Crown-containing butadienyl dyes 8.: Structures and complexation of chromogenic dithia-15(18)-crown-5(6) ethers

The structures of new butadienyl dyes of the benzothiazole series containing the dithia-15-crown-5 (2a) or dithia-18-crown-6 (2b) fragments were established by X-ray diffraction. Complexation of dyes 2a,b with Hg2+, Pb2+, Cd2+, Ag+, Zn2+, and alkaline-earth cations in aqueous-acetonitrile solutions was studied by spectrophotometry. At a high percentage of water in solutions (P-w approximate to 50%), these dyes have a very low ability to bind Pb2+ cations (log K < 2) and virtually do not bind Cd2+, Zn2+, and alkaline-earth cations. At the same time, these dyes form stable 1 : 1 complexes with Hg2+ and Ag+ cations at all Pw. The stability constants of complexes with the Ag+ cation increase with increasing P-w because the free energy of hydration of this cation is much lower than the free energy of solvation in acetonitrile. In the Pw range from 0 to 75%, the stability constants of the complexes of dyes 2a,b with the Hg2+ cation are larger than those of the corresponding complexes with the Ag+ cation by more than four orders of magnitude.