Sauvage

Dietrich, Lehn and Sauvage recognized not only the possibility of enclosing a cation completely in a lipophilic shell, but they also recognized the potential for using such systems for activating associated anions. This is made particularly clear in a paper which appeared some years later One of the original motivations for our work on cryptates rested on their potential use for salt solubilization, anion activation and phase transfer catalysis . This particular application is discussed below in Sect. 8.3. 

Shortly after their first report of all-oxygen bridged cryptands, Dietrich, Lehn and Sauvage reported incorporation of sulfur in the strands. The experimental methods used were essentially similar to those applied in the syntheses of the parent cryptands. As in previous cases, a diacyl chloride was condensed with a diamine under high dilution conditions. In this case, however, the diamine contained sulfur atoms rather than oxygen. The synthesis of compound 5 was accomplished in two stages as illustrated below in Eq. (8.3). The first cyclization step affords the macrocyclic amine in 55% yield. The macrobicyclic product (5) is formed in 25% yield from the monocyclic diamine and the acid chloride. 

Bidan G, Divisia-Blohom B, Kem J-M, Sauvage J-P (1988) J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Comm. p723... 

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