Both (-)-geosmin and (+)-2-methyl-isoborneol are the main compounds respons
ible for the unpleasand smells found in the vicinity of water-processing pl
ant. Attempts to eliminate them using oxidation, filtration and/or biologic
degradation processes are only partly efficient. The use of cage molecules
could provide an alternative solution. In this respect, cyclodextrins and
derivatives have demonstrated their role as candidates as hosts for these h
ighly hydrophobic compounds. In this paper, we evidence the complexation of
above mentionned pollutants by cyclodextrins using high-resolution proton
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy. The latter method is also used to
afford a three-dimensional structure of inclusion complexes in solution and
to show that cyclodextrins can as well discriminate between the optical is
omers of synthetic geosmin and methyl-isoborneol. Finally, a solution to th
e problem of waste waters is proposed.