Anion Template-Directed Synthesis of Dicationic [1₄]Imidazoliophanes

Abstract

The “3 + 1” synthesis of the title macrocycle frameworks containing two imidazolium moieties linked in a 1,3-alternating manner can be controlled by the presence of chloride anions e.g. TBA·Cl. Moreover, the halide anions generated in situ during macrocyclization act as self-templates. Competitive experiments indicate the relevance of both the condensation step and the halide-template ring closure step in the “3 + 1” approach.