Typical procedure for preparation of resorcinarene derivatives 2-8. A mixture of resorcinarene (0.5 g, 0.7 mmol, 1 equiv.) and the appropriate aromatic compound (10-60 equiv.) in acetonitrile (10 ml) was stirred and heated until completely dissolved. Then an aqueous solution of formaldehyde (37%, 0.53 ml, 7 mmol) and iminodiacetic acid (0.05 g, 10% m/m) were added, and the reaction mixture was refluxed for 18h at 85°C. The reaction mixture was evaporated to dryness, chloroform (100 ml) was added and the mixture was washed with water (3x100 ml). The chloroform solution was evaporated and the residues were separated by chromatography. Semi-preparative HPLC purifications were performed on a Hitachi L-7100 equipped with a L-7400 UV detector operated at λ=256 nm and Eurospher II 100-5 C18 column (250 mm × 8 mm). The mobile phase containing acetonitrile:methanol (9:1, v/v) at a flow rate of 2 mL/min. Column chromatographic separations were carried out on silica gel 60 (Merck, particle size 0.040-0.063 mm, 230-240 mesh). The eluent used was a mixture of hexane and ethyl acetate. 2. Experimental The NMR spectra were measured on the Bruker Avance DRX spectrometers. High-resolution mass spectra were recorded in acetonitrile or methanol using electrospray technique on a Bruker micrOTOF-QII and APEX III FT-ICR spectrometers. Melting points were determined with a Büchi Melting Point B-540 and are uncorrected. All reagents and solvents were obtained from commercial sources and used without further purification. 2a tetra(methylene 2-phenol) resorcinarene The synthesis of derivatives 2a required a 60-fold molar excess of the phenol (4 g), HPLC purification to yield a white solid (0.16 g, 20% yield);