Influencing the size and anion selectivity of dimeric Ln(3+)[15-metallacrown-5] compartments through systematic variation of the host side chains and central metal.

Dimeric Ln(3+)[15-metallacrown-5] compartments selectively recognize carboxylates through guest binding to host metal ions and intermolecular interactions with the phenyl side chains. A systematic study is presented on how the size, selectivity, and number of encapsulated guests in the dimeric containers is influenced by the Ln(3+)[15-metallacrown(Cu(II))-5] ligand side chain and central metal. Compartments of varying heights were assembled from metallacrowns with S-phenylglycine hydroxamic acid (pgHA), S-phenylalanine hydroxamic acid (pheHA), and S-homophenylalanine hydroxamic acid (hpheHA) ligands. Guests that were examined include the fully deprotonated forms of terephthalic acid, isonicotinic acid, and bithiophene dicarboxylic acid (btDC). X-ray crystallography reveals that the side-chain length constrains the maximum and minimum length guest that can be encapsulated in the compartment. Compartments with heights ranging from 9.7 to 15.2 Å are formed with different phenyl side chains that complex 4.3-9.2 Å long guests. Up to five guests are accommodated in Ln(3+)[15-metallacrown(Cu(II))-5] compartments depending on steric effects from the host side chains. The nine-coordinate La(3+) central metal promotes the encapsulation of multiple guests, while the eight-coordinate Gd(3+) typically binds only one dicarboxylate. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry reveals that the dimerization phenomenon occurs beyond the solid state, suggesting that these containers can be utilized in solid-state and solution applications.