The Preorganization Effect of the Calix[4]arene Platform on the Extraction Properties of Acetylhydrazide Groups with Transition Metal Ions

The binding properties of the cone conformer of O,O,O,O-tetrakis[hydrazinocarbonylmethyl]-4-tert-butylcalix[4]arene, the cone and the 1,3-alternate conformers of the corresponding thia analogue have been evaluated by means of liquid–liquid extraction for a large variety of metal ions. The extraction constants and the stoichiometries of the complexes formed have been determined. Comparison of the extraction properties of calix[4]arenes with their acyclic monomeric analogue clearly demonstrated, that the preorganization of acetylhydrazide groups on the calix[4]arene platform is the cause for a significant improvement of its binding properties. The presence of additional “soft” nitrogen binding sites in acetylhydrazide derivatives of calix[4]arenes compared to their amide derivatives leads to a shift from their classical selectivity for alkali and alkaline earth cations to transition metals. The cone conformer of tetrathiacalix[4]arene shows higher selectivity in a series of d-metal ions compared with its “classical” analogue. The 1,3-alternate conformer exhibits an excellent extraction selectivity for Cu²⁺ and Hg²⁺.