Structural chemistry of natural and synthetic ionophores and their complexes with cations.

Abstract

Although the antibiotics nigericin and lasalocid as first representatives of the naturally occurring ionophores were isolated as early as 1951 from Streptomyces cultures 1), it was only in the late sixties that the function of these membranes affecting compounds as complexing and transporting agents for alkali metal ions was established 2–4). Once their outstanding properties as selective alkali cation carriers had been understood, however, they attracted the attention of numerous investigators, and many details have been learnt about their structures, complex formation and physiological activity. Furthermore, a considerable number of model compounds were synthesized, above all the so-called polyether ligands which did not only help to understand the mechanism of action of the naturally occurring ionophores but also led to the rapid development of phase-transfer techniques in organic chemistry, to mention only one application.