Molecular architecture via coordination: Marriage of crown ethers and calixarenes with molecular squares, unique tetranuclear metallamacrocycles from metallacrown ether and metallacalixarene complexes via self-assembly

Reaction of metallacrown and metallacalixarene platinum bistriflates with bipyridine as well as other bidentate connector ligands results in the formation of tetranuclear macrocycles via self-assembly that combine crown ether and calixarene chemistry with molecular squares. Multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and electrospray mass spectrometry are employed to characterize these unique supramolecular species. The calixarene metallamacrocycles are used in simple transport experiments to carry sulfonate salts from one aqueous phase into another through chloroform.