Porous
organic cages present many opportunities in functional materials
chemistry, but the synthetic challenges for these molecular solids
are somewhat different from those faced in the areas of metal–organic
frameworks, covalent–organic frameworks, or porous polymer
networks. Here, we highlight the practical methods that we have developed
for the design, synthesis, and characterization of imine porous organic
cages using CC1 and CC3 as examples. The
key points are transferable to other cages, and this perspective should
serve as a practical guide to researchers who are new to this field.