Ditopic receptors for the cooperative binding of cations and anions

该项目涉及能够以合作方式同时结合金属阳离子和阴离子的新受体分子的设计、合成和研究。新的系统是基于一个大环的平台，作为金属结合位点与侧臂纳入官能团，旨在协同与合适的阴离子相互作用。这类双配位受体在矿物加工中存在潜在的应用，其中以金属盐形式提取金属的能力可能导致更有效的溶剂提取过程。

This project is concerned with the design, synthesis and investigation of new receptor molecules that are capable of simultaneously binding metal cations and anions in a cooperative fashion. The new systems are based on a macrocyclic platform which acts as the metal binding site together with side-arms incorporating functional groups that are designed to cooperatively interact with a suitable anion. Potential applications exist for this category of ditopic receptors in mineral processing where the ability to extract a metal as its metal salt may lead to more efficient solvent extraction processes.