Exploiting the Hydrogen Bond Donor/Acceptor Properties of PN‐Heterocycles: Selective Anion Receptors for Hydrogen Sulfate

We describe two novel hybrid receptors combining a phosphorus‐/nitrogen‐containing (PN) phosphonamidate heterocycle with urea recognition units in an arylethynyl backbone. Structural, spectroscopic and computational studies reveal that the origin of superior binding for hydrogen sulfate (HSO₄^?) anion is correlated with the formation of strong hetero‐complementary hydrogen bonds with the phosphonamidate motif. We further demonstrate that the hybrid host system is capable of capturing/transporting the HSO₄^? anion from an aqueous, biphasic system.