Ion selectivity of crown ethers investigated by UV and IR spectroscopy in a cold ion trap

Electronic and vibrational spectra of benzo-15-crown-5 (B15C5) and benzo-18-crown-6 (B18C6) complexes with alkali metal ions, M(+)?B15C5 and M(+)?B18C6 (M = Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs), are measured using UV photodissociation (UVPD) and IR-UV double resonance spectroscopy in a cold, 22-pole ion trap. We determine the structure of conformers with the aid of density functional theory calculations. In the Na(+)?B15C5 and K(+)?B18C6 complexes, the crown ethers open the most and hold the metal ions at the center of the ether ring, demonstrating an optimum matching in size between the cavity of the crown ethers and the metal ions. For smaller ions, the crown ethers deform the ether ring to decrease the distance and increase the interaction between the metal ions and oxygen atoms; the metal ions are completely surrounded by the ether ring. In the case of larger ions, the metal ions are too large to enter the crown cavity and are positioned on it, leaving one of its sides open for further solvation. Thermochemistry data calculated on the basis of the stable conformers of the complexes suggest that the ion selectivity of crown ethers is controlled primarily by the enthalpy change for the complex formation in solution, which depends strongly on the complex structure.     

Extraction of strontium from nitric acid solutions by selected crown ethers

The extraction of Sr from nitric acid solutions by the crown ethers, 12-crown-4, 15-crown-5, 18-crown-6 and DB 18-crown-6 dissolved in chloroform has been investigated. Sr is reasonably well extracted by 18-crown-6 compared to other crown ethers from different nitric acid solutions. The extraction is strongly dependent on the concentration of HNO₃ and nitrate salts. Preliminary studies indicate that¹³⁷Cs is also extracted to a limited extent by 18-crown-6 from nitrate medium. Stripping of Sr was achieved by an aqueous solution of low acidity, the crown ether being regenerated for subsequent extraction.     

Allylation of phenoxides by crown ethers and their polymers

Allylation of sodium phenoxide in the presence of crown ethers produces a high ratio of O/O + C allylation when conducted in water, phenol, benzene, or diethyl ether. The striking increase in the product ratios is attributed to specific complexation of the crown ethers that facilitate the dissociation of the ion pair aggregate of the sodioderivative in benzene or diethyl ether. The crown ethers may act as a phase transfer catalyst when the reaction is run in water. Furthermore, the O/O + C ratios of the allylation strongly depend on the kind of crown ethers used. To examine their effect the allylation of sodium phenoxide was studied with various crown ethers, such as 18-crown-6, benzo-18-crown-6, benzo-15-crown-5, poly(vinylmonobenzo-15-crown-5), and poly(vinylmono-benzo-18-crown-6), as catalysts. It was found that among these crown ethers poly(vinylmono-benzo-15-crown-5) was the most effective catalyst.     

Extraction of tetrafluoroborate with crown ethers and its application to silicate rock analysis

Summary The extraction behaviour of tetrafluoroborate with crown ethers was studied. A high distribution ratio of tetrafluoroborate is obtained by extraction with dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 (DC18C6) in an organic solvent of high dielectric constant from potassium fluoride solution. The molar ratios of crown ether to KBF₄ in the extracted species are probably 1:1 for DC18C6, dibenzo-18-crown-6 and 18-crown-6, and 2:1 for benzo-15-crown-5 and 15-crown-5. The flow-injection extraction-spectrophotometric determination of tetrafluoroborate with Brilliant Green was worked out. Many rock reference samples were analyzed for boron (1–150 ppm).     

Extraction and determination of crown ethers from water samples using a membrane disk and gas chromatography

A method for rapid extraction and determination of some crown ethers in aqueous matrices using octadecyl-bonded silica membrane disks and gas chromatography is presented. Extraction efficiency and the influence of vacuum pressure. pH, and type and least amount of eluting solvent used to extract the crown ethers from the membrane disks were evaluated. Extraction efficiencies > 95% were obtained for benzo-15-crown-5, benzo-18-crown-6 and dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 using 5 ml of acetonitrile as eluting solvent. The limit of detection of the proposed method for the determination of the crown ethers is reported.     

Application of crown ethers as modifiers for the separation of amines by capillary electrophoresis

The separation of amines with capillary electrophoresis (CE) was made possible by applying crown ethers such as 18-crown-6 and 15-crown-5 as modifiers. Crown ether 18-crown-6 performed better as a modifier than 15-crown-5. The mobility change of primary amines with 18-crown-6 was larger than that for secondary and tertiary amines. The mobility change of various amines with 18-crown-6 were in the order: 1-aminobutane>2-aminobutane>2-amino-2-methylpropane. Effects of crown ether concentration, pH and cations in the eluent of CE were also investigated and discussed. Some neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine, isoproterenol and phenylalanine were separated successfully by using crown ethers in CE analysis.     

Synthesis of chromogenic crown ethers and liquid—liquid extraction of alkaline earth metal ions

New crown ether dyes carrying two pendent anionic side-arms were synthesized for the extraction-spectrophotometry of alkaline earth metal ions. In the extraction of alkaline earth metal ions by these dianionic reagents, size recognition by the crown ether ring was more remarkable than in the case of alkali metal ion extraction by a similar type of monoanionic reagents. Dramatic changes in metal selectivity were observed when the nature of the anionic side-arm was changed while the crown ether skeleton was kept the same. The structure/selectivity relationship is discussed in terms of “chelate” and “intramolecular ion-pair” formation. Typically, when the basicity of the pendent anions was relatively high and a six-membered chelate was structurally possible for the pendent anions and the crown-bound metal, the extraction of calcium was favored by up to a factor of 3000 in the ratio of the Ca/Ba extraction constants for reagents of the diaza-18-crown-6 type. In contrast, the reagents which had pendent anions with only poor coordination ability for metal ions seemed to form complexes of the ion-pair type, and calcium ion was 10⁵ times less extractable than barium ion for the same diaza-18-crown-6-skeleton. Strontium ion seemed to be extracted most effectively when the extracted complex assumed properties intermediate between the chelate and intramolecular ion-pair.     

Effect of rigid fragments in the macrocycle on the adaptation of crown ethers to alkali-metal ions

Complexation selectivity curves were obtained by theoretical conformational analysis and penalty functions in terms of the conformational factors in the following crown ethers: 15-crown-5; benzo-15-crown-5: 18-crown-6; benzo-18-crown-6; dibenzo-18-crown-6; cyclohexano-18-crown-6. In the last case the effect of cis—trans isomerism in the bridging bonds on the selectivity of complexation with the ligand was investigated. Analysis of the selectivity curves shows that the introduction of aromatic fragments into the macrocycle reduces its adaptive capabilities. The complexation selectivity of the ligands from the selectivity curves is compared with the experimental stability series of the crown ether complexes with alkali metals.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 355–360, May–June, 1990.     

Ion-pair extraction of tetravalent plutonium from hydrochloric acid medium using crown ethers

Ion-pair extraction behaviour of plutonium (IV) from varying concentrations of HCl solution was studied employing crown ethers (benzo-l5-crown-5 (B15C5), 18-crown-6, (18C6), dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DB18C6), dicyclohexano-18-crown-6, (DC18C6), dibenzo-24-crown-8 (DB24C8) and dicyclohexano-24-crown-8 (DCH24C8)) in nitrobenzene as the extractant. Ammonium metavanidate was used as the holding oxidant in the aqueous phase and the conditions necessary for the quantitative extraction of the tetravalent ion were found. The co-extraction of species of the type [HL⁺].[HPu(Cl) ₆ ^– ] and [HL⁺]2·[Pu(Cl) ₆ ^2– ] as ion-pairs (where L represents the crown ether) is suggested.     

Separation of rhenium by extraction with crown ethers and flow-injection extraction—spectrophotometric determination with Brilliant Green

The extraction behavior of perrhenate with crown ethers was studied and methods for the separation and determination of rhenium were developed. The distribution ratio of perrhenate with dicyclohexano-18-crown-6 (DC18C6) increases with increases in the dielectric constant of organic solvents and in the potassium ion concentration of aqueous solution. The molar ratios of crown ether to KReO₄ in the extracted species are probably 1:1 for DC18C6, dibenzo-18-crown-6 and 18-crown-6 and 2:1 for benzo-15-crown-5 and 15-crown-5. Microgram amounts of rhenium were satisfactorily separated from large amounts of molbdenum(VI) by extraction with DC18C6 in 1,2-dichloroethane from 2 M potassium hydroxide solution containing tartrate and by back-extraction with sodium phosphate buffer solution after the addition of a twofold volume of hexane to the organic phase. Rhenium was determined by the flow-injection extraction-photometric method with Brilliant Green. Rhenium was satisfactory determined in molybdenite and other ore samples.     

Conductance studies of salt solutions in the presence of poly(vinylbenzo crown ethers)

The conductance of acetone and methyl ethyl ketone solutions of tetraphenylborate salts in the presence of homopolymers and styrene copolymers of vinylbenzo-15-crown-5 and vinylbenzo-18-crown-6 was studied, and the results compared with data obtained for crown ethers. Polycations are formed on binding cations to the poly(crown ethers), and the conductance behavior of the polyelectrolytes depends on the nature of the cation-crown complex and the spacing between crown moieties which in turn determines the charge density on the polymer chain. The compositions of the crown-cation complexes were determined for crown ethers. The complex formation constants of sodium and potassium cations to poly(vinylbenzo-18-crown-6) were found to change as more cations bind to the chain. This is not the case for the copolymers where the crown ligands are spaced farther apart. A mixture of poly(vinylbenzo-15-crown-5) and 10^?3M potassium tetraphenylborate in methyl ethyl ketone or acetone has a minimum conductance at a crown to cation ratio of 3.0, but the conductance rapidly increases on addition of crown ether. This was used to qualitatively determine the binding efficiency of a series of crown ethers since the rate of increase in the conductance is a measure of the binding ability of the crown ether to the cation.     

Comparison of extraction ability of 18-membered crown ethers with respect to cesium

In the present work, a comparative investigation of the extraction ability of some commercially available 18-membered crown ethers with respect to cesium cation from different media is carried out. It has been shown that, in the series of 18-membered crown ethers, di-tert-butyl-dibenzo-18-crown-6 has comparable extraction ability to that of the well-known analog di-tert-butyl-dicyclohexano-18-crown-6, which much readily available synthetically.     

Voltammetric determination of copper at chemically modified electrodes based on crown ethers

The feasibility of fabricating copper-sensitive chemically modified electrodes (CMEs) for trace analysis in aqueous and in 40% (v/v) ethanol-water media was investigated. Carbon paste electrodes modified with crown ethers were constructed by mixing the crown ethers into a graphite powder-paraffin oil matrix. The electrodes so formed were able to bind Cu(II) ions chemically and gave better voltammetric responses than the unmodified ones. The crown ethers studied and compared were 15-crown-5, benzo-15-crown-5 and dibenzo-18-crown-6. With a 3% benzo-15-crown-5 CME, Cu(II) could be quantified at sub-ppm levels by differential pulse voltammetry with a detection limit of 0.05 ppm. By differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry Cu(II) could be quantified over the range I to 100 ppb. Interference from metal ions like Ni(II), Co(II), Mn(II), Fe(II), etc. have also been studied. The method was successfully applied to artificial as well as commercial samples of alcoholic beverages.     

Mono-, bis-, and tris(crown ether)s assembled around 1,3,5-triaroylbenzene scaffolds

A concise and experimentally straightforward method for assembling multiple benzo(crown ether) units around 1,3,5-triaroylbenzene scaffolds has been developed. Symmetrical tris(crown ether)s possessing three benzo(15-crown-5) or three benzo(18-crown-6) peripheral substituents have been prepared in good yield via cyclotrimerization of monomeric enaminones. Efficient cross-cyclotrimerizations have also been demonstrated through construction of unsymmetrical triaroylbenzenes functionalized with only one or two benzo(15-crown-5) moieties. The alkali cation-binding abilities of these mono- and polytopic crown ethers have been probed through picrate extraction experiments and isothermal titration calorimetry. Thermodynamic binding parameters uncovered using the latter technique reveal increasing K+/Na+ selectivity in the benzo(15-crown-5) series of compounds as a function of increasing numbers of benzo(crown) units. The data also indicate that the triaroylbenzene-derived bis- and tris-crown ethers do not engage in intramolecular chelation of cations too large to be accommodated by individual crown macrorings. Instead, cation/triaroylbenzene stoichiometries and binding profiles indicate formation of alkali metal-bridged dimers.     

Study of the extraction of strontium(II) and lead(II) by crown and dithiacrown ethers

A study was carried out on the extraction of strontium(II) and lead(II) picrates by chloroform solutions of crown and dithiacrown ethers. The benzene ring substituents in benzodithia-18-crown-6 only slightly affect the extraction of strontium and lead cations and their separation. The introduction of an adamantyl group onto the benzene ring markedly increases the extraction of lead and the separation selectivity of these cations. The use of dithia derivatives of benzo-18-crown-6 is less efficient for the extraction of both strontium and lead, though the selectivity of their separation is almost the same as in the extraction with benzo-18-crown-6.M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119899 Moscow. Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 8, pp. 1125–1129, August, 1997.     

Voltammetric determination of lead at chemically modified electrodes based on crown ethers.

The feasibility of fabricating lead-sensitive chemically modified electrodes (CMEs) for trace analysis in aqueous and 40% (v/v) ethanol-water media was investigated. Carbon paste electrodes modified with crown ethers were constructed by mixing the crown ethers into a graphite powder-paraffin oil matrix. The thus-formed electrodes were able to bind Pb(II) ions chemically, and gave better voltammetric responses than unmodified ones. The crown ethers studied and compared were 18-crown-6 and dibenzo-18-crown-6. With a 5% 18-crown-6 CME, Pb(II) could be quantified at sub-ppm levels by differential pulse voltammetry with a detection limit of 0.02 ppm. It was possible to selectively pick up Pb(II) from a solution of several other ions at an open circuit through complexation. A simultaneous analysis of Cu(II) and Pb(II) was also attempted. By differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry Pb(II) could be quantified over the range of 1 to 100 ppb. Interference from metal ions like Ni(II), Co(II), Mn(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Ag(I), Fe(III), Ca(II) and Mg(II) was also studied. The method was successfully applied to artificial as well as commercial samples of alcoholic beverages.     

Synthesis and study of crown ether-appended boron dipyrrin chemosensors for cation detection

Boron dipyrrin (BDP) bearing crown ethers of varying cavity sizes, namely, 15-crown-5, 18-crown-6, and 21-crown-7, at the meso-position are synthesized and employed as chemosensors for cation detection in solution. In the absence of metal cations, the emission of the BDP moiety is found to be quenched to some extent by an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) process from the donor oxygen atoms to the acceptor BDP unit. Coordination of metal ions to the oxygen donor atoms in the crown ether cavity inhibits intramolecular charge transfer to the BDP acceptor, leading to cation-induced fluorescence enhancement. The fluorescence enhancement is systematically probed as a function of crown ether cavity and metal ion sizes to achieve metal ion selectivity.     

Voltammetric determination of copper at chemically modified electrodes based on crown ethers

The feasibility of fabricating copper-sensitive chemically modified electrodes (CMEs) for trace analysis in aqueous and in 40% (v/v) ethanol-water media was investigated. Carbon paste electrodes modified with crown ethers were constructed by mixing the crown ethers into a graphite powder-paraffin oil matrix. The electrodes so formed were able to bind Cu(II) ions chemically and gave better voltammetric responses than the unmodified ones. The crown ethers studied and compared were 15-crown-5, benzo-15-crown-5 and dibenzo-18-crown-6. With a 3% benzo-15-crown-5 CME, Cu(II) could be quantified at sub-ppm levels by differential pulse voltammetry with a detection limit of 0.05 ppm. By differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry Cu(II) could be quantified over the range 1 to 100 ppb. Interference from metal ions like Ni(II), Co(II), Mn(II), Fe(II), etc. have also been studied. The method was successfully applied to artificial as well as commercial samples of alcoholic beverages. Received: 12 January 2000 / Revised: 14 March 2000 / Accepted: 16 March 2000     

Theoretical investigation of the complexation of crown ethers and crown ethers of fulleropyrrolidine with (CH3)(x)NH+(4-x), x = 0-4

The electronic and geometric structures of dibenzo-12-crown-4, dibenzo-18-crown-6, and dibenzo-24-crown-8 ethers, and dibenzo-18-crown-6 ether of fullero-N-methylpyrrolidine and their complexes with (CH(3))(x)NH+(4-x), x = 0-4 were investigated by employing density functional theory (B3LYP, M05-2X, M06-2X, MPWBIK and B2PLYP-D) in conjunction with three basis sets. Different energetic minima have been identified for all of the above molecules and complexes in the gas phase as well as in CHCl(3) solvent. We report geometries, complexation energies and some thermochemical data. For increasing values of x, the complexation energies, corrected for the basis set superposition error range from 3.29 to 0.73 eV in the gas phase and from 1.56 to 0.13 eV in the CHCl(3) solvent. In the case of the largest crown ethers, the 24-crown-8 ethers are folded around the ammonium cation so as to maximize the number of hydrogen bonds formed and present the largest complexation energies. Finally, the presence of fullero-N-methylpyrrolidine, attached to the crown ethers, does not change the complexation energies substantially.     

New Potassium- and Cesium-selective Ionophoric Bis(crown ether)s Derived from Xanthene-4,5-dicarboxylic Acid

A series of bis(crown ether)sbased-upon a xanthene-4,5-dicarboxylic acid skeletonwas prepared and their ionophoric properties towardalkali metal cations were investigated. Bis(crownether)s bearing 15-crown-5 and 18-crown-6 moietiesexhibited pronounced extraction efficiencies towardK⁺ and Cs⁺ ions, respectively, and theextraction constant estimated by solvent extractionstudies was as high as 10⁹ for the 2-K⁺ and 3-Cs⁺ systems. Using UVtitration of potassium picrate with 2 in THF, thecomplex was found to have a structure of a completelyencapsulated guest in the host. In transportexperiments, the bis(crown ether)s showed nosignificant selectivity pattern compared withextraction results, again implying the strongcomplexation of bis(crown ether)s. Ion-selectiveelectrode studies also demonstrated that the selectiveionophoric properties of 2 toward K⁺ werereminiscent of the natural antibiotic valinomycinexcept for a somewhat slow response.