| Abstract: | A molecular receptor consisting of a molecular spacer that constrains two terpyridyl‐palladium(II) complexes to be disposed in a parallel cofacial geometry has been prepared. The separation between the two terpyridyl‐palladium units is enforced to be ca. 7 Å, a distance sufficient to incarcerate aromatic molecules and square‐planar complexes. A number of molecules are shown to associate with this spacer‐chelator complex. In particular, 9‐methylanthracene (9‐MA) is found to form a 1 : 2 host‐guest complex. A crystal structure of this complex shows one 9‐MA in the molecular cleft formed by the two terpyridyl‐palladium units and the other 9‐MA molecule to lie above one of the terpyridyl‐palladium units. Nuclear Overhauser effects on analogous molecules that contain two anthracene guests tethered intramolecularly indicate that the structure found in the solid is similar to that in solution. Low‐temperature 1H‐NMR studies indicate rapid exchange between the two binding sites. The spacer‐chelator complexes, when combined with appropriate molecular linkers, readily form molecular rectangles, trigonal prisms, and tetragonal prisms. One molecular rectangle is shown to associate with up to five 9‐MA molecules. |
