The structures of noncyclic polyether carriers exhibiting lithium ion-selective transport

Several noncyclic polyether compounds containing oxytrimethylene groups and o-carboxyphenyl terminal group were synthesized. It has been found that they can transport lithium ion selectively in the competitive alkali metal ion transport through liquid membranes. The results of the spectroscopic study, together with inspection on the basis of the CPK model building suggest that these polyethers can form a pseudocavity, in which lithium ion best fits, and then the terminal aromatic rings overlap one another face-to-face to form a stacking structure. By using newly synthesized polyethers, which were designed on the basis of the conformational information, the significant contribution of the structures of these polyethers could be verified.