Issue 66, 2016

Cavity-containing supramolecular gels as a crystallization tool for hydrophobic pharmaceuticals

Abstract

We present two approaches to low-molecular-weight supramolecular gels bearing hydrophobic cavities based on calixarene-containing building blocks. Gels are formed by a calixarene based tetrahydrazide gelator or a co-gel of a calixarene diammonium salt and a bis-crown ether. The calixarene hydrophobic cavity enables the complexation of hydrophobic drug molecules in a generic fashion thus providing an anchor site on the surface of the gel fibre to initiate drug crystal nucleation and growth. This technique potentially represents a route to growth of hard-to-nucleate polymorphic modifications. The co-gel comprising two components holding together by non-covalent ammonium-crown ether interaction can be easily switched back to the sol state by adding competitive binding cations.

Graphical abstract: Cavity-containing supramolecular gels as a crystallization tool for hydrophobic pharmaceuticals

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
13 5 2016
Accepted
29 6 2016
First published
29 6 2016
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Chem. Commun., 2016,52, 10113-10116

Author version available

Cavity-containing supramolecular gels as a crystallization tool for hydrophobic pharmaceuticals

L. Kaufmann, S. R. Kennedy, C. D. Jones and J. W. Steed, Chem. Commun., 2016, 52, 10113 DOI: 10.1039/C6CC04037C

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