Method of chelating anions from a liquid using a composition comprising at least one macrocyclic hosting moiety

A method of chelating anions from a liquid including the anions, comprising:

• contacting a composition comprising at least one macrocyclic moiety with the liquid, the at least one macrocyclic moiety being formed by providing an end group including a macrocyclic compound selected from the group consisting of
• a resorcin[n]arene wherein n is an integer between 4 and 8,
• a bridged resorcin[n′]arene wherein n′ is an integer between 4 and 8,
• a calix[n″]pyrrole-resorcin[n]arene wherein n″ is 4, and
• a calix[n′″]arene wherein n′″ is an integer between 4 and 6,
• wherein the macrocyclic compound is sufficiently rigid that it presents a plurality of functional groups extending from a first axial side of the macrocyclic compound, and
• reacting a plurality of reactive compounds with the plurality of functional groups extending from the first axial side of the macrocyclic compound,
• wherein each of the plurality of reactive compounds is a precursor for one of a plurality of groups conjugated to the macrocyclic compound to extend from the first axial side thereof,
• each of the plurality of groups conjugated to the macrocyclic compound including one or more electropositive C—H bond donor groups, H atoms of the C—H bond donor groups extending into a cavity of the at least one macrocyclic moiety, and at least one electron withdrawing substituent,
• wherein at least one of the one or more electropositive C—H bond donor groups of two or more of the plurality of groups interacts with one of the anions to form a chelate with the one of the anions.