Synthesis of lipophilic crown ethers with pendant carboxylic acid groups

Synthetic routes to thirteen highly lipophilic crown ether carboxylic acids are described. Seven contain 12–15-membered crown ether units with four ring oxygens and are designed for lithium ion complexation. Three others possess large ring 24-crown-8, 27-crown-9, and 30-crown-10 units. Six new hydroxymethyl crown ethers are prepared as synthetic intermediates.     

Metal ion separations with proton-ionizable crown ethers and their polymers

Abstract

Lipophilic crown ethers with pendent proton-ionizable groups are novel complexing agents for use in metal ion separations by solvent extraction. For a series of structurally related, lipophilic dibenzocrown ether carboxylic acids, the efficiency and selectivity of competitive alkali metal cation extraction for aqueous solution into chloroform is found to be strongly influenced by the crown ether ring size and the lipophilic group attachment site. Reaction of dibenzocrown ether carboxylic acids with formaldehyde in formic acid produces condensation polymers which possess both ion-exchange and cyclic polyether binding sites for metal ion complexation. These resins exhibit excellent exchange kinetics for competitive alkali metal cation sorption from aqueous solution and subsequent stripping and may be used in concentrator columns for the recovery of these metal ions from very dilute aqueous solution. Cation selectivity in the sorption and stripping steps is controlled by the structure of the crown ether monomer unit.     

Selective lithium ion extraction with chromogenic monoaza crown ethers

Two chromogenic monoaza crown ethers were synthesized and investigated for their lithium extraction capabilities. The chromogenic monoaza 14-crown-4 compound exhibited the best selectivity for lithium over sodium; ca. 2800, with a detection limit of 0.08 ppm.     

Synthesis of lipophilic crown ethers with pendant phosphonic acid or phosphonic acid monoethyl ester groups

Synthetic routes to fifteen lipophilic crown ether phosphonic acid monoethyl esters and nine lipophilic crown ether phosphonic acids are described. For both classes of crown ethers which have pendant, protonionizable groups, the crown ether ring sizes are systematically varied from 12-crown-4 and 24-crown-8.     

Synthesis of new enantiopure proton-ionizable crown ethers containing a dialkylhydrogenphosphate moiety

Seven new enantiopure proton-ionizable crown ethers containing a dialkylhydrogenphosphate moiety were prepared starting from optically active dialkyl-substituted oligoethylene glycols and phosphorus oxychloride followed by mild hydrolysis of the resulting macrocyclic chlorophosphates. Pentaethylene glycols having primary hydroxyl groups gave good yields of 17-crown-6 type ethers. Pentaethylene glycols with secondary hydroxyl groups rendered about the same amount of 17-crown-6 ethers and open chain dihydrogenphosphates in low yields. Tetraethylene glycols are reluctant to undergo macrocyclization with phosphorus oxychloride, especially the ones which contain secondary hydroxyl groups.     

Synthesis of dibenzocrown ethers with pendant thioamide groups

The synthesis of eighteen crown ether compounds with pendant thioamide, N-alkylthioamide, and N,N-dialkylthioamide groups is reported. The new crown ether compounds are obtained by one-step reactions from the corresponding sym-dibenzo-16-crown-5-oxyacetamides and sym-(propyl)dibenzo-16-crown-5-oxyacetamides with Lawesson's reagent.     

Novel photocurable polyethers with methacrylate pendant groups

A method for preparation of novel fast photocurable polyethers is described. Thus, novel polyether, poly(3-methacryloxy propylene oxide) was obtained in low molecular weights (M_n: 1700 Da) by cationic ring opening polymerization of the epoxy group of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) in presence of trimethylsilyl trifilate (TMSTF) as initiator. Copolymerization of the monomer with cyclohexene oxide (CHO) in the same reaction conditions yielded copolyethers with methacylate pendant groups. A series of copolymers with various GMA contents (10-100% mol/mol) were prepared using CHO as diluting comonomer. ¹H NMR spectra showed that oxirane function of GMA is somewhat less reactive than CHO. Having methacylate pendant groups the resulting waxy polymers underwent rapid photocrosslinking to give glassy hard materials upon UV irradiation at 350 nm, in the presence of benzoin as photoinitiator. Photocuring abilities of the copolymers were investigated by real time FT-IR using in dimethoxyethane solutions (14.7% w/w). The results showed that, 60% double bonds disappear within 150-300 s by irradiation of diluted copolymer solutions with Xenon lamp (150 W).     

Synthesis of new proton-ionizable dibenzocrown ethers

A series of structurally related dibenzo-15-crown-5, dibenzo-18-crown-6, and dibenzo-21-crown-7 compounds with oxymethylacetoxy side arms is synthesized by reaction of the corresponding crown ether alcohols with potassium hydride and bromoacetic acid. Multi-step synthetic routes to the crown ether alcohol precursors are reported.     

Substituent effects on complexation and extraction of alkali metals with chromogenic crown ethers

The placing of chromogenic tags on crown ethers makes it possible to incorporate the natural selectivities of crown ethers into extractions with detection by visible spectrophotometry. The structures of these reagents include a monobasic amine linkage which, upon dissociation and complexation, gives a color change. The parent compound, 2″,4″,6″-trinitrophenyl-4'-aminobenzo-15-crown-5, provides a linear range for 10–800 ppm potassium ion in the presence of > 2000 ppm sodium ion. Changes in substituents on the chromophore (e.g., nitrile or trifluoromethyl for nitro) and the effects of these substituents on the visible spectra, extraction constants, equilibrium constants, the wavelength of maximum absorption, and the molar absorptivity are presented. Application of a compound to the determination of potassium ion in blood serum is reported.     

Novel crown ethers from 7-deoxycholic acid

The synthesis of novel crown ethers 1 and 2 derived from the triol 5 by condensation with the ditosylates 6 and 7 respectively is described. Results of energy minimization and cation binding studies of 1 and 2 are also reported.     

Synthesis of chromogenic crown ethers and liquid-liquid extraction of alkali metal ions

New crown ethers carrying a pendent phenolic chromophore were synthesized. These crown ethers, on dissociation of the phenolic proton, provide lipophilic anions which can extract alkali metal cations into 1,2-dichloroethane by forming highly-colored uncharged metal complexes. Structural effects on the extraction were studied for possible use of these crown ethers as extraction—spectrophotometric reagents selective for alkali metals. The following factors are discussed in detail: (i) nature of the crown ether ring (ring size. aza-crown or standard crown ether), (ii) nature of the pendent phenolic group, and (iii) geometry between the crown ether center and pendent phenolic group. 15-Crown-5 or smaller ring-sized reagents favored the extraction of lithium ion when the basicity of the pendent phenolate was relatively high and a six-membered “chelate” ring was possible for the phenolate and the crown ether-bound metal. 15-Crown-5 type reagents were sodium-selective when an eight-membered “chelate” ring was possible between the phenolate and the crown ether-bound metal. 18-Crown-6 type reagents were generally potassium-selective. However, these selectivities were not absolute, and other structural parameters, steric and conformational, must be considered to explain in detail the selectivities of the individual reagents.     

Novel polyimides with p-nitrophenyl pendant groups. Synthesis and characterization

Polyimides derived from a new dianhydride with p-nitrophenyl pendant groups have been synthesized and their properties compared with those of a reference series, without side groups. The polymers were obtained by combination of the novel monomer with aromatic diamines, in a two-step procedure that involved the synthesis of poly(amic acid) or poly(amic silyl ester) intermediates and the cyclization of them to polyimides by thermal treatment. The introduction of the polar nitro groups caused significant increase of the T_gs. On the contrary, the thermal stability was reduced because of the breakdown of C_Ar—NO₂ linkages around 400^oC. A slight decrease in mechanical properties was observed, due to the bulkiness of the side groups, that also produced an important decrease in the strength of the β relaxation, as determined by dynamic mechanical analysis. The solubility of the current polyimides in organic solvents was as poor as that of the parent unsubstituted polymers. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3377–3384, 1999     

Cation binding properties of poly(crown ethers) with photodimerizable groups

Polymers that have crown ether groups as cation binding sites and cinnamic acid ester groups as photodimerizable groups were prepared by the cationic polymerizations of 2-vinyloxyethyl 4′-(2,3-benzo-1,4,7,10,13-pentaoxa-2-cyclopentadecene)acrylate and 2-vinyloxyethyl 4′-(2,3-benzo-1,4,7,10,13,16-hexaoxa-2-cyclooctadecene)acrylate. When irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) light the cinnamic acid ester groups of the polymers caused dimerization in dilute solution without the formation of insoluble materials. The irradiation was carried out in a dioxane solution and an aqueous solution in the presence and absence of salts. The effect of phototransformation of polymers on the cation binding properties was investigated by a method of picrate salts extraction. The binding ability of the phototransformed polymers for alkali and alkaline earth metal cations was higher than that of the native polymer. Furthermore the cation binding ability of the phototransformed polymers was less sensitive to temperature than that of the native polymer. The effect of the degree of photodimerization of the polymers and the concentration of KCl that exists during irradiation on the cation binding ability was also investigated.     

Synthesis and preliminary studies on novel enantiopure crown ethers containing an alkyl diarylphosphinate or a proton-ionizable diarylphosphinic acid unit

This paper reports the synthesis, characterization and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectroscopic studies of a new type of crown ethers and their achiral analogues containing a tetrahedral phosphorous centre. The synthetic routes to the two chiral phosphinate derivatives [(R,R)-10 and (R,R)-11] were similar, starting from the earlier reported ethyl bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)phosphinate and the unreported methyl bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)phosphinate, respectively. The enantiopure crown ether containing phosphinic acid unit (R,R)-14 was obtained by hydrolysis of the phosphinates (R,R)-10 and (R,R)-11, respectively. ECD spectroscopy was used for investigation of the chiroptical properties as well as complex formation ability of the novel enantiopure ligands. Owing to the presence of the aryl substituents the ECD spectra are rich in bands in the ¹B_b, ¹L_a and ¹L_b regions (190-250 nm and 260-330 nm, respectively). In the case of (R,R)-14, a solvent dependent conformational behaviour was observed due to the strong dimer or aggregate forming ability of the POOH groups. This finding was supported by theoretical calculation of the monomer and the dimer forms. Phosphinates (R,R)-10 and (R,R)-11 form complexes with α-phenylethylammonium perchlorate (PEA) and α-(1-naphthyl)ethyl ammonium perchlorate (NEA) but do not discriminate between their enantiomers. All three chiral crown ethers bind strongly cations of ionic radii <∼1 Å.     

Synthesis and enantioselective transport studies of both enantiomers of new chiral proton-ionizable crown ethers containing a diarylphosphinic acid unit

The synthesis of four new enantiopure crown ethers containing a diarylphosphinic acid unit has been carried out. As a continuation of our work in this field, the enantioselective transport ability of these ligands for chiral amines has been studied in an aqueous source phase/lipophilic organic bulk liquid membrane/aqueous receiving phase system controlled by the pH of the media. By altering the structures of the carriers we improved the enantioselectivity of the transport.     

Synthesis,characterization, and electroluminescent performance of a novel copolyfluorene containing pendant crown ether groups

Copolyfluorene PFC containing pendant crown ether moieties was prepared by the palladium‐catalyzed Suzuki coupling reaction. The photo‐physical and electrochemical properties were investigated by absorption, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry to elucidate the influence of the crown ether groups. In film state, its PL spectra (peaked at 430 and 452 nm) show noticeable red‐shift relative to 423 and 448 nm of poly(9,9‐dihexylfluorene) ( PF ). Thermal annealing leads to appearance of new emission at about 520 nm which has been attributed to formation of excimer. The highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital levels of PFC were estimated to be ?5.68 and ?2.65 eV which contributed to balanced charges injection. Double‐layer electroluminescent device using PFC as emitting layer (ITO/PEDOT:PSS/ PFC /Ca/Al) revealed maximum luminance (7910 cd/m²) and maximum luminance efficiency (2.3 cd/A) superior to those of PF device (860 cd/m², 0.29 cd/A). Moreover, inserting a PFC layer between the PF emitting layer and calcium cathode led to reduced turn‐on voltage (4.1 V), much lower than 7.1 and 6.6 V of the double‐layer PFC and PF devices, respectively, and enhanced device performance (2800 cd/m² and 0.53 cd/A). © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 2985–2995, 2009     

From crown ethers to zeolites: Reaction of EtAlCl2 with crown ethers

In contrast to aluminum alkyls, alkyl aluminum halides such as EtAlCl₂ react with crown ethers to form cation-anion pairs which exhibit the liquid clathrate effect. Specifically, [12-C-4·AlCl₂][AlCl₃Et] and [18-C-6·AlCl₂][AlCl₃Et] have been isolated and characterized by X-ray diffraction techniques. The cations show aluminum in an octahedral environment made up of four of the oxygen atoms from the crown and two chlorine atoms. The 12-C-4 derivative crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c with cell constants of a=7.497(4), b=22.121(8), c=12.339(5) Å, =94.99(3)^o, and Z=4 for =1.43 g cm^–3. Least-squares refinement based on 1413 observed reflections led to a final conventional R value of 0.093. The 18-C-6 complex belongs to the triclinic space group P1 with a=8.414(4), b=12.193(6), c=12.394(6) Å, =73.14(4), =86.07(4), =81.52(4)^o, and Z=2 for =1.45 g cm^–3. Refinement based on 2605 observed reflections led to R=0.063. The complex aluminum-containing species are related to a class of compounds called aluminoxanes.