Metal ion complexation by lariat ethers with partially fluorinated side arms

Since their first description by Pederson in 1967, crown ethers have played a big role in theoretical and experimental chemistry. A distinctive feature of these compounds is the non-covalent nature of their metal-ion complexes. Non-covalent chemical bonding is covered by the special broad field of chemistry called "supramolecular chemistry,"a term first introduced and defined by J. M. Lehn in 1978. Since 1987, the year when Nobel Prize in Chemistry was given to Charles Pedersen, Donald J. Cram and Jean-Marie Lehn, supramolecular chemistry has received widespread acceptance and interest. Nowadays, supramolecular compounds include not only cyclic polyether compounds, but also various more complex three-dimensional ones. These compounds find wide applications in such new fields as enzymes, nuclear waste separations and radio-immunotherapy treatments.