COMPLEXES OF 18-CROWN-6 MACROCYCLIC ETHERS WITH SODIUM MONOALKYL [2-SODIUM PHENOXIDE[[4-(PHENYLAZO)-PHENYL]AMINO]METHYL] PHOSPHONATE

There is currently considerable interest in crown ether complexation of alkali metal salts of organic chelating anions because of their relevance to such fundamental processes as ion-exchange1 and ion-transport across biological membranes.2 The chelating anions mostly used have been those derived from various phenols, aminobenzoic acids and aminophosphonic acids.3-11 In continuing our investigations of crown ether complexes with alkali salts of monoalkyl esters of various alpha-anilinobenzylphosphonic acids,8-11 this note describes the synthesis and some spectroscopic studies of new complexes of the crown ethers 18-crown-6 and dibenzo-18-crown-6 with the sodium monoethyl ester and the sodium monobutyl ester of [2-sodium phenoxide[[4-(phenylazo)phenyl]amino]methyl] phosphonic acid. The results are compared and discussed relative to the corresponding crown ether complexes obtained separately with sodium phenoxide6,7 and with various sodium monoalkyl benzeneazophosphonates.8,11