Chaesang Ihm, Minkyu Kim, Hyejae Ihm and Kyungsoo Paek
Two D4h container hosts 12 and 13 with 4(CH2–O–bridge–O–CH2) portal pillars were obtained in good yields by stepwise synthetic routes and showed complementary complexation behaviors to their analogues with (O–CH2–bridge-CH2–O)4 portal pillars. 1H NMR spectral chemical shifts of host’s inward-turned OCH2O protons were sensitive to guest change. The stability orders of hemicarceplexes were 12–p-(CH3CH2)2C6H4 > 12–p-(CH3O)2C6H4 12–o-(CH3O)2C6H4 > 12–m-(CH3O)2C6H4 and 13–CH3COCH2CH3 > 13–CH3COCH2CH(CH3)2 > 13–CH3CON(CH3)2 > 13–CH3COOCH2CH3 > 13–CH3CH2CON(CH3)2 in terms of the activation energy barrier for decomplexation. Large solvent effects on the activation energy for decomplexation of hemicarceplexes were observed.