Discussion on complexation reactions between dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 (DCH18C6) with Na+, K+, Cs+, Rb+, and Tl+ metal cations in acetonitrile-water binary mixtures

The complex formation between Na⁺, K⁺, Cs⁺, Rb⁺ and Tl⁺ metal cations with macrocyclic ligand, dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 (DCH18C6) was studied in acetonitrile-water (AN-H₂O) binary systems at different temperatures using conductometric method. DCH18C6 forms 1:1 complexes with these metal cations. The stability constants of the complexes were obtained from fitting of molar conductivity curves using a computer program Genplot. The results show that the selectivity order of DCH18C6 for the metal cations in acetonitrile-water mixtures (AN = 25.3 and 50.4 mol %) is: Tl⁺ > K⁺ > Rb⁺ > Cs⁺ > Na⁺. A non-linear behaviour was observed between the log K _f of the complexes versus the composition of the mixed solvent which it related to changes of acidity, basicity, polarity and also polarizability of AN-H₂O mixtures with the composition of this binary solution. The values of standard enthalpy changes (ΔH _s⁰) for complexation reactions were obtained from the slope of the van’t Hoff plots and the changes in the standard entropy (ΔS _s⁰) were calculated from the relationship: ΔG _s,298.15⁰ = ΔH _s⁰ − 298.15ΔS _s⁰. The obtained results show that in most cases, the complexes are enthalpy stabilized but entropy destabilized. Original Russian Text ? M.H. Soorgi, G.H. Rounaghi, M.S. Kazemi, 2008, published in Zhurnal Obshchei Khimii, 2008, vol. 78, No. 10, pp. 1627–1632.