A Metal-Directed Self-Assembled Electroactive Cage with Bis(pyrrolo)tetrathiafulvalene (BPTTF) Side Walls

Abstract

A straightforward synthesis of a bis­(pyrrolo)­tetrathiafulvalene (BPTTF)-based tetratopic ligand bearing four pyridyl units is described. The first example of a TTF-based self-assembled cage has been produced from this redox-active ligand through metal-directed synthesis with a cis-coordinated square-planar Pt­(II) complex. The resulting cage corresponds to a trigonal-prismatic structure, as shown by X-ray crystallography. A UV–vis titration indicated that the electron-rich cavity can be used to incorporate one molecule of tetrafluorotetracyano-<i>p</i>-quinodimethane (TCNQF₄)