Diindolylquinoxalines: effective indole-based receptors for phosphate anion

The synthesis of a new series of 2,3-diindol-3'yl quinoxalines (DIQ), as well as a comparison of their anion recognition properties to those of our previously reported pyrrole based sensors, 2,3-dipyrrol-2'yl quinoxalines, is reported. To the best of our knowledge, this new DIQ system represents the first example of a free-standing indole-based small molecule receptor for which evidence of anion binding is available both in solution and in the solid-state. It also provides one of the few structurally characterized neutral receptor-dihydrogen phosphate complexes. This work thus serves to demonstrate the utility of indoles as an anion recognition motif.