Why the addition of neutral oxygen donor groups promotes selectivity for larger metal ions

Abstract

The origin of selectivity enhancement for large metal ions that occurs on the addition of neutral oxygen donors to existing ligands in such a way as to form additional five-membered chelate rings is analyzed in terms of inductive and steric effects. Molecular mechanics calculations are used to examine the degree of strain that develops in five-membered, aliphatic chelate rings of ethers and amines as a function of the size and charge of the metal ion. Although five-membered chelate rings that contain saturated neutral oxygen donors are found to exhibit an inherent steric preference for large metal ions, experimental evidence suggests that for the majority of cases where enhanced selectivity for larger metal ions has been observed after the addition of neutral oxygen donors, the selectivity enhancement is largely the result of steric and inductive changes to other donor groups in the ligand, e.g. amines, rather than the result of increasing the denticity of the ligand.