Enantiodifferentiating photoisomerization of (Z,Z)-1,3-cyclooctadiene included and sensitized by naphthoyl-curdlan.

6-O-(2-naphthoyl)curdlan was newly synthesized as a sensitizing polysaccharide host to examine the chiroptical properties, supramolecular complexation, and photochirogenic behavior with (Z,Z)-1,3-cyclooctadiene (1ZZ). The enantiodifferentiating photoisomerization of 1ZZ included and sensitized by this polysaccharide host gave a highly strained chiral (E,Z)-isomer in up to 8.7% enantiomeric excess (ee) in solution and 11.7% ee in the solid state, which are the highest values ever reported for a supramolecular photochirogenesis of 1EZ.