Electrochemical properties of cucurbit[7]uril complexes of ferrocenyl derivatives

In aqueous media the host cucurbit[7]uril (CB7) forms inclusion complexes of high thermodynamic stability with ferrocenyl-containing guests. These complexes are characterized by the inclusion of the ferrocenyl group inside the CB7 cavity, primarily driven by hydrophobic forces. This mini-review provides a summary of the properties of these inclusion complexes, with emphasis on their electrochemical properties and, particularly, on the CB7-induced shift in the half-wave potential for one-electron oxidation of the ferrocenyl residues.