Superphane: a new lantern-like receptor for encapsulation of a water dimer

A new superphane, featuring an aesthetically pleasing structure, was successfully obtained via one-pot synthesis of a hexakis-amine and m -phthalaldehyde in a [2+6] manner. It proved capable of entrapping a water dimer within its cavity as inferred from the mass spectroscopy, crystallographical analysis, NMR spectroscopy, and theoretical calculations. This work describes the one-pot synthesis of a superphane-based supramolecular receptor and its encapsulation of a water dimer.