Reactions of 1,3-alternate stereoisomers of tetrathiacalix [4]arene and 4-tert-butyltetrathiacalix[4]-arene, functionalized by hydrazide groups, with benzaldehyde and pyridin-2-carbaldehyde gave new tetrathiacalix[4]arene tetrahydrazone derivatives as promising receptors for transition and toxic heavy metal ions.Molecular design of artificial receptors is one of the most important problems in modern chemistry [1,2]. To perform the simplest receptor function, i.e., recognition of one or another substrate, several preorganized coordination centers should be present in a receptor molecule. A convenient base structure for the design of such molecules is provided by calix [n]arenes that are compounds with three-dimensional spatially organized structures [3][4][5].Functionalization of calix[n]arenes could considerably extend the scope of their practical application. In particular, functionalization of macrocyclic compounds with hydrazide and hydrazone groups gives rise to potential biologically active substances [6-8] and highly efficient extractants for transition metal ions [9, 10]; in addition, other nitrogen-containing compounds may be obtained on the basis of functionalized calix[n]arenes [11,12]. For example, by condensation of hydrazides with aldehydes we previously synthesized acetylhydrazone derivatives of calix[4]resorcinol [13], which ensured highly efficient binding of transition metal ions and showed especially high selectivity in the extraction of toxic mercury ions. However, analogous reaction with aldehydes of tetrathiacalix-[4]arene in the cone conformation resulted in preferential formation of bis-acetylhydrazone calix[4]arene derivatives with intramolecular N,N′-diacetylhydrazine bridge [14,15]. The target tetrahydrazone was isolated only in the reaction with pyridine-2-carbaldehyde. Presumably, unusual behavior of the cone conformer is determined by spatial proximity of the endo-oriented hydrazide groups. We presumed that the target tetrahydrazones could be obtained using 1,3-alternate conformer of calix[4]arene. The synthesis of such derivatives was also stimulated by the fact that 1,3-alternate conformers of calix[4]arenes are generally more selective receptors for metal ions. This was observed by us previously for tetrahydrazide derivatives [16]. The use of tetrathiacalix[4]arene scaffold (rather than classical calix[4]arene structure) seemed to be preferred due to simpler preparation of the macrocyclic compound in a required conformation. Apart from 4-tert-butyltetrathiacalix[4]arene derivatives, it was interesting to synthesize their analogs with distant tert-butyl groups. Enhanced flexibility of a receptor molecule and reduction of steric hindrances to coordination with metal ions could favor their more efficient binding.In the present communication we report on the synthesis of acetylhydrazone tetrathiacalix[4]arene and 4-tert-butyltetrathiacalix[4]arene derivatives having 1,3-alternate conformation (Scheme 1). In the first step, tetraesters Ia and Ib were synthesized by reactions of unsubsti...