Host–Guest Recognition of Pesticides by Calixarenes

This article is based on a review of the literature and our own experience with toxicological molecules. We explain the nature of calix[n]arenes and as their recognized properties are used to detect compounds of toxicological interest, mainly the most important pesticide families such as organophosphorated, organochlorine compounds, pyrethroid insecticides, carbamate fungicides, and herbicides, using different techniques. In addition, we show the role of the macrocycle and its interactions, and the advantage of using this type of compound for improving conventional techniques, where the phenomenon of recognition is very important, such as chromatography, solid-phased extraction, and the development of specific sensors, among others and Even we also show the use of this macrocycle for detoxication procedures in vivo. In this way, we display as the multiple possibilities of functionalization of the calix[n]arenes makes these versatile molecules in the phenomena of specific recognition. Finally, This review highlights the main analytical methods reported in the literature for determination of plaguicides by host-guest interaction with calixarenes. In this way, among the available analytical tools, chromatographic, and electrochemical-based methods are the most used techniques for the detection and to quantify plaguicides using calixarenes.