Duplexiphane:: A polyaromatic receptor containing two adjoined Δ-shaped cavities for an efficient hopping of a single silver cation

A simple synthesis of a polyaromatic receptor (i.e., duplexiphane) containing two adjoined A-shaped cavities is accomplished via an intramolecular (double) McMurry coupling, and its structure is established by X-ray crystallography. The binding of silver cation to duplexiphane showed that it binds only a single silver cation with significantly higher efficiency (>100 times) than a model compound containing only one pi-prismand-like cavity, and the single silver cation hops intramolecularly between the two adjoined cavities in duplexiphane.