Two sulfonated resorcinarenes were synthesized by reacting C-tetra(butyl) resorcinarene or C-tetra(2-(methylthio)ethyl)resorcinarene with formaldehyde in the presence of sodium sulfite. Their structures were determined via FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and mass spectrometry. Thermal gravimetric analyses of the derivatives were also carried out and revealed the presence of water molecules in the solid state. The sulfonated product of C-tetra(butyl)resorcinarene was characterized by an X-ray crystal structure determination. The asymmetric unit contains eight molecules of water and two of acetone, and analysis indicated that sulfonated resorcinarene prefers a cone configuration (rccc conformation) in the solid state. In the crystal array, classical hydrogen bond interactions O-H···O and intermolecular contacts were observed. In the crystal packing, a linear array of capsules of sulfonated resorcinarenes was generated for a chain of sodium atoms and sulfonate groups.
Keywords: cone conformation; sulfonation; water soluble resorcinarene.