Synthesis and physico-chemical properties of the first water soluble Cu(ii)@hemicryptophane complex.

A hemicryptophane ligand soluble in water at neutral pH was obtained thanks to the derivatization of the cyclotribenzylene unit with three carboxylate groups. The corresponding Cu(ii) complex was then synthesized and its spectroscopic and electrochemical properties in water were investigated, showing that water solubilisation retains the geometry of the complex around the metal center but strongly affects its redox properties, compared to previously reported Cu(ii)@hemicryptophane complexes soluble in organic solvents.