Template effect of tetrathiafulvalene in the formation of cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene)

The template effect exerted by tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) in the ring-closure reaction of the trication 5(3+) yielding cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) has been quantitatively evaluated in acetonitrile at 62 degrees C with UV-vis spectrophotometry. The rate of ring closure of the trication 5(3+) largely increases in the presence of the template (a maximum increase of ca. 80 times at [TTF] approximate to 0.14 M). The results are compared with those of other aromatic templates, 2 and 3, that were provided with polyethereal sidearms and indicate that the template ability of tetrathiafulvalene is comparable or better than that of the others.