Self-assembly and steric hindrance for further host-guest interactions of a tetrahedral cage FeII4L4

In this paper, a novel complex [(Fe4L4)-L-II](8+) was designed and synthesized from subcomponent self-assembly of C-3-symmetric 2,4,6-tris(4-aminophenoxy)triazine, 3-methylpyridine-2-carboxaldehyde and iron(II) trifluoromethanesulfonate in CH3CN solution. The structure of target compound was confirmed by H-1 NMR and ESI-MS measurements as a tetrahedral cage, and the host-guest interactions between the complex and a series of guest molecules were studied. The results show that the intermolecular interactions are relatively weak by comparison with other similar ligand's complexes, which may be due to the steric effect of methyl groups adjacent to the peripheral apertures of the cage.

Automated summary

A novel complex [(Fe4L4)-L-II](8+) was designed and synthesized through subcomponent self-assembly, with a tetrahedral cage structure confirmed by H-1 NMR and ESI-MS measurements. The weak intermolecular interactions with guest molecules may be attributed to the steric effect of methyl groups near the peripheral apertures of the cage.