Methods are described for the synthesis of a series of functionalized derivatives of 9-butyl-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahydroacridine (9), a building block for several types of highly preorganized host compounds. A key intermediate is 5-benzylidene-9-butyl-2,3,5,6,7,8-hexahydroacridin-4(1H)-one ( 23), which can also be used in the syntheses of torands and hydrogen-bonding hexagonal lattice receptors. A tridentate cleft (20), consisting of 2,2′;6′,2′′-terpyridine imbedded in a heptacyclic framework, and a corresponding pentadentate diketone (6) were synthesized from 9 in five and seven steps, respectively. The picrate extraction method was used to estimate the solution stabilities of alkali metal complexes of heptacyclic terpyridyls 6 and 20, which was also compared with a flexible terpyridyl (37). Alkali metal complexes of both heptacyclic terpyridyls showed relatively high K s values, but low size selectivity. Pentadentate host 6 binds Na + and K + more strongly than do most hexadentate crown ethers; flexible tridentate analogue 37 failed to extract alkali metal picrates into chloroform. The complexation abilities of 6 and 20 are attributed to enforced orientation of functional group dipoles toward the center of the molecular cleft. Sodium and potassium picrate complexes of pentadentate cleft 6 were synthesized (1:1 stoichiometry), and a 2:1 complex of calcium triflate (6 2 ‚Ca(CF 3 SO 3 ) 2 ) was also prepared.The discovery of alkali metal complexation by crown ethers 2 foreshadowed development of several other host families, 3 including podands, cryptands, 4 lariat ethers, 5 spherands, 6 cryptahemispherands, 6c and torands. 7 The examples shown in Figure 1 illustrate the general trend toward ion encapsulation and ligand rigidity for cryptands, spherands and cryptaspherands, compared with crown ethers. These structural modifications generally produce higher selectivity and stronger binding of alkali metals