Calix[4]arene-bis(t-octylbenzo-18-crown-6) as an extraordinarily effective macrocyclic receptor for the univalent thallium cation

From extraction experiments and γ -activity measurements, the exchange extraction constant corresponding to the equilibrium Tl⁺ (aq) + 1·Cs⁺ (org) ⇔ 1·Tl⁺ (org) + Cs⁺ (aq) taking place in the two-phase water-phenyltrifluoromethyl sulfone (abbrev. FS 13) system (1 = calix[4]arene-bis(t-octylbenzo-18-crown-6); aq = aqueous phase, org = FS 13 phase) was evaluated as log K _ex (Tl⁺, 1·Cs⁺) = 1.7 ± 0.1. Further, the extraordinarily high stability constant of the 1·Tl⁺ complex in FS 13 saturated with water was calculated for a temperature of 25 °C: log β _org(1·Tl⁺) = 13.1 ± 0.2. Finally, by using quantum mechanical DFT calculations, the most probable structure of the cationic complex species 1·Tl⁺ was derived. In the resulting 1·Tl⁺ complex, the "central" cation Tl⁺ is bound by eight bond interactions to six oxygen atoms from the respective 18-crown-6 moiety and to two carbons of the corresponding two benzene rings of the parent receptor 1 via cation-π interaction.