A homochiral, square-shaped, D₂ symmetrical nanosized metal-linked macrocycle is able to form stable complexes with ferrocene in polar solvents, with detection achieved by means of multiple outputs (optical/chiroptical spectroscopies and cyclic voltammetry). Selective sensing using chiroptical spectroscopy in the presence of interfering analytes is demonstrated.

Cyclodextrin‐based polymers can be prepared starting from the naturally occurring monomers following green and low‐cost procedures. They can be selectively derivatized pre‐ or post‐polymerization allowing to fine‐tune functionalities of ad hoc customized polymers. Preparation nowadays has reached the 100 g scale thanks also to the interest of industries in these extremely versatile compounds. During the last 15 years, these macromolecules have been the object of intense investigations in view of possible biomedical applications as the ultimate goal and large amounts of scientific data are now available. Compared to their monomeric models, already used in the formulation of various therapeutic agents, they display superior behavior in terms of their solubility in water and solubilizing power toward drugs incompatible with biological fluids. Moreover, they allow the combination of more than one type of therapeutic agent in the polymeric system. In this review, a complete state of the art on the knowledge and potentialities of water‐soluble cyclodextrin‐based polymers as therapeutic agents as well as carrier systems for different types of therapeutics to implement combination therapy is provided. Finally, a perspective on their assets for innovation in disease treatment as well as their limits that still need to be addressed is given.

A combination of crystallographic and spectroscopic techniques has been used in order to address thorough purification protocols for a series of atropisomeric 1,1′-binaphthalene-2,2′-diol (BINOL) derivatives to be used as building blocks for chiral nanoscale constructs. The compounds were obtained following an initial electrophilic aromatic bromination reaction at the 6,6′ position of BINOL, which was used in either its racemic or its enantiopure form. The presence of regioisomeric compounds, in which bromine atoms are located at different positions of the naphthalene skeletons, could be hinted at by classical spectroscopy (¹H NMR and IR) and fully confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analysis of the solids formed during crystal growth of the crude products, where solid solutions are identified in part due to the presence of bromine that is a relatively heavy atom. If purification by recrystallization in suitable solvents is not performed, further chemical elaboration by means of alkylation on the 2,2′-phenolic positions produces compounds in which the regioisomeric impurities are still present. The set of five X-ray structures highlights interesting packing features extremely useful for the crystal engineering of nanostructures integrating these axially chiral building blocks.