The synthesis and structural characterization of a novel generation of crown ethers, 3, 5 and 6 containing pyrilium, thiopyrilium, and pyridinium subunits, respectively, are reported. The crown ether unit is potentially capable of forming host-guest complexes with inorganic and organic cations, while the heteroaromatic cationic unit is suitable to bind with anions. A variety of physicochemical methods including electrospray mass spectrometry, UV-vis ...
