Binding of 1,5-bis(p-sulfonatophenyl)-3,7-diphenyl-1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctane with tetra(methyl viologen) calix[4]resorcinol

Binding of an amphiphilic dianion 1,5-bis(p-sulfonatophenyl)-3,7-diphenyl-1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctane (APCO^2?) with an amphiphilic octacation tetra(methyl viologen) calix4]resorcinol (MVCA⁸⁺) in media containing different amounts of water and DMSO using NaClO₄ or NaCl as supporting electrolytes was shown for the first time by cyclic voltammetry and spectrophotometry. The stoichiometry of the complex depends on the MVCA⁸⁺: APCO^2? ratio, medium, and supporting electrolyte. A 1: 1 charge-transfer complex is mainly formed (λ_max = 480 nm) in 30% DMSO at a ratio of the compounds of 1: 1. A similar 1: 1 complex of APCO^2? with a model compound methyl viologen MV²⁺ (λ_max = 482 nm) is formed under these conditions. A donor-acceptor interaction occurs between the acceptor viologen units and nitrogen-centered electron-donating fragments of the APCO^2? dianion. An increase in the content of APCO^2? in the solution leads to an additional binding of one (30 vol.% DMSO, water, NaClO₄) or two (30 vol.% DMSO, water, NaCl) particles of APCO^2? with the hydrophobic fragments of MVCA⁸⁺. The complexes aggregate to form insoluble precipitates in aqueous and water-DMSO media. A selective reversible electroswitching from the bound to free state of one of the three bound APCO^2? particles was performed when reducing MVCA⁸⁺ to MVCA^4·+ in a 30 vol.% DMSO/NaCl medium.