0000000000376379
AUTHOR
Zhifeng Ding
Electrochemical response of ferrocenium filled calix[4]arene capsules in solution and immobilized on gold
Abstract Hydrogen-bonded dimers of tetra-urea calix[4]arenes are able to include ferrocenium ions as a guest. Heterodimeric capsules are exclusively formed in 1:1 mixtures of tetra-arylurea calix[4]arene 1 with tetra-tosylurea calix[4]arene 2. Sulfide groups attached via spacers on the urea rim of 1 allow their binding to metal surfaces rendering simultaneously their dissociation more difficult. Thus, the electrochemical response of encapsulated ferrocenium could be studied in a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) in addition to the solution electrochemistry with cyclic voltammetry. The stability of the electrochemically active monolayers was tested after a heat treatment (225 °C for 30 min in N…
Tetraurea calix[4]arenes with sulfur functions: synthesis, dimerization to capsules, and self-assembly on gold.
Various calix[4]arene derivatives, fixed in the cone conformation by decylether groups and functionalized at their wide rim by urea residues, were synthesized. In two compounds (4f,g) sulfur functions were attached to the urea groups via different spacers in order to allow binding to metal surfaces. While they exist as single molecules in polar solvents, tetraurea calix[4]arenes of this type (4) combine to form dimeric capsules in aprotic, apolar solvents. A solvent molecule is usually included in such a capsule, if no guest with a higher affinity is present. In the presence of an equimolar amount of the tetratosylurea 5, the exclusive formation of heterodimers, consisting of one molecule o…