Synthesis, Structures, and Complexation with Phenolic Guests of Acridone‐Incorporated Arylene–Ethynylene Macrocyclic Compounds

Acridone units were incorporated into the arylene–ethynylene structure as polar arene units. Cyclic trimers consisting of three acridone‐2,7‐diyl units and three 1,3‐phenylene units were synthesized by Sonogashira couplings via stepwise or direct route. X‐ray analysis revealed that the trimer had a nearly planar macrocyclic framework with a cavity surrounded by three carbonyl groups. In contrast, the corresponding tetramer had a nonplanar macrocyclic framework. (1)H NMR measurements showed that the trimer formed a 1 : 1 complex as a macrocyclic host with dihydric phenol guests, and the association constants were determined to be ca. 1.0×10(3) L mol(−1) for hydroquinone or resorcinol guests in CDCl(3) at 298 K. The calculated structures of these complexes by the DFT method supported the presence of two sets of OH⋅⋅⋅O=C hydrogen bonds between the host and guest molecules. The spectroscopic data of the cyclic trimers and tetramers are compared with those of reference acridone compounds.