Phenanthrene is a high-value raw material in chemical industries. Separation of phenanthrene from isomeric anthracene continues to be a big challenge in the industry due to their very similar physical properties. Herein, we report the self-assembly of a water-soluble molecular bowl (TB) from a phenothiazine-based unsymmetrical terapyridyl ligand (L) and a cis-blocked 90° Pd(II) acceptor. TB featured an unusual bowl-like topology, with a wide rim diameter and a hydrophobic inner cavity fenced by the aromatic rings of the ligand. The above-mentioned features of TB allow it to bind polyaromatic hydrocarbons in its confined cavity. TB shows a higher affinity for phenanthrene over its isomer anthracene in water, which enables it to separate phenanthrene with ∼93% purity from an equimolar mixture of phenanthrene and anthracene. TB is also able to extract pyrene with around ∼90% purity from an equimolar mixture of coronene, perylene, and pyrene. Moreover, TB can be reused for several cycles without significant degradation in its performance as an extracting agent. This clean strategy of separation of phenanthrene and pyrene from a mixture of hydrophobic hydrocarbons by aqueous extraction is noteworthy.

中文翻译：

---

用于从异构芳烃混合物中分离菲的水溶性 Pd6L3 分子碗

菲是化工行业的高价值原料。由于菲与蒽的物理性质非常相似，因此从异构蒽中分离菲仍然是该行业的一大挑战。在此，我们报告了基于吩噻嗪的不对称四联吡啶配体 ( L ) 和顺式封闭的 90° Pd(II) 受体自组装水溶性分子碗 ( TB )。TB具有不寻常的碗状拓扑结构，具有较宽的边缘直径和由配体的芳环围起来的疏水内腔。TB的上述特征使其能够在其密闭腔内结合多环芳烃。结核病显示出对菲的亲和力高于其在水中的异构体蒽，这使其能够从菲和蒽的等摩尔混合物中分离出纯度约为 93% 的菲。TB还能够从等摩尔的苝、苝和芘的混合物中提取纯度约为 90% 的芘。此外，TB可以重复使用几个循环，而不会显着降低其作为提取剂的性能。这种通过水萃取从疏水性烃混合物中分离菲和芘的清洁策略值得注意。