Calixarenes as supramolecular catalysts endowed with esterase and phosphodiesterase activity

The molecular framework of calixarenes has been widely used as a versatile scaffold for the arrangement of active units working as catalytic and/or recognition sites, attaining, in many cases, high levels of cooperation. The calixarene cavity itself can also play a role in the catalytic process, acting as a recognition unit by inclusion of the substrate or of part of the substrate. This chapter focuses on the high performance of calixarene catalysts active in acyl and phosphoryl transfer processes.