Determination of the intrinsic site pK(a) value and cooperativity of the symmetrical hexadentate chelator N,N',N''-tris[2-(3-hydroxy-2-oxo-1,2-dihydropyridin-1-yl)acetamido]ethylamine.
The three overlapping pK(a) values of N,N',N''-tris[2-(3-hydroxy-2-oxo-1,2-dihydropyridin-1-yl)acetamido]ethylamine, a tripodal hexadentate chelator formed from three 3-hydroxy-2(1H)-pyridinone moieties amide linked to tris-(2-aminoethyl)amine, were determined by simultaneous spectrophotometric and potentiometric titration. The data was analysed by non-linear regression with constraints to deal with (a) the highly correlated absorptivities and (b) the highly correlated pK(a) values. The three pK(a) values were optimized first from the spectrophotometric data (absorbance vs. pH) by non-linear regression to a model in which the molar absorptivity of the ith species ((i)) was constrained by the correlation equation (i) = epsilon (0) + (epsilon (3) - epsilon (0))i 3 with i = 0, 1, 2, 3, where (3) and (0) represent the molar absorptivities of the most protonated and least protonated species, respectively. The molar absorbitivity of the four species defined by three pK(a) values is, therefore, linearly related to proton stoichiometry. The pK(a) values were then optimized from the potentiometric data (pH vs. titrant volume) by non-linear regression to a model in which the three pK(a) values were constrained by the correlation equation pK(a(i)) = pK(a(int)) + b(i - 1) + (i - 2)log(3) where i = 1, 2 or 3. This expresses the three pK(a) values in terms of only two optimizable parameters, the intrinsic site pK(a) (pK(a(int))) and the interaction energy between sites (b). The fixed term (i - 2)log(3) accounts for the statistical effect on the pK(a) values of three equivalent ionizable sites. The modified analytical derivatives required for optimization of these parameters by the Gauss-Newton-Marquardt algorithm and the merits of optimizing pK(a) values with these two correlation equations are discussed. The optimized pK(a) values were 9.31 +/- 0.01, 8.75 +/- 0.01 and 8.19 +/- 0.01. The separation between pK(a) values is 0.58 comprising 0.477 for the statistical effect and 0.081 for the interaction energy while the intrinsic site pK(a) is 8.672 +/- 0.005. The tertiary amine at the centre of the tripodal backbone has a pK(a) of 5.88 +/- 0.03.
Taylor
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PD
Department of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, U.K.