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Caged supramolecular systems are promising hosts for guest inclusion, separation, and stabilization. Well-studied examples are mainly metal-coordination-based or covalent architectures. An anion-coordination-based cage that is capable of encapsulating halocarbon guests is reported for the first time. This A4L4-type (A=anion) tetrahedral cage, [(PO4)4 L4]12−, assembled from a C3-symmetric tris(bisurea) ligand ( L) and phosphate ion (PO43−), readily accommodates a series of quasi-tetrahedral halocarbons, such as the Freon components CFCl3, CF2Cl2, CHFCl2, and C(CH3)F3, and chlorocarbons CH2Cl2, CHCl3, CCl4, C(CH3)Cl3, C(CH3)2Cl2, and C(CH3)3Cl. The guest encapsulation in the solid state is confirmed by crystal structures, while the host-guest interactions in solution were demonstrated by NMR techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An anion‐coordination‐based A4L6 (“A” denotes anion and “L” is ligand) tetrahedral cage was constructed by a C2‐symmetric bis‐bis(urea) ligand and phosphate anion, which showed reversible interconversion with the A2L3 triple helicate as a response to the template, concentration, or solvent. Notably, an unusual “peripheral” templation was found to be critical to stabilize the tetrahedral structure. This peripheral effect was utilized to assemble an “empty” A4L6 cage that allows the multi‐stimuli‐controlled capture/release of biologically important species such as choline and acetylcholine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]