A simple polarimetry technique for predicting the absolute configuration of the preferred enantiomer in chiral host-guest inclusion complexes

Abstract

A method for predicting the configuration of the preferred guest enantiomer in an inclusion complex with an optically pure host compound was developed. The method involves simply measuring the optical rotation of the host-guest inclusion complex as a whole, by means of polarimetry, and using this value in a calculation in order to obtain information about the guest configuration. The availability of standard optically pure guest materials is not required, nor is the isolation of the guest species from the host crystal, resulting in an attractive, inexpensive, rapid and simple procedure for this purpose.