Several dynamic hexaimine cryptophanes, that are built up from two triformylcyclotribenzylene cavitands and three diamino linkers and spontaneously assemble in water in the presence of a suitable templating guest, are reported. X-ray structure, kinetics and thermodynamics of assembly and molecular recognition properties are discussed.

A fluorescent cyclotriveratrylene 1 was synthesized and characterized in methanol and water. Soluble in pure water and physiological media, compound 1 has binding properties towards acetylcholine. This detection is direct, contrary to most fluorescent systems which rely upon a competition principle between the guest and a fluorophore.

Supramolecular self-assembly using weak interactions under quasi-equilibrium conditions has provided easy access to very complex but often quite fragile molecules. We now show how a labile structure obtained from reversible transition-metal-directed self-assembly of rods and connectors serves as a template that can be converted into a sturdy structure of identical topology and similar geometry. The process consists of Cu(I)-catalyzed replacement of all rods or connectors terminated with pyridines for analogues terminated with ethynyls, converting dative N→Pt(+) bonds into covalent C-Pt bonds. The procedure combines the facility and high yield of reversible self-assembly with the robustness of covalent synthesis.

Pyridine-terminated molecular rods and either (i) the cis-(dppp)(