Triptycene-derived N(H)-bridged azacalixarenes: synthesis, structure, and encapsulation of small neutral molecules in the solid state.

Four pairs of novel N(H)-bridged azacalixarenes derived from triptycene were synthesized by both one-pot and two-step fragment-coupling approaches. Due to the unique 3D rigid structure of triptycene, the macrocycles all adopted fixed conformations in both solution and solid state. X-ray crystallographic analyses also revealed that the cis isomers with boat conformations showed the capability of encapsulating methanol and acetone molecules inside.