Host-guest interactions involving cyclodextrins: useful complementary insights achieved by polarimetry

By means of simple polarimetry, we studied the binding abilities of native α-, β-, and γ-cyclodextrins toward a group of suitably chosen model guests. We were able to get reliable estimations of the binding constants K, spread over a wide range (from 3.7 to 12,300 M−1), allowing us to carry on interesting comparisons. A comprehensive discussion of polarimetric data, and in particular a detailed analysis of the variations ΔΘ of molar optical activities consequent to inclusion, offered us the opportunity to get useful insights into the structure and dynamic behavior of host-guest complexes.