In
host–guest chemistry In supramolecular chemistry, host–guest chemistry describes inclusion compound, complexes that are composed of two or more molecules or ions that are held together in unique structural relationships by forces other than those of full covalent bond ...
, a carceplex is a class of chemical structures in the
carcerand
In host–guest chemistry, a carcerand () is a host molecule that completely entraps its guest (which can be an ion, atom or other chemical species) so that it will not escape even at high temperatures. This type of molecule was first described ...
family that are
hinged, and can be closed using
reagents that react with the carceplex and trap precursors of
reactive intermediate
In chemistry, a reactive intermediate or an intermediate is a short-lived, high-energy, highly reactive molecule. When generated in a chemical reaction, it will quickly convert into a more stable molecule. Only in exceptional cases can these com ...
s,
and are unreactive with the trapped precursor or reactive intermediate. This is useful for determining the
spectroscopic
Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets the electromagnetic spectra that result from the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter as a function of the wavelength or frequency of the radiation. Matter ...
and
crystallographic
Crystallography is the experimental science of determining the arrangement of atoms in crystalline solids. Crystallography is a fundamental subject in the fields of materials science and solid-state physics (condensed matter physics). The wo ...
properties of reactive intermediates in relative isolation, particularly compounds prone to
dimerization like
cyclobutadiene
Cyclobutadiene is an organic compound with the formula . It is very reactive owing to its tendency to dimerize. Although the parent compound has not been isolated, some substituted derivatives are robust and a single molecule of cyclobutadiene is ...
.
References
{{Reflist, refs=
[{{cite book, last=Cram, first=Donald, title=Container molecules and their guests, year=1997, publisher=Royal Society of Chemistry, location=Cambridge, UK, isbn=0-85404-507-4, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RqE5GlYTG1cC&q=carceplex%20inventor&pg=PP1, display-authors=etal]
Supramolecular chemistry