Synthesis and conformational properties of tetranitroazacalix[4]arenes

Tetranitroazacalix[4]arenes have been synthesized by the nucleophilic aromatic substitution of 1,5-difluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene with 1,3-diaminobenzenes. An X-ray crystal structure analysis revealed that the azacalixarenes adopt a non-symmetrical 1,3-alternate conformation, and the dinitrobenzene rings strongly conjugate with the bridging nitrogen atoms. In the 1H NMR spectrum (CDCl3, 30 °C), the tetraisopropyl derivative 3b displays a pair of diastereotopic methyl signals of the isopropyl groups in agreement with the frozen 1,3-alternate conformation on the NMR time scale. The free energy of activation (ΔG298≠) for the macrocyclic inversion was determined to be 87.5 kJ mol−1 by temperature-dependent NMR spectroscopy.