Two armed chiral calix[4]arenes 8–16 functionalized at the lower rim with chiral aminonaphthol units have been prepared and the structures of these receptors characterized by FTIR, 1H, and 13C, DEPT and COSY NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The enantioselective recognition of these receptors with various carboxylic acids has been studied by 1H NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The receptors exhibited different chiral recognition abilities towards the enantiomers of racemic materials and formed 2 : 1 or 1 : 1 complexes between host and guest. It was also demonstrated that chiral calix[4]arenes 9 and 16 could be used as chiral NMR solvating agents to determine the enantiomeric purity of mandelic acid.
![Graphical abstract: Synthesis of chiral calix[4]arenes bearing aminonaphthol moieties and their use in the enantiomeric recognition of carboxylic acids](http://hg.y866.cn/compound/lib/scimg/usr/1/C0OB00399A.jpg)
