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A cavitand is a container shaped molecule. The cavity of the cavitand allows it to engage in host-guest chemistry with guest molecules of a complementary shape and size. Examples include cyclodextrins, calixarenes, pillararenes and cucurbiturils.
Applications of Cavitands
Specific cavitands form the basis of rigid templates onto which de novo proteins can be chemically linked. This template assembled synthetic protein (TASP) structure provides a platform for the study of protein structure.
Silicon surfaces functionalized with tetraphosphonate cavitands have been used to singularly detect sarcosine in water and urine solutions.
References
Cavitand Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA