Guest Binding Drives Host Redistribution in Libraries of Co(II) (4)L(4) Cages

Two Co(II) (4)L(4) tetrahedral cages prepared from similar building blocks showed contrasting host–guest properties. One cage did not bind guests, whereas the second encapsulated a series of anions, due to electronic and geometric effects. When the building blocks of both cages were present during self‐assembly, a library of five Co(II) L(A) (x) L(B) (4−x) cages was formed in a statistical ratio in the absence of guests. Upon incorporation of anions able to interact preferentially with some library members, the products obtained were redistributed in favor of the best anion binders. To quantify the magnitudes of these templation effects, ESI‐MS was used to gauge the effect of each template upon library redistribution.