Cyclotriveratrylene analogues (CTVs) are supramolecular bowl-shaped molecules known for their ability to complex organic and organometallic guests, to form liquid crystals, polymers, or nanostructures. In this Article, we report the synthesis of new cyclotriveratrylene analogues with fluorescence properties in which various electron-withdrawing or pi-extended conjugated groups are appended to the wide rim ortho to the methoxy-donating groups. Synthetically, these functionalized CTVs cannot be obtained as CTVs with electron-rich functions by the typical method (i.e., the trimerization of the corresponding benzyl alcohol) but are prepared from a common key intermediate, the C-3-triiodocyclotriveratrylene (CTV-I-3), in good yields. Despite the synthetic difficulties encountered due to the presence of three reactive centers, we have demonstrated the possibility of performing Sonogashira coupling and Huisgen cycloaddition reactions directly to the CTV core for the first time. CTVs with pi-extended conjugated groups reveal interesting fluorescence profiles. More broadly, this study utilizes CTV-I-3 to introduce novel functionalities into CTVs to keep exploring their potential applications.
Generation of Cryptophanes in Water by Disulfide Bridge Formation
cyclotribenzylene (CTB) subunits. The formation of cryptophanes in basic aqueous solutions (0.1 m MOD; M = Li, Na, K, and Cs) by disulfide bridge formation has been investigated. Two original CTBs, 1H6 and 2H6, derived from cyclotriphenolene through the introduction of mercaptomethyl and mercapto substituents, respectively, were synthesized. Cryptophane formation by slow oxygenation of 16– was observed