Capping the calix: how toluene completes cesium(I) coordination with calix4 pyrrole

RJ Ellis and B Reinhart and NJ Williams and BA Moyer and VS Bryantsev, CHEMICAL COMMUNICATIONS, 53, 5610-5613 (2017).

DOI: 10.1039/c7cc02347b

The role of solvent in molecular recognition systems is under-researched and often ignored, especially when the solvent is considered "non- interacting''. This study concerns the role of toluene solvent in cesium(I) recognition by calix4 pyrrole. We show that pi-donor interactions bind toluene molecules onto the open face of the cation- receptor complex, thus "capping the calix.'' By characterizing this unusual aromatically-saturated complex, we show how "non-interacting'' aromatic solvents can directly coordinate receptor-bound cations and thus influence recognition.

Return to Publications page