Chiral macrocyclic polyethers incorporating a tetraoxaspiro[5.5]undecane or trioxa-azaspiro[5.5]undecane moiety

New macrocyclic polyethers possessing chirality due to a spiro ring junctio n are prepared from 2,8-dihydroxymethylated (+)-1,4,7,10-tetraoxaspiro[5.5] undecane 1 and (+)-1,4,7-trioxa-10-azaspiro[5.5]undecane 2, both (E,E). N-F unctionalization of compounds derived from 2 is also examined. The complexi ng properties of representative ligands 3, 4, 5 measured by spectrophotomet ry in THF, for alkaline and alkaline-earth cations, indicate that these sph eric positively-charged species are weakly associated. (C) 1998 Published b y Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.