12,52,92,132-Tetranitro-1,5,9,13(1,3)-tetrabenzena-3,7,11,15(1,4)-tetrapiperazinacyclo-hexadecaphane, a new host compound

Abstract

The new 36-membered macrocyclic host molecule 1²,5²,9²,13²-tetranitro-1,5,9,13(1,3)-tetrabenzena-3,7,11,15(1,4)-tetrapiperazinacyclohexadecaphane, has been synthesised by a cyclisation reaction of 2,6-bis(bromomethyl)nitrobenzene and piperazine with Na₂CO₃ as a base under high dilution conditions; the macrocycle has an ellipsoidal non-polar cavity with a diameter of ca. 8 Å and has been characterized as a 1 : 1 inclusion complex with acetonitrile by X-ray diffraction and ¹H NMR.