Alkanediyl Bridged Calix[4]arenes: Synthesis, Conformational Analysis, and Rotational Barriers

Meso-functionalization of calix[4]arene with 1,3,7-triazapyrene in the design of novel fluorophores with the dual target detection of Al3+ and Fe3+ cations

A meso-functionalization strategy has successfully been applied to the synthesis of novel 1,3,7-triazapyrene derivatives of calixarenes. The key synthetic step in these transformations providing the direct C-C bond formation is nucleophilic substitution of hydrogen (SN H) in 1,3,7-triazapyrene. General photophysical characteristics for these macrocyclic compounds, as well as features in emission properties upon addition of various metal cations have been elaborated. Studies using NMR spectroscopy have also shown a mutual effect of both calix[4]arene and 1,3,7-triazapyrene moieties on the coordination process. The complex stoichiometry and binding constants for Al3+ and Fe3+ guests have been explored with titration experiments.

Calixrotanes: Calixarenes Incorporating Spiro-Linked Cyclopropyl Groups

Macrocyclic compounds (calix[4]- and calix[6]arene derivatives) with aryl rings interconnected by spirocyclopropyl groups have been synthesized and structurally characterized. The compounds were prepared by the reaction of dichlorocarbene with calixarenes possessing exocyclic double bonds at the bridges, followed by reductive perdechlorination of the spirocyclopropyl groups. In all systems, pairs of geminal rings connected to the quaternary spiro carbon atoms are oriented anti, and the methylene groups of the cyclopropyl rings are located in isoclinal positions. Calix[6]rotane adopts in the crystal and in solution a 1,3,5-alternate conformation. The presence of the spirocyclopropyl groups increases the rigidity of the macrocyclic ring.

Selective functionalization of methylene bridges of calix[6]arenes. Isolation and identification of stable conformers of methyl ether of p-tert-butylcalix[6]arene

Direct disubstitution at the methylene bridges of p-tert-butylcalix[6]arenemethyl ether has been achieved for the first time using a lithiation-substitution protocol. Two stable conformers have been isolated using column chromatography, and their structures have been unambiguously confirmed from 1D, 2D and variable temperature NMR studies and single crystal X-ray structure analysis.

Complexation of solvents and conformational equilibria in solutions of the simplest calix[4]arenes

Structure optimization and calculation of electronic adsorption spectra of 25,26,27,28-tetrahydroxycalix[4]arene and 25,27-dimethoxy-26,28-dihydroxycalix[4]arene conformers have been performed by density-functional theory using hybrid B3LYP functional in cc-p VTZ and cc-p VDZ basis sets in Gaussian 09 package. Analysis of experimental UV-Vis spectra of solutions of 25,26,27,28-tetrahydroxycalix[4]arene, 4-tert-butylcalix[4]arene and 25,27-dimethoxy-26,28-dihydroxycalix[4]arene in various solvents has been carried out. It was shown that the ratio of absorption maxima at characteristic wavelengths at ca. 274 and 283 nm may be used to assess the extent of calix[4]arene/solvent interactions. The conclusion is drawn that spectral characteristics of calix[4]arenes are strongly affected by acid-base interactions.

Structural conditions required for the bridge lithiation and substitution of a basic calix[4]arene

Lithiation and subsequent reaction with CO₂ was applied to calix[4]arenes with different, equal or mixed, ether functions at the lower-rim site as well as tert-butylated or non-tert-butylated upper-rim positions. Whereas this reaction fails for symmetric calix[4]arene ethers with alkoxy residues greater than methoxy, the carboxylation of mixed methoxy-propoxy calixarene ethers is possible. In connection with this, several new monobridge-substituted calix[4]arenes were characterized with respect to their conformational behaviour in solution and the X-ray crystal structure of one key intermediate is taken into consideration.

Calix[4]arenes with two different chemical modifications at the bridges

Hexabromocalix[4]arene derivatives (3a and 3b) possessing pairs of dibromomethylene and bromomethylene groups located at distal or proximal positions of the calix scaffold were prepared via photochemical bromination of tetramethoxycalix[4]arene. The dibromomethylene groups undergo hydrolysis to afford calix[4]arenes possessing pairs of carbonyl groups and bromomethylene groups located at distal or proximal bridges (4a and 4b, respectively). The bromomethylene groups of 4 undergo reactions with nucleophiles under S(N)1 conditions to afford a wide array of derivatives possessing two different chemical modifications at the bridges.

Incorporation of substituents at the methylene linkages of the Calix[5]arene skeleton

Under S(N)1 reaction conditions, the bromine atoms of the pentabromo p-tert-butylcalix[5]arene 6 were replaced by alkoxy, electron-rich aryl, and acetylacetonate groups.

2-(4-Bromo-benz-yl)-5,11,17,23-tetra-tert-butyl-25,26,27,28-tetra-methoxy-calix[4]arene

In the title compound, C₅₅H₆₉BrO₄, the calixarene mol­ecule displays a ‘partial cone’ conformation bearing the lateral substituent in a sterically favorable equatorial arrangement between two syn-orientated arene units. The crystal packing is stabilized by weak C—H⋯π contacts, involving one tert-butyl group, and π–stacking inter­actions of the lateral bromo­benzene units [centroid–centroid distance = 3.706 (1) Å].

Functionalization of the methylene bridges of the calix[6]arene scaffold

The bromine atoms of the hexabromo calixarene derivative 3 were replaced by other groups under S(N)1 conditions, allowing the facile synthesis of calix[6]arene derivatives incorporating identical functionalities at all bridges. Heating at reflux a mixture of 3 and the appropriate alcohol incorporated primary and secondary alkoxy substituents. Hydride abstraction was observed when the reaction with EtOH and i-PrOH was conducted in hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP). Solvolysis of 3 in TFE in the presence of strong nucleophiles (such as N3(-) and aniline) afforded the corresponding hexaazido and hexaanilino derivatives. Hydroxyl groups were incorporated into the calix[6]arene scaffold via acetolysis of 3, followed by LiAlH4 reduction of the hexaacetate derivative obtained. Friedel-Crafts alkylations in the absence of Lewis acids were conducted by heating at reflux a mixture of 3, HFIP, and a substituted benzene derivative (e.g, m-xylene, p-methyl anisole, mesitylene). The calix[6]arene bridges were alkylated by heating at reflux a mixture of 3 and 2,4-pentanedione in TFE or HFIP. In all cases the reaction proceeded with high diastereoselectivity, and the major isomer isolated was assigned to the rc5 (i.e., all-cis) form. NMR spectroscopy indicates that the conformation adopted by the macrocycle possesses 3-fold symmetry (a "pinched cone") that is rigid in the laboratory time scale in the mesityl-substituted derivative.

Self-assembly of amphiphilic calix[6]crowns: from vesicles to nanotubes

Upon an increase of the medium polarity, the morphology of the aggregates of calix[6]crowns TAC evolves from vesicles to the coexistence of vesicles and nanotubles, and finally to nanotubes only. Meanwhile, nanohybrids were constructed by the incorporation of caesium ions into the TAC nanotubles.

Conformational isomerism of electroactive calix[4]arenes: influence of the electronic state in the flexibility of thiophene-containing calix[4]arene

The cone-to-paco conformational isomerism of 11,23-bis(thiophen-5-yl)-26,28-dimethoxycalix[4]arene-25,27-diol, a calix[4]arene with thiophene substituents in para position with respect to the hydroxyl groups, has been investigated using ab initio and DFT quantum mechanical methods. This compound models a molecular device constituted by small oligomers of thiophene and calix[4]arene units, whose actuation mechanism is promoted by the conformational flexibility of the latter. To examine the influence of the electronic structure of this electroactive calix[4]arene, three different states have been considered: (i) neutral state; (ii) oxidized state, in which one electron is extracted from each thiophene ring; and (iii) oxidized-deprotonated state, in which the two hydroxyl groups of the oxidized compound are deprotonated. Results are discussed and compared with those obtained for the same molecule but without thiophene substituents, 25,27-dihydroxy-26,28-dimethoxycalix[4]arene. Although the influence of the thiophene substituents is negligible in the neutral state, they play a crucial role in the rotational isomerism of both the oxidized and deprotonated-oxidized states.

Theoretical Investigation on the Rotational Isomerism of Calix[4]arenes: Influence of the Hydroxyl → Methoxy Replacement

The rotational isomerism of calix[4]arene, 25,27-dihydroxy-26,28-dimethoxycalix[4]arene, and 25,26,27,28-tetramethoxycalix[4]arene in different environments has been examined using sophisticated ab initio and DFT calculations. Free energies in the gas phase, in chloroform, and in toluene have been calculated not only for the minimum energy conformations cone and paco, which differ in the orientation of one phenol/anisole ring with respect to the other three, but also for the transition state that connects these two minima. Results provide a complete understanding of the changes induced by the partial or total OH --> OCH3 replacement in the calix[4]arene scaffold.

Preferential Axial Protonation in a Zwitterionic Calix[4]arene

[structure: see text] Calixarene 3, substituted at two methylene bridges by dimethylamino groups, exists in the crystal and in polar solvents as a zwitterion, with the axial dimethylamino group protonated.

Impact of the Solvent on the Conformational Isomerism of Calix[4]arenes: A Study Based on Continuum Solvation Models

The influence of solvation on the conformational isomerism of calix[4]arene and p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene has been investigated by using the continuum model reported by Miertus, Scrocco, and Tomasi (MST). The quantum mechanical (QM) and semiclassical (SC) formalisms of the MST model have been considered for two different solvents (chloroform and water). The suitability of the QM-MST and SC-MST methods has been examined by comparison with previous results derived from classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with explicit solvent molecules. The application of the continuum model to the solute configurations generated by using in vacuo classical MD simulations provides a fast strategy to evaluate the effects of the solvent on the conformational preferences of calixarenes. These encouraging results allow us to propose the use of continuum models to solutes with complex molecular structures, which are traditionally studied by MD simulations.

Synthesis of p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene derivatives with trans-alkyl substituents on opposite methylene bridges

Reaction of the bis(spirodiene) calixarene derivative 9 possessing exocyclic double bonds with tetraethylammonium fluoride or chloride afforded bis(spirodienone) calixarene derivatives substituted by the corresponding halogen atoms (11 and 12). Reaction of 9 with alkyl cuprates yielded in one step p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene derivatives with opposite methylene groups substituted in a trans fashion by identical alkyl substituents (methyl, ethyl, or isopropyl). The isopropyl derivative 16 displayed the largest cone-to-cone inversion barrier of the series.

Synthesis of all stereoisomers of sulfinylcalix[4]arenes

All four stereoisomers of p-tert-butylsulfinylcalix[4]arene [4(rccc), 4(rcct), 4(rctt), and 4(rtct)], arising from the disposition of the four sulfinyl groups with respect to the mean plane of the four bridging sulfur atoms, have been prepared via oxidation of p-tert-butylthiacalix[4]arene (2) or its tetra-O-benzyl ethers 5 of defined conformations. Thus, treatment of 2 with 4.4 molar equiv of NaBO(3).4H(2)O gave the rtct and rctt isomers in 27% and 17% yields, respectively, while oxidation of cone 5 (5(C)) and partial cone 5 (5(PC)) proceeded stereoselectively to give, after debenzylation of the resulting tetrasulfoxides 12 and 15, the rccc and rcct isomers in 56% and 28% yields, respectively, based on 5. The sulfinylcalix[4]arenes 4 were treated with iodomethane in the presence of a base to give the corresponding tetramethyl ethers 16, the structures of which in regard to the disposition of the sulfinyl groups and the conformation of the phenol units were determined by X-ray crystallography. Also reported is the synthesis of all four conformational isomers of tetra-O-benzyl ether of 2 (5(C), 5(PC), 5(1,2-A), and 5(1,3-A)).

Impact of multiple cation-pi interactions upon calix[4]arene substrate binding and specificity

The cation-pi interaction influence on the conformation and binding of calix[4]arenes to alkali-metal cations has been studied using a dehydroxylated model. The model allows for the separation of cooperative cation-pi and electrostatic forces commonly found in the binding motifs found in calixarene complexes. Starting from the four well-known calix[4]arene conformations, six conformers for this dehydroxylated model (cone, partial cone, flattened cone, chair, 1,2-alternate, and 1,3-alternate) have been characterized by geometry optimization and frequency analysis using the Becke three-parameter exchange functional with the nonlocal correlation functional of Lee, Yang, and Parr and the 6-31G(d) basis set. Without the stabilization provided by the hydroxyl hydrogen bonds in calix[4]arene, neither the cone nor the 1,2-alternate conformation is computed to be a ground-state structure. The partial cone, flattened cone, chair, and 1,3-alternate conformers have been identified as ground-state structures in a vacuum, with the partial cone and the 1,3-alternate as the lowest energy minima in the aromatic model. The C(4)(v)() cone conformation is found to be a transition structure separating the flattened cone (C(2)(v)()) conformers. The energetic and structural preferences of the calix[4]arene model change dramatically when it is bound to Li(+), Na(+), and K(+). The number of pi-faces, the positioning of these pi-faces with respect to the cations, and the nature of the cation were studied as factors in the binding strength. A detailed study of the distances and angles between the aromatic ring centroids and the cations reveals the energetic advantages of multiple weak cation-pi interactions. The geometries are often far from the optimal cation-pi interaction in which the cation approaches in a perpendicular path the aromatic ring center, where the quadrupole moment is strongest. The results reveal that multiple weaker nonoptimal cation-pi interactions contribute significantly to the overall binding strength. This theoretical analysis underscores the importance of neighboring aromatic faces and provides new insight into the significance of cation-pi binding, not only for calix[4]arenes, but also for other supramolecular and biological systems.

Regioselective upper-rim functionalizations of calix[4]arene by diphenylphosphino groups

The regioselective upper-rim functionalization of calix[4]arene have been performed to prepare all the multisubstituted diphenylphosphine derivatives. In addition, the X-ray structures of 5,17-dibromo-11,23-bis(diphenylphosphino)-25,26,27,28-tetra-n-propoxycalix[4]arene and 5,11,17,23-tetrakis(diphenylphosphino)-25,26,27,28-tetra-i-propoxy-calix[4]arene have been determined. Regioselective functionalizations have been achieved using methods that involve appropriate choices of bases, alkyllithium-solvent systems, stoichiometry, and reaction times. A new and convenient method for selectively preparing derivitized calix[4]arenes at proximal positions in relative large scale quantity has been developed and involves a transesterification of the distal diester derivative into the proximal isomer.Key words: calix[4]arenes, phosphine, upper-rim, X-ray structure, transesterification.

Synthesis of 2-alkyl- and 2-carboxy-p-tert-butylcalix[4]arenes via the lithiation of tetramethoxy-p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene

[reaction: see text]. Tetramethoxy-p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene reacts readily with n-butyllithium to give a putative monolithiated intermediate that is substituted with alkyl halides and carbon dioxide to give in 60-75% yield conformationally mobile calix[4]arenes monosubstituted at the methylene bridge (2-position). 2-Alkyl- and 2-benzyl-substituted tetramethoxycalix[4]arenes are converted in 62-68% overall yield to the corresponding tetrahydroxy-p-tert-butylcalix[4]arenes by treatment with boron tribromide. The tetrahydroxy-p-tert-butylcalix[4]arenes exist in the cone conformation at room temperature in CDCl3 as judged by NMR spectroscopy.

Stereochemistry of a spherand-type calixarene

The stereochemistry of the spherand-type calixarene 2a is analyzed in terms of the configuration of the three 2,2'-dihydroxybiphenyl subunits (R or S) and the disposition of the methylene groups (crown or twist). X-ray crystallography indicates that the neutral 2a and its mono- or dianion (in form of the salts 2a(-) x C(5)H(5)NH(+) and 2a(2)(-) x 2Et(3)NH(+)) exist essentially in the same conformation (RRS/SSR-twist). This asymmetric RRS/SSR-twist form is the lowest energy conformer according to molecular mechanics calculations. Low-temperature (1)H NMR data indicate the presence of a major conformer of C(1) symmetry, in agreement with a RRS/SSR-twist form. The lowest energy topomerization pathway mutually exchanges two pairs of methylene protons and is ascribed to an enantiomerization process involving rotation around an Ar-Ar bond.