Abstract
The design and synthesis of nanotubes on pure covalent bonds is still a challenge for organic chemists. For the construction of cyclophane-based structural units, we have chosen pyromellitic diimide moiety. Pyromellitic diimide is a pai-electron acceptor, thus the selective incluison of an electron-rich guest is expected via a charge transfer interaction. Synthesis of artificial nanotubes can be done by connecting suitable spacer molecules with the functionalized pyromellitic diimide-based cyclophanes, followed by connecting the resultant capsule with another cyclophanes. We have synthesized the diimide-based cyclophanes by the dehydration between an amine and an anhydride and studied the inclusion properties of electron-rich guest molecules in the cavity. We would like to extend these cyclopahnes for symthesis of artificaial molecular tubes and study the inclusion of electron-rich guest molecules in the empty cyclindrical cavity.
