Uranyl dication mediated photoswitching of a calix[4]pyrrole-based metal coordination cage

Abstract

A set of self-assembled tri- and tetrapodal metal coordination cage structures (cage-1 and cage-2, respectively) constructed from the uranyl dication (UO22+) and a dibenzoic acid functionalised cis-calix[4]pyrrole (1) are described. The inherent photochemical reactivity of the uranyl dication mediates the transformation of cage-1 to cage-2via the activation of molecular oxygen.