Toward an artificial acetylcholinesterase

The methanolysis of choline p-nitrophenylcarbonate in chloroform containing 1% methanal is catalyzed with turnover by ditopic receptors 1 and 2, consisting of a calix[6]arene connected to a bicyclic guanidinium by means of a short spacer. The calix[6]arene subunit strongly binds to the trimethylammonium head group through cation-ir interactions, whereas the guanidinium moiety is deputed to stabilize through hydrogen bonding reinforced by electrostatic attraction the anionic tetrahedral intermediate resulting from methoxide addition to the ester carbonyl, The observed cholinesterase activity had been anticipated on the basis of the ability of the ditopic receptors 1 and 2 to bind strongly to the choline phosphate DOPC, which is a transition state analogue far the B(Ac)2-type cleavage of choline esters. ' ( !