Imidazolium units represent the main structural motifs for the formation of unconventional C-H•••Cl 2 hydrogen bonds which become the noncovalent forces driving the anion interactions exibited by dicationic [1 4 ]imidazoliophanes in the solid state, while C-H•••O hydrogen bonds with water play a crucial role in governing the conformation of the solid-state aggregates, as well as in solution, wherein NMR studies also reveal the importance of hydrogen bonds in controlling the tendency to anion binding.

The synthesis of simple imidazolium-based ligand precursors containing a 1,3-alkylidene-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene spacer was examined and different synthetic protocols were applied depending on the nature of the alkylidene arm. For a methylene arm, simple dications 5a,b.2CI were obtained directly. The higher homologue counterparts were conveniently prepared by general multistep routes following a five-step sequence for ethylene dications 6a,b.2Br or a six-step sequence for propylene dications 7a,b.2Br in > or = 52% overall yield. Imidazolium salts based on the shorter methylene spacer were used to prepare palladium complexes (17-20) with N-heterocyclic carbenes via transmetallation from well-defined silver compounds or directly in basic conditions. In order to facilitate spectroscopic characterisation of the palladium species two [Pd(allyl)(bis-oxazoline)]+ (25-26) complexes with the same ligand bridge were synthesized. [PdX2bisL] complexes appeared in solution as mixtures of species, mononuclear with cis- or trans-geometry or oligomeric compounds. The reaction of [PdCl(allyl)]2 and micro-bis(carbene)(AgX)2 complexes in 1 : 1 or in 0.5 : 1 ratio leads to binuclear compounds [Pd2Cl2(allyl)2(micro-bis-carbene)] (19a,19b) and to very labile monomeric [Pd(allyl)(bis-carbene)]+ (20a,20b) compounds, respectively. The preparation of analogous [Pd(allyl)(bis-oxazoline)]+ complexes showed the formation of one of the four possible isomers. [Pd(allyl)(bis-oxazoline)]PF6 complexes were inactive as catalytic precursors in the allylic substitution reaction.

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Efficient access to the bis(imidazolyl)calixarene 2 and dicationic bis(imidazolium) salts 1a,b x 2X directly bonded to the upper rim of calixarene structure has been reported. Anion binding properties of the new receptors were studied by 1H NMR spectroscopic methods. Bis(N-butylimidazolium) dication 1a exhibited the best recognition properties toward carboxylate anions with a 1:1 receptor-anion binding stoichiometry, whereas the presence of a bulky group such as isopropyl (1b) increased the difficulty of both imidazolium moieties to be able to support the association with the same single anion.