Consequences of the ‘Pedersen papers’ on crown type chemistry at Würzburg and Bonn Universities: From heteroaromatic crowns and podands to large molecular and crystalline cavities including multisite receptors,cascade molecules,chromoionophores, siderophores,surfactant-type,and extreme ligands

We thank the editors of this issue for the opportunity to present the historic development of crown chemistry at the Universities of Wurzburg and Bonn in memory of C. J. Pedersen, the originator of the crown ethers. His legacy of science has tremendously stimulated research at both universities.This paper is dedicated to the memory of the late Dr C. J. Pedersen.