Towards ionic channels with crown ethers and calix[n]arenes (with n=6,8)

This thesis reports the new crystal structures of crown ethers and calixarenes as well as the ionic conduction properties of crown ether channels.
Chapter I gives general knowledge about ion channels. It deals also with the state of the art on crown ethers and calix[n]arenes.
Chapter II present the different compounds obtained with crown ethers and calixarenes.
In a first part, it shows a study of ionic conduction through crown ether channel structures 1 and 2. It describes as well all the attempts done to obtain the isostructural structure of 1 with tribromide ions. It presents a pH-dependency of the DB18C6 to form crystals.
Finally this chapter ends on calix[n]arene channel structures (with n=6 and 8) and a comparison between 4-tert-butylcalix[8]arene structures which evolve from a single molecule to a dimer and finally channel compounds thanks to water aggregates. Those aggregates are dependent of the alkali metal present. Potassium ions are related on water cubes and caesium ions influence on the octahedral organization of the water molecules. Rubidium ions tolerate both: On average, the structure with rubidium ions is an alternation of cubes and octahedron separated by a heterooctahedron of water molecules and rubidium ions.
Chapter III summarizes related work and describes a possible developments of this project: the possible applications of crown ethers, and the derivatisation of the upper rim of calixarenes.