10.1021/ic4021417
The research investigates the selective binding of methanol over ethanol by a cyclen-based cryptand (2) in complex with a copper(II) ion. The study details the synthesis of the cryptand from dioxocyclen and its subsequent complexation with Cu(CF3SO3)2 in methanol and ethanol solvents. The resulting complexes were characterized using various techniques, including NMR, mass spectrometry, and X-ray crystallography. The study found that the complex selectively retains methanol over ethanol under cold electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (CSI-MS) conditions, with the methanol molecule forming hydrogen bonds with the diethyleneoxy unit and cyclen moiety of the complex. Thermogravimetric differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations further supported the selective binding, indicating stronger retention of methanol compared to ethanol. This work represents the first example of a metal complex with a cryptand showing a preference for methanol over ethanol, highlighting the potential for designing selective binding systems for alcohols.