SUPRAMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY - ISOMER DISTRIBUTION AS A FUNCTION OF CATALYST CONCENTRATION

The calix[4]resorcarenes belong to an important group of organic molec ules in the area of Supramolecular Chemistry. These macrocyclic specie s can be prepared in good yields through the acid promoted condensatio n of resorcinol with aliphatic or aromatic aldehydes. In the present w ork, a synthetic route for the formation of calix [4] resorcarenes con taining p-sustituted benzaldehyde moieties are reported. This method i nvolves a AlCl3-induced cyclocondensation process in anhydrous media. The further conversion of the free hydroxyl groups of the octol leads to a mixture of two Isomer compounds which can be separated by fractio nal crystallization. However, the use of variable concentrations of ca talyst modifies the relative proportion of octaethyl octayloxyoctaacet ates and resorcarenes with a given cyclic spatial configuration, adequ ate for the molecular recognition, are obtained.