Procedures to prepare cyclodextrins with carboxymethyl groups incorporated selectively at the primary (6-position) or secondary (2-position) are described. Complexation properties of the primary and secondary carboxymethylated derivatives of α-, β-, and γ-cyclodextrins are compared to native cyclodextrins and indiscriminately substituted carboxymethylated cyclodextrins, using pheniramine, chlorpheniramine, and brompheniramine as substrates. The stoichiometry of association of these substrates with the α-cyclodextrins is 1:1, whereas with the γ-cyclodextrins, a 2:1 substrate:cyclodextrin complex forms. Data for the β-cyclodextrins suggest that there is a mix of 1:1 and 2:1 substrate–cyclodextrin complexes. The position of the carboxymethyl groups on the cyclodextrin does not appear to alter the geometry of substrate–cyclodextrin association. The effectiveness of the carboxymethylated cyclodextrins as chiral NMR discriminating agents is compared with the native cyclodextrins. In all cases, the indiscriminately substituted α-, β-, and γ-cyclodextrins are more effective at enantiodistinction with the cationic substrates than native cyclodextrins or the derivatives with carboxymethyl groups at the primary or secondary positions. Among α-, β-, and γ-indiscriminately substituted cyclodextrins, there was no clearly optimal candidate for chiral NMR discrimination studies. The indiscriminately substituted carboxymethyl cyclodextrins are effective water-soluble chiral NMR discrimination reagents for cationic substrates.