Enantiodifferentiating photocyclodimerization of 2-anthracenecarboxylic acid mediated by γ-cyclodextrins with a flexible or rigid cap

A series of modified γ-cyclodextrins (CDs) with a flexible or rigid cap, synthesized and used as chiral supramolecular hosts for mediating the enantiodifferentiating photocyclodimerization of 2-anthracenecarboxylic acid, significantly improved the chemical and optical yields of chiral head-to-head cyclodimer 3, while the γ-CD with a rigid cap dramatically inverted the stereochemical outcomes and further improved the enantioselectivities of both head-to-tail and head-to-head dimers 2 and 3.