Acridan-9-one

Vetter and Abraham [97] designed and synthesized rotaxanes where the axle has a 9-aryl-9-methoxy-acridane at each end, and where, consequently, the macrocycle CBPQT shuttles between one end and another. Where the axle has one aromatic ring in the central position, addition of acid produces acridinium cations at the ends of the axle, and thus forces the macrocycle to occupy the central position due to interactions with the uncharged central aromatic ring. Where the axle has two aromatic rings in the central position, addition of acid forces the macrocycle to shuttle between these two. The process can be reversed by addition of base. 

After induction by lO-carboxymethy-9-acridan-one, murine bone marrow-derived macrophages produced two activities of interferon P differing in the degree of glycosilation (Brehm et al. 1986). 

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