The Synthesis and Complex Forming Capacity of Phosphorus-containing Macrocycles

The review considers questions concerning the synthesis and complex-forming capacity of macrocyclic compounds containing in the ring phosphorus atoms with different degrees of coordination (from three to five) as well as macroheterocycles with phosphorus-containing side chains (lariat compounds). The introduction of the phosphoryl group into the macrocycle lowers the stability of the complexes of the macrocyclic compounds with alkali metals and reduces the selectivity compared with the analogous crown-ethers. Only the lithium cation in the case of macrocyclic phosphine oxides is an exception. Lariat macrocycles are promising: the phosphorus fragment ensures the effective additional binding of the cation imparting a high stability to the complex.
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