Synthesis of Double-Armed Benzo-15-crown-5 and Their Complexation Thermodynamics with Alkali Cations

A series of double-armed benzo-15-crown-5 lariats (3–8) have been synthesized by the reaction of 4′, 5′-bis(bromomethyl)-benzo-15-crown-5 (2) with 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, phenol, 4-chlorophenol, 4-methoxyphenol, 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde, and 4-acetamidophenol in 43 ~ 82% yields, respectively. The complex stability constants (K _S) and thermodynamic parameters for the stoichiometric 1:1 and/or 1:2 complexes of benzo-15-crown-5 1 and double-armed crown ethers 3–8 with alkali cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺) have been determined in methanol–water (V/V=8:2) at 25 °C by means of microcalorimetric titrations. As compared with the parent benzo-15-crown-5 1, double-armed crown ethers 3–8 show unremarkable changes in the complex stability constants upon complexation with Na⁺, but present significantly enhanced binding ability toward cations larger than the crown cavity by the secondly sandwich complexation. Thermodynamically, the sandwich complexations of crown ethers 3-8 with cations are mostly enthalpy-driven processes accompanied with a moderate entropy loss. The binding ability and selectivity of cations by the double-armed crown ethers are discussed from the viewpoints of the electron density, additional binding site, softness, spatial arrangement, and especially the cooperative binding of two crown ether molecules toward one metal ion.