A Straightforward Access to Cyclotriveratrylene Analogues with C1-Symmetry: Toward the Synthesis of Monofunctionalizable Cryptophanes

A straightforward and practical access to various C1-symmetric cyclotriveratrylene derivatives from a monohalogenated cyclotriphenolene is described. This unique scaffold can also be used as a precursor for the rapid construction of monofunctionalizable cryptophane-based biosensors for hyperpolarized 129Xe MRI.