Binding of 1,5-bis(p-sulfonatophenyl)-3,7-diphenyl-1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctane with tetra(methyl viologen) calix[4]resorcinol

Binding of an amphiphilic dianion 1,5-bis(p-sulfonatophenyl)-3,7-diphenyl-1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctane (APCO2−) with an amphiphilic octacation tetra(methyl viologen) calix[4]resorcinol (MVCA8+) in media containing different amounts of water and DMSO using NaClO4 or NaCl as supporting electrolytes was shown for the first time by cyclic voltammetry and spectrophotometry. The stoichiometry of the complex depends on the MVCA8+: APCO2− ratio, medium, and supporting electrolyte. A 1: 1 charge-transfer complex is mainly formed (λmax = 480 nm) in 30% DMSO at a ratio of the compounds of 1: 1. A similar 1: 1 complex of APCO2− with a model compound methyl viologen MV2+ (λmax = 482 nm) is formed under these conditions. A donor-acceptor interaction occurs between the acceptor viologen units and nitrogen-centered electron-donating fragments of the APCO2− dianion. An increase in the content of APCO2− in the solution leads to an additional binding of one (30 vol.% DMSO, water, NaClO4) or two (30 vol.% DMSO, water, NaCl) particles of APCO2− with the hydrophobic fragments of MVCA8+. The complexes aggregate to form insoluble precipitates in aqueous and water-DMSO media. A selective reversible electroswitching from the bound to free state of one of the three bound APCO2− particles was performed when reducing MVCA8+ to MVCA4·+ in a 30 vol.% DMSO/NaCl medium.