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Taylor, Peter G.; Bassindale, Alan R.; El Aziz, Youssef; Pourny, Manuel; Hursthouse, Michael B. and Coles, Simon J.
(2012).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C1DT11340B
Abstract
A range of fluoride-encapsulated octasilsesquioxane cage compounds have been prepared using the TBAF route. Our studies suggest that whilst it is relatively straightforward to prepare fluoride-encapsulated octasilsesquioxane cage compounds with adjacent sp2 carbons, leading to a range of aryl and vinyl substituted compounds, the corresponding sp3 carbon derivatives are more capricious, requiring an electron withdrawing group that can stabilize the cage whilst not acting as a leaving group. Analysis by X-ray crystallography and solution 19F/29Si NMR spectroscopy of R8T8@F− reveal very similar environments for the encapsulated fluoride octasilsesquioxane cages. Migration of a fluoride ion from inside the cage to outside the cage without breaking the T8 framework and the possibility of encapsulating other anions within silsesquioxane cages have been also investigated.