Synthesis and molecular recognition studies of crown ethers

Abstract

This short review summarizes the synthesis and molecular recognition studies of crown ether type macrocycles accomplished at the Institute for Organic Chemistry of Budapest University of Technology and Economics in the last few years. The research work reported here belongs to the areas of proton-ionizable crown ethers and chiral macrocycles. Proton-ionizable crown ethers at higher pHs than their pK_a values are mostly ionized to ligand anions which increase the cation-ligand complex stability with enhancement of selectivity and avoid the need for a counter anion to accompany the cation transport or solvent extraction. The latter factor is not only advantageous from energetical point of view, but is also important when counter anions are not required to be transported. Enantiopure chiral macrocycles have also drawn the attention of many researchers, because owing to their enantioselective complexation they are excellent candidates for effective sensors and selectors of the enantiomers of biologically important chiral compounds such as protonated primary organic amines, amino acids and the derivatives of the latters.