Anion Recognition In Solution Research Articles

Anion Recognition in Solution: Insights from Thermodynamics and Ultrafast Structural Dynamics.

Anion recognition through noncovalent interactions stands as an emerging field in supramolecular chemistry, exerting a profound influence on the regulation of biological functions. Herein, the thermodynamics of complexation between sodium cyanate (NaOCN) and calix[4]pyrrole was systematically investigated by linear and nonlinear IR spectroscopy, highlighting enthalpy changes as the dominant driving force. The overall orientational relaxation of bound anion can be described by an Arrhenius-type activated process, yielding an activation energy of 15.0 ± 1.0 kJ mol-1. The structural dynamics of contact ion pairs (CIPs) formed between Na+ and OCN- in solution showed a negligible temperature effect, suggesting entropy changes as the principal governing factor. Further analysis revealed that anion recognition in solution is mediated by conformational changes of the receptor and collective rearrangement of hydrogen bond dynamics. This study, framed within the paradigms of thermodynamics and ultrafast structural dynamics, substantially advances our comprehension of the microscopic mechanisms underlying anion recognition in the realm of supramolecular chemistry.

Design, structure and anion recognition of larger-rim functionalized oxacalix[2]arene[2]triazine hosts

Larger-rim functionalized tetraoxacalix[2]arene[2]triazine host molecules were efficiently synthesized through a fragment coupling followed by AlCl3-mediated deprotection/arylation protocol. Substituent effects, functions of counter cations on anion recognition in solution were systematically studied by means of fluorescence and NMR titrations.

PW244 Coronary Heart Disease And Related Risk Factors Data Audit: Evaluating The Adequacy And Availability Of Data To Understand Heart Health In Australia

Larger-rim functionalized tetraoxacalix[2]arene[2]triazine host molecules were efficiently synthesized through a fragment coupling followed by AlCl3-mediated deprotection/arylation protocol. Substituent effects, functions of counter cations on anion recognition in solution were systematically studied by means of fluorescence and NMR titrations.

Self‐Assembly and (Hydro)gelation Triggered by Cooperative π–π and Unconventional CH⋅⋅⋅X Hydrogen Bonding Interactions

Weak C-H···X hydrogen bonds are important stabilizing forces in crystal engineering and anion recognition in solution. In contrast, their quantitative influence on the stabilization of supramolecular polymers or gels has thus far remained unexplored. Herein, we report an oligophenyleneethynylene (OPE)-based amphiphilic Pt(II) complex that forms supramolecular polymeric structures in aqueous and polar media driven by π-π and different weak C-H···X (X=Cl, O) interactions involving chlorine atoms attached to the Pt(II) centers as well as oxygen atoms and polarized methylene groups belonging to the peripheral glycol chains. A collection of experimental techniques (UV/Vis, 1D and 2D NMR, DLS, AFM, SEM, and X-Ray diffraction) demonstrate that the interplay between different weak noncovalent interactions leads to the cooperative formation of self-assembled structures of high aspect ratio and gels in which the molecular arrangement is maintained in the crystalline state.

Combined Solution‐Phase, Solid‐Phase and Phase‐Interface Anion Binding and Extraction Studies by a Simple Tripodal Thiourea Receptor

AbstractTris(2‐aminoethyl)amine (tren) based 4‐cyanophenyl‐substituted tripodal L, tris{[(4‐cyanophenyl)amino]ethyl}thiourea receptor, was synthesized and explored thoroughly for anion recognition in solution by NMR spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) as well as in the solid state by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction studies. Anion recognition properties of L were further exploited toward the extraction of sulfate as well as fluoride from aqueous media using a liquid–liquid extraction technique. A solution‐state anion binding study using NMR spectroscopy in [D6]DMSO and ITC measurements in dry acetonitrile show a relatively higher association constant of L with halides (F– and Cl–) over oxyanions (H2PO4– and HSO4–). The single‐crystal X‐ray structural analysis of complex 1 reveals a monotopic encapsulation of fluoride in L through six N–H···F– interactions with a distorted trigonal‐prismatic geometry, whereas sulfate and carbonate induce dimeric assemblies of L in complexes 2 and 3, respectively. In the case of sulfate, a tight dimeric capsular assembly of ca. 9.5 Å is observed through 15 N–H···O interactions, whereas carbonate forms a sandwich‐like dimeric molecular aggregation through 14 N–H···O interactions. In the presence of tetrabutylammonium iodide as the phase transfer agent, L has shown ca. 70 % extraction of fluoride (based on L) and ca. 40 % extraction of sulfate (based on L) from aqueous solutions using an anion‐exchange‐based liquid–liquid extraction strategy. Extraction of these anions is unambiguously demonstrated by 1H NMR, 19F NMR and FTIR spectroscopy, PXRD and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction studies.

Experimental Quantification of Anion−π Interactions in Solution Using Neutral Host–Guest Model Systems

Chemical intuition suggests that anions and π-aromatic systems would repel each other. Typically, we think of cations as being attracted to electron-rich π-systems of aromatic rings, and the cation-π interaction, a well-established noncovalent interaction, plays an important role in nature. Therefore the anion-π interaction can be considered the opposite of the cation-π interaction. Computational studies of simple models of anion-π interactions have provided estimates of the factors that govern the binding geometry and the binding energy, leading to a general consensus about the nature of these interactions. In order to attract an anion, the charge distribution of the aromatic system has to be reversed, usually through the decoration of the aromatic systems with strongly electron-withdrawing groups. Researchers have little doubt about the existence of attractive anion-π interactions in the gas phase and in the solid state. The bonding energies assigned to anion-π interactions from quantum chemical calculations and gas phase experiments are significant and compare well with the values obtained for cation-π interactions. In solution, however, there are few examples of attractive anion-π interactions. In this Account, I describe several examples of neutral molecular receptors that bind anions in solution either solely through anion-π interactions or as a combination of anion-π interactions and hydrogen bonding. In the latter cases, the strength of the anion-π interaction is indirectly detected as a modulation of the stronger hydrogen bonding interaction (enforced proximity). The dissection of the energy contribution of the anion-π interaction to the overall binding is complex, which requires the use of appropriate reference systems. This Account gives an overview the experimental efforts to determine the binding energies that can be expected from anion-π interactions in solution with examples that center around the recognition of halides. The studies show that anion-π interactions also exist in solution, and the free energy of binding estimated for these attractive interactions is less than 1 kcal/mol for each substituted phenyl groups. The quantification of anion-π interactions in solution relies on the use of molecular recognition model systems; therefore researchers need to consider how the structure of the model system can alter the magnitude of the observed energy values. In addition, the recognition of anions in solution requires the use of salts (ion pairs) as precursors, which complicates the analysis of the titration data and the corresponding estimate of the binding strength. In solution, the weak binding energies suggest that anion-π interactions are not as significant for the selective or enhanced binding of anions but offer potential applications in catalysis and transport within functional synthetic and biological systems.

Anion-π Aromatic Neutral Tweezers Complexes: Are They Stable in Polar Solvents?

The impact of the solvent environment on the stabilization of the complexes formed by fluorine (T-F) and cyanide (T-CN) substituted tweezers with halide anions has been investigated theoretically. The study was carried out using computational methodologies based on density functional theory (DFT) and symmetry adapted perturbation theory (SAPT). Interaction energies were obtained at the M05-2X/6-31+G* level. The obtained results show a large stability of the complexes in solvents with large dielectric constant and prove the suitability of these molecular tweezers as potential hosts for anion recognition in solution. A detailed analysis of the effects of the solvent on the electron withdrawing ability of the substituents and its influence on the complex stability has been performed. In particular, the interaction energy in solution was split up into intermonomer and solvent-complex terms. In turn, the intermonomer interaction energy was partitioned into electrostatic, exchange, and polarization terms. Polar resonance structures in T-CN complexes are favored by polar solvents, giving rise to a stabilization of the intermonomer interaction, the opposite is found for T-F complexes. The solvent-complex energy increases with the polarity of the solvent in T-CN complexes, nonetheless the energy reaches a maximum and then decreases slowly in T-F complexes. An electron density analysis was also performed before and after complexation, providing an explanation to the trends followed by the interaction energies and their different components in solution.

A polymerizable pyrrole–cobaltocenium receptor for the electrochemical recognition of anions in solution and immobilised onto electrode surfaces

Electrochemical and 1H NMR investigations showed that the first example of cobaltocenium moiety covalently attached to a pyrrole group ( 1) recognises and senses anionic guest species not only in solution but also immobilised onto electrode surfaces by electropolymerisation.