst. Supramolecular interactions between the substrate, host and catalyst provide an additional level of electronic restrictions. They investigated the effect of the new catalyst on substrate selectivity in the hydration of alkenes that differed only remotely with respect to the active triple bond and found that, although the reactions were sluggish, the catalyst was significantly selective due to increased catalyst-substrate surface interactions.
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