A mixed aluminum sodium phenolate ring compound with an oxo core has been synthesized and crystallographically characterized as a new inverse crown ether complex, together with some of its. precursors. The experimental results showed that the Al-Na inverse crown ether can be obtained from two different approaches: (1) hydrolysis of KEDBP)Al(CH3)(2)Na(THF)(2)] (1), followed by condensation with [(EDBP)Al(CH3)(mu(2)-OH)Na(THF)(3)] (2); (2) fast redox reaction by oxidation of a methyl group on complex 1 and reduction of molecular oxygen to oxide.