An acyclic phane receptor with a pair of disulfonaphthalene arms recognizing 2,3-trans-gallate-type catechins in water

In order to develop a receptor molecule for recognizing differences in catechin structures, complexation between catechins and a water-soluble acyclic phane composed of an isophthalate and two aminodisulfonaphthalenes was investigated with 1H NMR spectroscopy. The phane receptor formed 1:1 complexes with the catechins and showed preferential binding ability for the 2,3-trans-gallate-type catechin. The binding studies demonstrated the length of naphthalene framework required to form a hydrophobic environment for the complexation.