Synthesis, structure, and conformation of terphenylene-derived azacalix[4]aromatics

Several novel azacalix[4]aromatics constituting terphenylene units have been synthesized via sequential nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions of 5′-t-butyl-(1,1′:3′,1″-terphenyl)-3,3″-diamine 9 and 5′-t-butyl-(1,1′:3′,1″-terphenyl)– 4,4″-diamine 11 with 1,5-difluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and cyanuric chloride, respectively. The bridging –NH– functions of the tetra-nitro substituted azacalix[2]arene[2]terphenylenes 1 and 2 have been transformed to the corresponding –N(CH3)– bridged azacalix[2]arene[2]terphenylenes 3 and 4 via N-alkylation. Single crystal X-ray analysis revealed that the terphenyl-3,3″-diamine derived azacalix[2]terphenylene[2]triazine 5 adopts a distorted chair conformation in the solid state, and the terphenyl-4,4″-diamine derived azacalix[2]terphenylene[2]triazine 6 was found to adopt a 1,3-alternate conformation.