Pillararenes are macrocyclic compounds consisting of hydroquinone units connected by methylene groups. In 2008, Ogoshi et al. reported the first synthesis of 1,4-dimethoxypillar[5]arene (= DMpillar[5]arene).1) DMpillar[5]arene is a ring-shaped molecule that, unlike calixarene with its basket-shaped structure, has a highly symmetrical columnar three-dimensional structure. Research is underway on the application of pillararenes in host-guest chemistry and in the development of supramolecular materials, such as rotaxanes.
References
- 1) T. Ogoshi, S. Kanai, S. Fujinami, T. Yamagishi, Y. Nakamoto, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 5022.

- 2) Y. Yao, M. Xue, X. Chi, Y. Ma, J. He, Z. Abliz, F. Huang, Chem. Commun. 2012, 48, 6505.

- 3) T. Ogoshi, N. Ueshima, F. Sakakibara, T. Yamagishi, T. Haino, Org. Lett. 2014, 16, 2896.
