Kinetic Studies Exploring the Role of Anion Templation in the Slippage Formation of Rotaxane-Like Structures

The first examples of the slippage formation of rotaxane-like structures in the presence of an anion template are reported between a macrocycle, synthesised by exploiting Eglinton coupling, and stoppered pyridinium axle components. The role of the anion template in the slippage process has been explored by kinetic studies. H-1 NMR spectroscopic investigations reveal the slippage species formed are not rotaxanes but pseudorotaxanes with some rotaxane character. The anion template significantly influences the amount of rotaxane character and the rate of slippage. Importantly, the fastest slippage rates, k(on), are achieved with the non-coordinating hexafluorophosphate anion, whereas the slowest slippage off rates, k(off), are observed in the presence of coordinating anions, such as chloride. Since the k(off) rates are significantly smaller than the k(on) rates in the presence of coordinating anions, these anions act as templates favouring formation of the slippage species thermodynamically. Consequently, the resulting pseudorotaxanes with coordinating anions have greater rotaxane character. Two strategies for converting the slippage pseudorotaxanes into rotaxanes using hydrogenation or complexation with cobalt carbonyl are investigated.