Novel polyamides with acyclic and cyclic bipyridinediyl diamino structures in the polymer backbone: Synthesis and complexation with transition metals

The synthesis of two novel polyamide ligands 3 and 4 , containing 2,17-diaza[3.3](6,6′)-2,2′-bipyridinophane or 6,6′-bis(2-picolylaminomethyl)-2,2′-bipyridine units as part of the polymer backbone, respectively, and of the appropriate diamide model compounds 1c and 2c is described. ¹H-NMR and IR spectral data support the ligand structures; furthermore, ¹H-VTNMR analysis on macrocyclic diamide 1c indicates a restricted rotation of the amide bonds at ambient temperature and suggests for this molecule a fixed syn conformation in solution, with a “face to face” arrangement of the dipyridinyl moieties. Model compound 2c and polyamide 4 form stable 1:1 complexes with transition metals Co(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II). Conversely, macrocyclic model 1c and polyamide 3 exhibit the unique property to specifically complex Cu(II), even in the presence of sizeable amounts of Co(II) and Ni(II). The IR spectral changes related to the ligands upon complexation are briefly discussed.