Studies on Properties of Tetra‐p‐nitro‐tetra‐O‐alkylcalix[4]arenes

Ibis paper reports the properties of the novel tetra‐p‐nitro‐tetra‐O‐alkyl‐calix[4]arenes (alkyl= n‐C₄H₉, 1; n‐C₈H₁₇ 2; n‐C₁₂H₂₅, 3; n‐C₁₆H₃₃, 4). X‐ray crystallographic analysis and ¹H NMR revealed that they exist as pinched‐cone conformation in crystal or cone conformation in solution. EFISH experiments at 1064 nm in CHCl₃, indicated that tetra‐p‐nitro‐tetra‐O‐butyl‐calix[4]arene (1) has higher hyperpolarizability β, values than the corresponding reference compound p‐nitro‐phenyl butyl ether, without red shift of the charge transfer band. Compounds 2, 3 and 4 with longer alkyl chains can form monolayer at the air/water.