Pseudo‐crown ether‐like structure by hydrogen‐bonded dimerization: A water complex with bis(2′‐hydroxyethyl) 2,6‐pyridinedicarboxylate in solid,solution, and gas phases

Dedicated to Professor Jerald S. Bradshaw Bis(2′‐hydroxyethyl) 2,6‐pyridinedicarboxylate (1) was prepared and the structure was characterized in solid (fourier transform‐ir and X‐ray analyses), in liquid (¹H and ¹³C nmr titrations), and in the gas‐phase (fast atom bombardment (fab) and electron spray ionization (esi) ms). Two bis(2′‐hydroxyethyl) 2,6‐pyridinedicarboxylate molecules each with an included water molecule are bound together through hydrogen bonding to give a pseudo‐macrocycle in the solid state and in chloroform solution. The fab and esi mass spectra also suggested that ligand 1 forms a dimer in the gas‐phase.