A cyclodextrin-based molecular reactor to template the formation of indigoid dyes

N,N′-Bis(6A-deoxy-β-cyclodextrin-6A-yl)urea behaves as a molecular reactor to bias competing reactions of indoxyl anion and isatin-5-sulfonate in water, to give indigo and indirubin-5′-sulfonate. It appears that the cyclodextrin dimer increases the relative reactivity of the isatin-5-sulfonate, by selectively complexing the reactive form. The molecular host also aligns the isatinsulfonate with indoxyl anion to favour production of indirubin-5′-sulfonate, with the result that the ratio of indigo and indirubin-5′-sulfonate produced is altered by a factor of at least 3500, without a substantial loss of yield.