Complex Formation of Crown Ethers and Cryptands with Alkali Metal and Ammonium Ions in Chloroform

The complex formation between different crown ethers and the cryptand [222] with alkali metal and ammonium ions in chloroform has been investigated by means of calorimetric titrations. The stability constants, reaction enthalpies and entropies for complex formation in chloroform have been determined. The complexation of alkali metal ions is favored by enthalpic contributions and influenced by both the ligand and the nature of the cation. The reaction enthalpies for complex formation of different ammonium salts with cryptand [222] are higher compared to the corresponding values for the reaction with different 18-crown-6 derivatives in chloroform due to the complete encapsulation of ammonium ion by the cryptand [222]. The benzo group attached to the crown ethers and the nature of the anion borne by the ammonium ion influence complex formation of ammonium with crown ethers. In the case of ammonium salts, competitive measurements have been carried out to underline the influence of the anion upon the complex formation. From the reaction enthalpies for complexation of ammonium ions, the contributions for the formation of hydrogen bonds are calculated using experimental data. Taken in part from the Ph.D. thesis of R.-C. Mutihac, University Duisburg-Essen, 2007.     

AFM observation of cation complexation of dibenzocrown ethers adsorbed on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite

The cation complexation behavior of dibenzocrown ethers adsorbed on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite substrates was investigated by means of atomic force microscopy using probe tips modified chemically with ammonium ion by silane coupling. The specific adhesion force based on the intermolecular force between dibenzocrown ether and ammonium ion was observed via force curve measurements in ethanol at the interface between the substrate and tip. The observed specific force decreased in the presence of the alkali metal ion in solution, indicating that the cation in solution interferes with the complexation of the crown ethers adsorbed on the substrate with the ammonium ion immobilized on the tip. The blocking effect of metal ions in solution on the observed force depended on the sizes of both the blocking cation and crown ether ring, suggesting that the surface-adsorbed dibenzocrown ethers possess a selective cation-complexing ability similar to that in their bulk state and that the adhesion force measurements using cation-modified tips allow evaluation of the cation-complexing ability of crown ethers under cation-competitive conditions.     

Chromogenic azole diazothiacrown ethers

Azocrown ethers with sulphur atoms and pyrrole or imidazole residue as a part of macrocycle have been synthesised. Their metal complexation abilities in acetonitrile were studied using UV–vis spectrophotometry. The largest spectral changes were observed for both pyrrole- and imidazole-azothiacrown ethers on complexation with Pb^2 + , Cu^2 + , Zn^2 + , Ni^2 + , Co^2 +  and Ag⁺ ions. In the case of alkali and alkaline earth metal ions no spectral changes were found. Preliminary studies of ion-selective membrane electrodes with synthesised ionophores are presented. In the measurement for transition/heavy metal cations, only copper and lead give high responses. X-ray structure of 18-membered pyrrole azothiacrown ether is described.     

Self-activated supramolecular reactions: effects of host-guest recognition on the kinetics of the Diels-Alder reaction of open-chain oligoether quinones with cyclopentadiene

Diels-Alder reactions of acyclic oligoether-substituted quinones 1b, 1c, 2b, and 2c with cyclopentadiene were accelerated by the addition of alkali and alkaline earth metal perchlorates, and scandium trifluoromethane sulfonate (k(c)/k(f) = 1.2-23 for univalent cations, 11-1160 for divalent cations, and 1700-192 000 for Sc(3+), where k(c) and k(f) are the rate constants for the metal complexed and uncomplexed quinones, respectively). The shorter-armed 1a, 2a, and 3, however, exhibited no such acceleration effects. The rate accelerations can be rationalized by the FMO consequence in which the bound guest cation withdraws electron density from the quinone dienophile and lowers the LUMO energy suitable for the orbital interaction with the HOMO of cyclopentadiene. Despite the poor cation selectivity, these acyclic oligoether quinones showed larger rate accelerations than the relevant quinocrown ethers 4 (k(c)/k(f) = 1.3-3.0 for univalent cations, 5.0-160 for divalent cations, and 100-2020 for Sc(3+)). The effective electron withdrawal, which leads to the enhanced rate acceleration, can be caused by the direct interaction between the metal cation accommodated in the pseudo-cyclic oligoether linkage and the quinone carbonyl oxygen, as indicated by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. In addition, the larger rate enhancement is rather achieved in the complex with low binding constant K, because the strong encapsulation of metal cation by the oligoether chain diminishes the crucial interaction to the quinone carbonyl oxygen. As a whole, the smaller and higher valent cations tend to bring about notable rate acceleration due to the more enhanced ion-dipole interaction with the quinone carbonyl oxygen. Spectroscopic titration (absorption and (1)H NMR) and kinetic experiments indicated that only the longest di-armed 2c constructs 1:1, and then 1:2, host/guest complexes with Ca(2+), Sr(2+), and Ba(2+). These 1:2 complexes exhibited the most effective acceleration for the respective metal cations.     

Potentiometric Selectivities of Dibenzo-16-crown-5 Compounds for Alkali and Alkaline Earth Metal Cations and Ammonium Ions

Potentiometric selectivities toward alkali and alkaline earth metal cations and ammonium ions are utilized to probe the complexation of these cationic species by dibenzo-16-crown-5 lariat ethers. Attachment of one or two pendant groups to the central carbon of the three-carbon bridge in dibenzo-16-crown-5 markedly alters the potentiometric responses of the ionophores when incorporated in solvent polymeric membrane electrodes. Results obtained for dibenzo-16-crown-5 compounds with coordinating side arms containing ether, carboxylic acid, ester, and amide groups provide insight into the role of the side arm in metal ion complexation by lariat ether compounds.     

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.     

Formation Constants of Complexes of Monovalent Cations with Benzocrown Ethers in Nitromethane

The complexation reactions between the macrocyclic polyethers dibenzo-18-crown-6, benzo-18-crown-6, benzo-15-crown-5 and polyethers bearing a stilbene unit with alkali metal and silver cations have been studied conductometrically in nitromethane. The formation constants of 1 : 1 and 1 : 2 (metal : ligand) complexes were determined and found to decrease with increasing cation diameter. The stability of the stilbene crown – metal cation complexes is lower than for complexes of other investigated crown ethers with analogous cations. There seem to be some effects of double bond-silver ion interactions.     

Synthesis and recognition properties of α-d-glucose-based fluorescent crown ethers incorporating an acridine unit

Two new chiral glucopyranoside-based crown ethers incorporating acridine fluorescent signalling units, 15-membered ligand 1 and 21-membered ligand 2 were synthesized. Their complexation properties toward alkali and alkali earth metal ions, and their enantioselectivity towards chiral ammonium salts were studied by absorption and fluorescence spectroscopic experiments. Macrocycle 1 formed 1:1 complexes with all the metal ions selected and the stability constants were low (lg K < 2.3). The cavity-size of 2 allowed only the complexaton of organic ammonium ions. Crown 2 showed chiral discrimination in case of all the four ammonium salts used as model guest compounds; the highest enantioselectivity (K(R)/K(S) ~3) was observed for the enantiomers of phenylethyl ammonium perchlorate. Ligand 2 forms much more stable complexes with metal ions; the highest stability constant was obtained for the Ca²⁺ complex (lg K = 6.15). The coordination of metal ions by ligand 2 was accompanied by marked fluorescence enhancement, whereas the binding of ammonium ions by the same species resulted in significant fluorescence quenching.     

冠醚聚合物的研究 Ⅱ.以聚硫醚为主链的硫杂冠醚聚合物的合成及其络合性能

本文报道了一种合成硫杂冠醚聚合物的新方法。以聚(2′-氯乙基-2,3-环硫丙基醚)为预聚物与二巯基化合物通过大分子反应直接环化,一步法合成了四种以聚硫醚为主链的新型硫杂冠醚聚合物(PD1-PD4)。并测定了它们对Ag~+、Au~(3+)、Pd~(2+)、Pt~(4+)、Cu~(2+)、Hg~(2+)、Zn~(2+)、Cd~(2+)、Pb~(2+)、Mg~(2+)、K~+、Ns~+等金属离子的络合性能。结果表明:它们除不络合K~+、Na~+、Mg~(2+)、Pb~(2+)外,对其它八种离子有不同程度的络合,其中对Ag~+、Au~(3+)、Pd~(2+)等贵金属离子的络合容量较高。     

Influence of metal cations on spectral characteristics of crown ether vinylogs with different terminal polar groups

Complexation of crown ether vinylogs containing different terminal polar groups with alkali and alkali-earth metal ions in solutions was studied by spectrophotometry. The hypsochromic shift of absorption band maxima in the UV-Vis absorption spectra indicates that the ligands containing the monobenzocrown ether fragments interact with metal ions. The scheme of complexation was proposed, and the stability constants of the complexes were determined. The efficiency of complexation depends on the metal cation size and the structure of the ionophoric fragment.     

Alkali cation binding of polymers with different sized crown ethers and photodimerizable units

The polymers which have different sized crown ethers as alkali cation binding sites and photodimerizable cinnamoyl units were prepared by the cationic copolymerization of corresponding monomers. The crown–cation complexation ratio (1:1 or 2:1) was investigated by measuring quantum yields ? of the photodimerization of the crown-connected cinnamoyl units in the presence of alkali metal chlorides and also by measuring the shift of λ_max of alkali metal picrates in THF on addition of the crown polymers. A significant 1:2 complex formation of alkali cations with two different sized crown ether units in the side chain of the polymers was confirmed. The alkali metal cation binding ability and selectivity of the polymers, which were studied by a method of picrate salts extraction, were markedly different from those expected from the combination of polymers of same ring-size crown ether units. When irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) light, the cinnamic acid ester groups of the polymers caused dimerization even in dilute solutions. The cation binding ability of the polymers was largely enhanced by the photodimerization of the cinnamoyl moieties with suitable template cations.     

Polycarboxylate crown ethers: Synthesis,complexation, applications

Crown ethers derived from tartaric acid present a number of interesting features as receptor frameworks and offer a possibility of enhanced metal cation binding due to favorable electrostatic interactions. The synthesis of polycarboxylate crown ethers from tartaric acid is achieved by simple Williamson ether synthesis using thallous ethoxide or sodium hydride as base. Stability constants for the complexation of alkali metal and alkaline earth cations were determined by potentiometric titration. Complexation is dominated by electrostatic interactions but cooperative coordination of the cation by both the crown ether and a carboxylate group is essential to complex stability. Complexes are stable to pH 3 and the ligands can be used as simultaneous proton and metal ion buffers. The low extractibility of the complexes was applied in a membrane transport system which is a formal model of primary active transport.     

双冠醚研究(Ⅴ)——Schiff碱型和仲胺型双-(苯并-18-冠-6)对碱金属苦味酸盐的萃取性质

用两类结构不同的Schiff碱型、仲胺型双-(苯并-18-冠-6)在氯仿-水体系中对碱金属苦味酸盐进行萃取,测量了配合物组成比和萃取平衡常数。     

Synthesis,crystal structure,and alkali metal picrate extraction capabilities of molecular clips based on diphenylglycoluril and benzocrown ethers

A convenient method for the synthesis of a series of molecular clips based on the diphenylglycoluril framework and benzocrown ether moieties by the reaction of bis(cyclomethoxymethylene)diphenylglycoluril with benzocrown ethers in polyphosphoric acid is proposed. X-ray diffraction analysis of molecular clips with the benzo-12-crown-4 and benzo-15-crown-5 fragments showed that both compounds are chloroform solvates with the stoichiometry clip:chloroform 1:1. By theoretical and experimental methods the existence of obtained clips in an anti–anti conformation was proved. The complexation properties of the obtained molecular clips were examined toward alkali metal and ammonium ions by FABMS spectrometry and extraction experiments.     

Ion chromatography on chelating stationary phases: separation of alkali metals

Analytical 250x4.6 mm I.D. columns packed with iminodiacetic acid (IDA) derivatised silica were used to separate alkali metal ions and the ammonium ion in combination with non-suppressed conductivity detection. The addition of 2.5-10 mmol/l of the macrocyclic crown ether 18-crown-6 to the nitric acid eluent resulted in a change in the elution order and a significant improvement in the resolution between potassium and ammonium because of selective complexation of potassium. However, the admixture of 15-crown-5 did not improve the resolution of lithium and sodium, although 15-crown-5 is a selective complexing agent for sodium. Retention and resolution of lithium, sodium, ammonium, cesium, rubidium and potassium ions increased at lower temperatures down to 1 degree C. The simultaneous separation of alkali and transition metals under isocratic conditions was achieved with an eluent comprising 10 mmol/l 18-crown-6, 1.5 mmol/l dipicolinic acid, and 1.9 mmol/l nitric acid. The chromatographic system enabled the quantitation of alkali metal ions with detection limits in the low ppb range and excellent linearity. Finally, the applicability of the method was approved by quantitation of sodium, ammonium and potassium in different water samples.     

The indole side chain of tryptophan as a versatile pi-donor

Single-armed, 15- and 18-membered lariat ether receptor systems having indolylethyl side arms bind Na+ and K+ in the ring. The indole residue serves as a pi-donor to the ring-bound cation. Whether the five- or six-membered ring interacts most directly with Na+ or K+ depends on whether the sidearm is attached to indole's 3- or 5-position. This suggests that structural as well as electronic factors are important in pi-complexation of alkali metal cations.     

The synthesis and coordination properties of new macrocyclic polyethers

A new type of macrocyclic polyethers has been synthesized. It consists of an azacrown ether as mother ring, e.g. 1,7-dioxa-4,10-diaza-cyclododecane (1a) or 1,7,10,16-tetraoxa-4,13-diazacycloocatadecane (1b), and two side chains attached on the two nitrogen atoms of 1a or 1b. A number of these new crown ethers are obtained by alkylation of the two secondary amino groups of 1a or 1b with corresponding halides, BrCH₂(CH₂OCH₂)_nCH₂OR, in the presence of potassium carbonate. The crown-alkali metal complex thus obtained is hydrolyzed by acid. In order to obtain pure crown ether the reaction mixture is treated with tetramethylammonium hydroxide and followed by solvent extraction. The ability of complexing alkali cations of macrocyclic polyethers in terms of the equilibrium constant have been studied by the method of solubilities of salts in chloroform. It is shown that the size of the mother ring, the number of oxygen atoms either in the ring or in the side-chains, and the ionic radius of the alkali metal are the factors governing the stability of the metal complexes. Most of these new crown ethers possess high ability for alkali metal complexation some of them, such as N,N′- di-β-methoxyethyl-1,7-dioxa-4,10-diaza-cyclododecanc (13a), possesses higher selectivity for Na+ and K+ ions than 18-crown-6- and 4,4′(5′)-dimethylbenz-30-crown-10.     

Ethynylpyrene Linked Benzocrown Ethers as Fluorescent Sensors for Metal Ions

Substances containing ethynylpyrenes linked to either one or four benzocrown ethers were synthesized, and their absorption and fluorescence spectroscopic responses to metal ions were assessed. Addition of metal perchlorates to solutions of these substances promotes short wavelength shifts in their absorption and fluorescence maxima and increases in their fluorescence intensities. The magnitudes of the fluorescence intensity increases are dependent on the ring size and number of the crown ether and the nature of the metal cation. Association constants for complex formation were calculated using fluorescence intensity versus concentration data. Analysis using Job's plots showed that the substances containing one benzocrown ether moiety form 1:1 complexes with metal ions. Results of experiments employing repeated addition and removal of Mg(ClO₄)₂ demonstrate that the ON‐OFF fluorescence response can be repeated at least three times. Results of molecular orbital calculations show that complexation with metal ions lowers the energies of both the π and π* levels of the ethynylpyrene moiety and that in some cases the vacant orbital on the metal becomes the LUMO of the complex. An explanation of the spectroscopic changes promoted by metal ions is proposed in terms of electrostatic repulsion and structural regulation.     

Synthesis and Properties of 5-Chloro-8-hydroxyquinoline-Substituted Azacrown Ethers: A New Family of Highly Metal Ion-Selective Lariat Ethers

New 5-chloro-8-hydroxyquinoline (CHQ)-substituted aza-18-crown-6 (4), diaza-18-crown-6 (1), diaza-21-crown-7 (2), and diaza-24-crown-8 (3) ligands, where CHQ was attached through the 7-position, and aza-18-crown-6 (11) and diaza-18-crown-6 (10) macrocycles, where CHQ was attached through the 2-position, were prepared. Thermodynamic quantities for complexation of these CHQ-substituted macrocycles with alkali, alkaline earth, and transition metal ions were determined in absolute methanol at 25.0 degrees C by calorimetric titration. Two isomers, 1 and 10, which are different only in the attachment positions of the CHQ to the parent macroring, exhibit remarkable differences in their affinities toward the metal ions. Compound 1 forms very stable complexes with Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Cu(2+), and Ni(2+) (log K = 6.82, 5.31, 10.1, and 11.4, respectively), but not with the alkali metal ions. Ligand 10 displays strong complexation with K(+) and Ba(2+) (log K = 6.61 and 12.2, respectively) but not with Mg(2+) or Cu(2+). The new macrocycles and their complexes have been characterized by means of UV-visible and (1)H NMR spectra and X-ray crystallography. New peaks in the UV spectrum of the Mg(2+)-1 complex could allow an analytical determination of Mg(2+) in very dilute solutions in the presence of other alkali and alkaline earth metal cations. (1)H NMR spectral and X-ray crystallographic studies indicate that ligand 10 forms a cryptate-like structure when coordinated with K(+) and Ba(2+), which induces an efficient overlap of the two hydroxyquinoline rings. Such overlapping forms a pseudo second macroring that results in a significant increase in both complex stability and cation selectivity.     

Ion formation in fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry: a divided probe investigation of gas-phase reactions

Some ion-formation processes during fast atom bombardment (FAB) are discussed, especially the possibility of reactions in the gas phase. Divided (two halves) FAB probe tips were used for introducing two different samples into the source at the same time. Our results showed [M + A]⁺ ions (where M = crown ethers and A = alkali metal ions), can be produced, at least in part, in the gas phase when crown ethers and sources of alkali metal ion are placed on two halves of the FAB probe tip. The extent of this ion formation depends on the volatility of the crown ether and on steric factors. Cluster ions such as (M + LiCl)Li⁺, (2M + LiCl)Li⁺, [2M + K]⁺ and [2M + Na]⁺ are also observed to form in the gas phase. Unimolecular decompositions contribute to some ions detected in FAB. When the alkali ion salt and the crown ether are mixed together the probability of [M + A]⁺ ion formation increases significantly, regardless of the volatility of the crown ether.