An NMR-based relative binding affinity measurement method has been developed in which differences in the binding affinities of different hosts toward a particular guest (ΔlogK(ass) values) are measured in the same solution. As an advancement, the method allows the simultaneous determination of several ΔlogK(ass) values in a single run. As a proof of principle, the method was used to measure binding affinity differences of a number of indolocarbazole- and urea-based synthetic receptors toward acetate ion in DMSO-d6/H2O (99.5%:0.5% m/m). As a result, a binding affinity scale containing 33 receptors and spanning 2.32 log units with excellent self-consistency (consistency standard deviation = 0.01 log unit) was created. Together with the very good agreement of the results with those obtained by UV-vis spectrophotometry, this demonstrates the high accuracy of the method and the fact that the NMR and UV-vis techniques can be used interchangeably (in spite of the very different concentrations used in these techniques). Additionally, it was found for symmetrical receptor molecules from the same compound family that there is a correlation between the acetate binding affinity of a receptor and the (15)N chemical shift of the nitrogen atoms of its binding centers.

An approach for accurate and comparable measurement of host-guest binding affinities is introduced whereby differences in binding strength (ΔlogKass values) are measured between two host molecules toward a particular guest under identical solvent conditions. Measuring differences instead of absolute values enables obtaining highly accurate results, because many of the uncertainty sources (the solvation/association state of the guest in solution, deviations in solvent composition, etc.) cancel out. As a proof of concept, this method was applied to the measurement of the binding strength of 28 synthetic anion receptors toward acetate in acetonitrile containing 0.5% water. The receptors included differently substituted indolocarbazoles, ureas, thioureas, and some others. Possible deprotonation of more acidic receptors of each compound class by acetate was checked by measuring their acidities (ΔpKa values) relative to acetic acid in the same solvent. A self-consistent (consistency standard deviation 0.04 log units) binding affinity scale ranging for around 2.7 log units was constructed from the results. Absolute logKass values were found by anchoring the scale to the absolute logKass values of two receptor molecules, determined independently by direct measurements. This new approach is expected to find use in accurate quantification of a wide range of binding processes relevant to supramolecular chemistry.

The binding constants (log Kass ) of small synthetic receptor molecules based on indolocarbazole, carbazole, indole, urea and some others, as well as their combinations were measured for small carboxylate anions of different basicity, hydrophilicity and steric demands, that is, trimethylacetate, acetate, benzoate and lactate, in 0.5 % H2 O/[D6 ]DMSO by using the relative NMR-based measurement method. As a result, four separate binding affinity scales (ladders) including thirty-eight receptors were obtained with the scales anchored to indolocarbazole. The results indicate that the binding strength is largely, but not fully, determined by the strength of the primary hydrogen-bonding interaction. The latter in turn is largely determined by the basicity of the anion. The higher is the basicity of the anion the stronger in general is the binding, leading to the approximate order of increasing binding strength, lactate

Carboxylate sensing solid-contact ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) were created to provide a proof-of-concept ISE development process covering all aspects from in silico ionophore design to functional sensor characterization. The biscarbazolylurea moiety was used to synthesize methylene-bridged macrocycles of different ring size aiming to fine tune selectivity towards different carboxylates. Cyclization was achieved with two separate strategies, using either amide synthesis to access up to –[CH2]10– macrocycles or acyl halides to access up to –[CH2]14– macrocycles. Seventy-five receptor–anion complexes were modelled and studied with COSMO-RS, in addition to all free host molecules. In order to predict initial selectivity towards carboxylates, 1H NMR relative titrations were used to quantify binding in DMSO-d 6/H2O solvent systems of two proportions – 99.5%:0.5% m/m and 90.0%:10.0% m/m, suggesting initial selectivity towards acetate. Three ionophores were selected for successful sensor prototype development and characterization. The constructed ion-selective electrodes showed higher selectivity towards benzoate than acetate, i.e., the selectivity patterns of the final sensors deviated from that predicted by the classic titration experiments. While the binding constants obtained by NMR titration in DMSO-d 6/H2O solvent systems provided important guidance for sensor development, the results obtained in this work emphasize the importance of evaluating the binding behavior of receptors in real sensor membranes.

Carboxylates are attractive target analytes in supramolecular analytical chemistry. 22 acyclic synthetic receptors with different numbers and geometric arrangements of hydrogen‐bond donors (HBD) and hydrophobic moieties have been applied to experimentally study selective binding of 11 carboxylate anions of widely differing basicity, hydrophobicity and steric demand, which resulted in 242 accurately determined binding constants. It was found that besides the basicity of the anions, structural and steric factors of anions and receptors influence the binding. Several interesting cases are pinpointed and analysed. The ability of selected receptors to discriminate between anions according to structural features (hydrophilicity, substitution at α‐carbon, etc.) is demonstrated. The present results give insight into carboxylate anion binding and make an important step towards systematic development of receptors with useful selectivity patterns and thereby to the practical use of receptor series in sensor arrays for carboxylate fingerprinting in mixtures.