Application of Cyclodextrin Derivatives in Metal-Catalyzed Organic Synthesis

The application of cyclodextrin (alpha-cyclodextrin, beta-cyclodextrin and gamma-cyclodextrin) derivatives in metal-catalyzed organic synthesis has been reviewed, especially as ligands of metal ion, stabilizers of metal nanoparticles and inverse phase transfer catalysts in oxidation, hydrolysis, reduction, coupling reactions and so on. The cyclodextrin derivatives employed as ligands of metal ion are used most widely in which the formation of inclusion complexes between the cyclodextrin unit and substrate narrows the distance between the substrate and the metal ion, and fixes the reaction site of the substrate. Thus, the reaction rate can be increased obviously, and the regioselectivity and enantioselectivity can be enhanced remarkably.