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Three 4-tert-butylcalix[4]arenes bearing a 1,8-bis(ethyleneoxy)anthraquinone bridge between alternate phenolic oxygen atoms, on one-electron reduction, show enhanced binding of alkali-metal cations with selectivities dependent upon the groups attached at the other phenolic oxygens; for one of the compounds, binding of potassium but not sodium is accompanied by a conformational change of the calixarene from cone to partial cone.
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Bethell et al. (1995) studied this question.
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