Enantiomerically pure cyclohexylhemicucurbit[8]uril (cycHC[8]), possessing a barrel-shaped cavity, has been prepared in high yield on a gram scale from either (R,R,N,N')-cyclohex-1,2-diylurea and formaldehyde or cycHC[6]. In either case, a dynamic covalent library is first generated from which the desired cycHC can be amplified using a suitable anion template.

Chiral (all-R)-cyclohexanohemicucurbit[8]uril binds anions in a 1 : 1 ratio in pure methanol like a molecular Pac-Man™ with remarkable selectivity based on the size, shape and charge distribution of the anion.

The first inverted hemicucurbituril is synthesized in insufficient amount of template during oligomerisation and through its early precipitation.

Cyclic and linear oligomers of hemicucurbiturils have large difference in UV absorbance.

Amplification of a thermodynamically unfavoured macrocyclic product through the directed shift of the equilibrium between dynamic covalent chemistry library members is difficult to achieve. We show for the first time that during condensation of formaldehyde and <i>cis</i>-<i>N,N'</i>-cyclohexa-1,2-diylurea formation of <i>inverted-cis</i>-cyclohexanohemicucurbit[6]uril (<i>i-cis</i>-cycHC[6]) can be induced at the expense of thermodynamically favoured <i>cis</i>-cyclohexanohemicucurbit[6]uril (<i>cis</i>-cycHC[6]). The formation of <i>i-cis-</i>cycHC[6] is enhanced in low concentration of the templating chloride anion and suppressed in excess of this template. We found that reaction selectivity is governed by the solution-based template-aided dynamic combinatorial chemistry and continuous removal of the formed cycHC[6] macrocycles from the equilibrating solution by precipitation. Notably, the <i>i-cis</i>-cycHC[6] was isolated with 33% yield. Different binding affinities of three diastereomeric <i>i-cis</i>-, <i>cis</i>-cycHC[6] and their chiral isomer (<i>R,R</i>)-cycHC[6] for trifluoroacetic acid demonstrate the influence of macrocycle geometry on complex formation.