title: Electrospray ionization mass spectrometric investigations of the complexation behavior of macrocyclic thiacrown ethers with bivalent transitional metals (Cu, Co, Ni and Zn).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Heavy metals are both a problem for the environment and an important resource for industry. Their selective extraction by means of organic ligands therefore is an attractive topic. The coordination of three thiacrown ethers to late 3d-metal ions was investigated by a combination of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR).
  
  
  METHODS
  The mass spectrometric experiments were carried out in an ion trap mass spectrometer with an ESI source. Absolute binding constants were estimated by comparison with data for 18-crown-6/Na(+). EPR spectroscopy was used as a complementary method for investigating the Cu(I) /Cu(II) redox couple.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study found that thiacrown ethers preferentially bind traces of copper even at an excess of other metal ions (Co(II), Ni(II), and Zn(II)). The absolute association constants of the Cu(I) complexes were about 10(8) M(-1), and about two orders of magnitude lower for the other 3d-metal cations. The EPR spectra demonstrated that the reduction from Cu(II) to Cu(I) upon formation of the [(thiacrown)Cu](+) species takes place in solution.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ESI-MS demonstrated that the three thiacrown ligands examined had high binding constants as well as good selectivities for copper(I) at low concentrations, and in the presence of other metal ions. By a combination of ESI-MS and EPR spectrometry it was shown that the reduction from Cu(II) to Cu(I) occurred in solution.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsybizova
authors.forename: Ján
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tarábek
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buchta
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Holý
authors.forename: Detlef
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schröder