Self-assembly of nanoscopic coordination cages using a flexible tripodal amide containing linker

Flexible, nanoscopic 3D cages containing the amide functionality were prepared via coordination-driven self-assembly from palladium(II) based 90degrees ditopic acceptor units and a tripod N,N',N-tris(3-pyridyl)trimesic amide. Both cages were characterized by NMR (P-31, H-1) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. An MM2 force field simulation of one cage showed that the shape is likely pseudo trigonal bipyramidal with the diameter of the inner cavity of the cage about 1.9 nm.