The Synthetic Chemistry of Pillar[n]arenes

Pillar[n]arenes, a new star of macrocyclic hosts since it was firstly reported in 2008 by Nakamoto group, have obtained a lot of attention due to their unique and intriguing characteristics and properties. The study of synthetic approaches to design and construct pillar[n]arenes is a significant aspect in pillar[n]arene chemistry. Up to now, routes to prepare pillar[n]arenes or functioned pillar[n]arene derivatives are very mature and diversified. In this review, we summarized the synthesis of pillar[n]arenes and pillar[n]arenes derivatives. With the development of host-guest chemistry, we expect to develop functioned pillar[n]arenes, not only in expanding sophisticated and novel structures like rotaxanes, but also in biological applications such as artificial transmembrane channels, controllable delivery systems and so on.