Cryptands metal cations, cryptates

Indeed, macrobicyclic ligands such as 7-9 form cryptates [Mn+ c cryptand], 10, by inclusion of a metal cation inside the molecule [1.26, 1.27, 2.17, 2.24-2.26]. The optimal cryptates of AC and AEC have stabilities several orders of magnitude higher than those of either the natural or synthetic macrocyclic ligands. They show pronounced selectivity as a function of the size complementarity between the cation... 

In general, discrete Zintl anions, whether they obey the simple octet rule or are electronically more complex, can often be obtained intact from the initial Zintl phase by substituting tetraalkylammonium ions for the alkali metal cations or by encapsulating the latter in a cryptand such as cryptate-222 (see 1-XXII).25... 

The endo-endo conformation of cryptands can be internally protonated to form proton cryptates. With the small cryptands, e.g. [1.1.1]- and [2.1.1]-cryptand (15a and 15b), the two internal protons are so efficiently shielded from H2O and OH that deprotonation only very slowly occurs even in strong base (8UA6044). Alkali cation cryptates are able to stabilize unusual species as their counterions. Dye and coworkers have isolated several alkali metal anions by this method. The sodium species (Na [2.2.2]cryptand Na ) was obtained as gold metallic crystals and gave a Na NMR with a broad Na -cryptate resonance and a narrow, upheld Na resonance. The other alkali metals show similar behavior and an electride salt (Na [2.2.2]cryptand e l has even been isolated (B-79MI52105). Crystalline anionic clusters of the heavy post-transition metals (such as Sb7 , Pbs , Sng ) were first obtained with alkali metal cryptates as the counterions (75JA6267). 

Extensive thermodynamic and kinetic data have been collected concerning interactions between macrocyclic ligands and cations especially alkali and alkaline-earth metal ions p4. The formation rates of cryptates of alkali and alkaline earth metal cations have generally been estimated by combining observed rates for the dissociation reaction with the independently measured formation constants 3S. Thus if C = cryptand... 

Troxler and Wipff determined conformational preferences of free ligands and solvation patterns of the host-guest complexes for cryptand 222 and their metal cation complexes in acetonitrile. The calculations were carried out with the AMBER force field and also with Aqvist s ion parameters the two sets of results were then compared. When AMBER was used, the relative order of cryptate stabilities and the recognition ability of the cryptand 222 to select K from among Li, Na, Rb, and Cs cations were in qualitative agreement with experimental data. The results obtained with Aqvist s parameters were comparable to or better than those obtained with the AMBER force field. In general, complexes of alkali cations and cryptand 222 are more stable in nonaqueous solvents such as acetonitrile than in water, in part because of the reduced energy cost for cation desolvation upon complexation.i -i i... 

Stability and selectivity. The pH-metric titration method is usually used to determine the stability constants of cryptates (47). For alkali and alkaline earth metal cations, high stability constants are generally observed. As with the monocyclic polyethers, the most stable complex results when the ionic radius of the metal cation best matches the radius of the cavity formed by the cryptand on complexation. Because the cryptand host cavity is three-dimensional and spheroidal in shape, it is well adapted for a ball-like guest metal cation. Hence they have more pronounced recognition receptor... 

However, there is a significant difference between the two species the metal cations are pulled out of the cryptate internal cavity by the two hydroxyl groups. In the monomeric complex, the lanthanide is located 0.13 A above the mean plane defined by the four oxygen atoms of the 18-membered cycle of the cryptand while it lies 0.18 A below this plane in the dimeric complex. 

The dissociation rates for a number of alkali metal cryptates have been obtained in methanol and the values combined with measured stability constants to yield the corresponding formation rates. The latter increase monotonically with increasing cation size (with cryptand selectivity for these ions being reflected entirely in the dissociation rates - see later) (Cox, Schneider Stroka, 1978). 

The effect of cryptands on the reduction of ketones and aldehydes by metal hydrides has also been studied by Loupy et al. (1976). Their results showed that, whereas cryptating the lithium cation in LiAlH4 completely inhibited the reduction of isobutyraldehyde, it merely reduced the rate of reduction of aromatic aldehydes and ketones. The authors rationalized the difference between the results obtained with aliphatic and aromatic compounds in terms of frontier orbital theory, which gave the following reactivity sequence Li+-co-ordinated aliphatic C=0 x Li+-co-ordinated aromatic C=0 > non-co-ordinated aromatic C=0 > non-co-ordinated aliphatic C=0. By increasing the reaction time, Loupy and Seyden-Penne (1978) showed that cyclohexenone [197] was reduced by LiAlH4 and LiBH4, even in the presence of [2.1.1]-cryptand, albeit much more slowly. In diethyl ether in the absence of... 

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