Caged chemicals

Tiny chemical cages created by researchers at

, show potential for delivering drugs to organs or tissues where they’re needed without causing harm elsewhere.

These cage-like molecules, called nanocontainers or nanoscale capsules because they measure 3.2 nanometres wide, could also make pesticides less hazardous to handle, filter toxic substances out of wastewater and regulate the pace of reactions in chemical production.

“While the concept of chemical cages is not new, we’ve created new components and advanced the assembly process to increase the chance that they’ll become practical,” said Ralf Warmuth, associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Rutgers and lead researcher. “We’ve shown a way to securely link molecules together in a cage using an efficient, one-step process.”

Warmuth and colleagues used common organic chemicals and straightforward techniques to create nanocontainers. These octahedral capsules, with their cavity volume of almost two cubic nanometres, could enclose one or more molecules of a medicine, pesticide or intermediate in a chemical manufacturing process that, if left uncaged, might prematurely decay or interact with other substances in passing.