Building blocks for cyclotriveratrylene-based coordination networks

The incorporation of three-fold symmetric organic host molecules into coordination polymers should allow for the construction of new and interesting network structures, capable of multiple inclusion behaviour. A range of new multi-dentate bridging ligands/molecular hosts have been prepared by appending nitrogen-containing heterocycles to either cyclotricatechylene, or cyclotriguaiacylene cores. These compounds were obtained in a single-step reaction from readily available precursors, with moderate to good yields, and characterised by a combination of NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and elemental analysis. Two of the new compounds were characterised by X-ray crystallography, revealing different modes of self inclusion behaviour, which indicate the potential importance of pi-donor stabilisation by CTV derivatives in host-guest chemistry.