Stabilities in Polar Nonaqueous Solvents and Transfer Activity Coefficients from Water to Nonaqueous Solvents of 19-Crown-6-Alkali Metal Ion Complexes

Formation constants of 1 : 1 19-crown-6(19C6) complexes with alkali metal ions weredetermined conductometrically at 25 °Cin acetonitrile(AN), propylene carbonate (PC), methanol, DMF, andDMSO. 19C6 always forms the most stable complex withK⁺. The selectivity order of 19C6 forheavy alkali metal ions isK⁺ > Rb⁺ > Cs⁺.The selectivity for Na⁺ varies withthe solvent; that for Li⁺ is the second lowest(AN, DMSO) or the lowest (PC). Transfer activity coefficients(^SH _{2 O}) of19C6 from water to the nonaqueous solvents (S) weremeasured at 25 °C. The contributions of a methylenegroup and an ether oxygen atom to thelog ^SH _{2 O}value of a crown ether wereobtained. The ^SH _{2 O}values of the 19C6–alkali metal ion complexes(^SH _{2 O} (ML⁺)) werecalculated, M⁺ and L denoting an alkali metal ionand a crown ether, respectively. For AN, PC, andCH₃OH, although the M⁺ ion is more stronglysolvated by water than by AN, PC, or CH₃OH, thelog ^SH _{2 O} (ML⁺) islarger than the correspondinglog ^SH _{2 O} (L)expect for the case of M⁺ = Li⁺.The higher lipophilicity of the19C6 complex ion is attributed to an enforcement ofthe hydrogen-bonded structure of water for the complexion caused by the greatly decreased hydrogen bondingbetween ether oxygen atoms and water uponcomplexation. For DMF and DMSO, thelog ^SH _{2 O} (ML⁺) is also greater thanthe correspondinglog ^SH _{2 O} (L).It was concluded from thisfinding that the unexpectedly lowest stability of the19C6 complex ion in water is due to the hydrogenbonding between 19C6 and water. The stabilities and thelog ^SH _{2 O}of 19C6–alkali metal ion complexes were compared with those of 18C6complexes.