Differential recognition of d and l-alanine by calix[4]arene amino derivative

Biomolecules that exist in two enantiomeric forms are generally characterized by their physiological action, e.g. l-alanine is a physiological active form of an essential amino acid. The recognition/separation of one of the enantiomers is an important task as they are used as food supplement or pharmacological products where essentially pure enantiomeric forms are required. Therefore, the quantitation of undesirable enantiomers in drug raw material is the challenging task for pharmacists and chemists. Present study demonstrates the differential recognition of l-alanine amino acid by 5,11,17,26-tetrakis-[(N,N-dimethylamino)methyl]-25,26,27,28-tetrahydroxy-calix[4]arene (3). Another characteristic feature of this study is the use of methyl orange as a UV–visible spectrophotometric probe for the determination of stability constant of host–guest inclusion complexes by adopting competitive inclusion method and 1:1 complexation ratio was confirmed by Benesi-Hildebrand equation. Thermodynamics of the recognition have been evaluated that provided the significant distinction for both isomers, i.e. d and l-alanine and it has been deduced that compound 3 may be employed in chromatographic columns for their separation. Thus, the study provides a broad spectrum of its applications in varying fields of analytical and pharmaceutical science.