Dibenzo-18-crown-6 reacts with potassium hydroxide in methanol to give the C 20 H 24 O 6 · KOH · MeOH complex which was characterized by the 1 H NMR, UV, and IR spectra. Depending on the conditions, the reaction of the same compounds in toluene gave products with the compositions 4 C 20 H 24 O 6 · KOH · 3 H 2 O (3 h, reflux) and 11C 20 H 24 O 6 · KOH (1 h, 80°C, 1 h).While studying the application of strong bases in the chemistry of acetylene [1] and developing concepts of superbases as systems in which the interaction between metal cation and anion is weakened due to coordination with a weakly basic ligand [2], we have encountered with the necessity of elucidating the structure of crown ether complexes with alkali metal hydroxides.The synthesis of complexes formed by macrocyclic polyethers (crown ethers) with alkali metal salts [3-6], their properties, and application in organic chemistry are extensively discussed in the literature (see, e.g., [7,8]). However, only a few data have been reported on the structure of complexes derived from crown ethers and alkali metal hydroxides: several short communications on this topic are available.The dibenzo-18-crown-6-KOH complex was reported for the first time by Pedersen [3] who revealed reduction in the electric conductivity of a solution of potassium hydroxide in methanol in the presence of dibenzo-18-crown-6, synthesized complexes of KOH with dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 and di(tert-butylbenzo)-18-crown-6 in toluene, and determined their solubility in benzene, toluene, DMF, and DMSO. No other parameters of the complexes were given.Sam and Simmons [9] later showed that a toluene solution of the complex formed by dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 and KOH, which was prepared in the presence of methanol [3], contains only 11% of hydroxide ions and that the fraction of methoxide ions (CH 3 O -) is 89%. This conclusion was drawn on the basis of the 1 H NMR and potentiometric titration data which were not given in [9]. It was presumed that the presence of activated methoxide ions is confirmed by the formation of o-chloroanisole from o-dichlorobenzene on heating to 90°C with the KOH-dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 complex prepared in the presence of methanol [9]. Pedersen [10] also reported on the complex derived from sodium hydroxide and a sulfur-containing analog of dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6; its formation was proved by the data on sodium ion extraction. Lutz et al. [11] studied the IR spectra of solutions of dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6-KOH in methanol, chloroform, toluene, and heptane. The formation of the dibenzo-18-crown-6-KOH complex was also noted in [11], but no its parameters were given.In the present work we made an attempt to isolate the dibenzo-18-crown-6-KOH complex and determine its structure. The complex was prepared by heating the components in methanol (with and without addition of toluene) or toluene, followed by filtration, removal of the solvent, and evacuation of the residue. The resulting amorphous powders were analyzed by IR, UV, and 1 H NMR spectroscopy, and their elemental composi...