Triphenylene Based Metal-Pyridine Cages

Abstract C3-symmetric pyridine containing tris-benzyl-O-substituted hexahydroxytriphenylene derivatives were prepared and used in combination with square-planar Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes for the self-assembly of molecular cages in solution. The formation of a trigonal bipyramid M3L2 cage was demonstrated by multinuclear NMR analyses and pseudo 2D DOSY experiments and supported by semi-empirical calculations.