Synthesis of cycloparaphenylene under spatial nanoconfinement

Suzuki coupling reactions between symmetrical monomers were conducted in various mesoporous silica nanoreactors grafted with palladium catalysts, enabling the selective formation of [12]cycloparaphenylene precursor with separate yield up to 25% in one-pot reactions, much higher than that in homogeneous reaction. The spatial nanoconfinement of the nanoreactors promotes the macrocyclization while limits the concomitant linear oligomer formation, offering more possibilities for the synthesis of macrocycles from symmetrical monomers in one-pot reaction.