Coordination-driven self-assembly of dibenzo-18-crown-6 functionalized Pt(II) metallacycles

Coordination-driven self-assembly was used to construct two metallacycles of a dicarboxylate-functionalized dibenzo-18-crown-6 in combination with either a 0° anthracene-based clip-type acceptor or a 60° phenanthrene-based acceptor. The angularities of these moieties make them suitable for the formation of a [2 + 2] rectangle and a [3 + 3] triangle, respectively. The synthesis, characterization and host-guest chemistry of two metallacycles were described and supported by 31 P{1H}, 1 H NMR spectra and electrospray mass spectrometry. Two metallacycles, a [2 + 2] rectangle and a [3 + 3] triangle, were prepared by coordination-driven self-assembly based on a dicarboxylate-functionalized dibenzo-18-crown-6 in combination with a 0° anthracene-based clip-type acceptor or a 60° phenanthrene-based acceptor, respectively. The crown ethers on the metallacycles could selectively complex with K + ions and did not interfere with the coordination-driven self-assembly.