Competitive solvent extraction of alkaline earth metals by ionizable nano-baskets of calixarene

The competitive solvent extraction of alkaline earth metals using different nano-baskets was investigated. The novelty of this work is to study the correlations between the isomer structure of calixarenes and their extraction properties. The objective was to quantify the effects of aryl groups in the ionisable pendant moieties, calixarene conformation, steric orientations (cis- and trans-) and relative positions (ortho- and para-) of pendant moieties upon the extraction efficiency, pH_1/2 and the selectivity of calix[4]arene complexes. Alkaline earth metals were extracted from aqueous solutions into chloroform by di-ionisable calix[4]arenes and were measured using ion chromatography. The results revealed that alternation of aryl group in the pendant moieties, changing their orientation from cis- to trans-analogues as well as from ortho- to para- analogues, showed no changes in the selectivity, the extraction efficiency and the pH_1/2 of calix[4]arene complexes. Changing the scaffold of calixarene's ring to the cone, 1,2-alternate and partial-cone conformers altered their complexation ability towards alkaline earth metals and their extraction efficiency.