Carboxylate Salt Receptors

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This project explores various aspects of carboxylate salt receptors, including membranes selective for specific aromatic acid salts, NMR studies of membrane diffusion, and receptors for dipeptides peculiar to bacterial membranes. Salt-specific liquid membranes would allow for a low-energy, continuous, and environmentally benign method for separation of carboxylic acid products from their hydrocarbon feedstocks. Pulsed field-gradient NMR has shown that membrane diffusion constant is not always independent of the identity of the metal cation. Natural carboxylic ionophores will be studied to determine the extent and nature of this effect. Combinatorial methods will permit the identification of molecules that bind selective with the C-terminus of dipeptides that, by extension, will provide mimics for such important antibiotics as vancomycin.With this Award, the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program continues support for the research project of Professor Bradley D. Smith of The University of Notre Dame. Professor Smith explores the ability of membrane-bound molecules to identify specific carboxylic acids and to bind to them. This phenomenon is important because of potential industrial applications for the selective isolation of specific substances by their preferential transport across a membrane. Additionally, a better understanding of bacterial membranes and the nature of certain antibiotic molecules will be gained.