New cyclophane hosts: a hexaoxacyclophane

Abstract

The X-ray crystal structure of the hexaoxacyclophane (1), which can be synthesized from 1,3-bis(bromomethyl)benzene and bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) ether in one step, reveals that in the solid state the macrocyclic ring forms a large molecular void potentially capable of binding aromatic guest molecules: the X-ray crystal structure of the 1 : 1 molecular complex formed between (1) and benzene exposes intermolecular and intercomplex aromatic ring interactions of an edge-to-face type.