A new type of crown compounds (crownopaddlanes) bearing two cyclobutane rings were efficiently and selectively prepared by means of intramolecular [2 + 2] photocycloaddition of appropriate styrene derivatives, which was successfully carried out in cyclohexane under irradiation through a Pyrex filter. Crownopaddlanes 4a, 5, and 6 exclusively and quantitatively extracted Li(+) on the solid-liquid extraction