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Updated: May 22, 2026

Synthesis of a Water-soluble Metal–Organic Complex Array
Published on: October 8, 2016
Synthesis and studies of a water-soluble and air-stable Cu(I)/Cu(II) open-shell funnel complex
Grégory Thiabaud1, Andrea Brugnara, Michael Carboni
1Laboratoire de Chimie et Biochimie Pharmacologiques et Toxicologiques, CNRS UMR 8601, PRES Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris Descartes , 45 rue des Saints Pères, 75006 Paris, France, and Laboratoire de Chimie, Electrochimie Moléculaires et Chimie Analytique, CNRS UMR 6521, Université Européenne de Bretagne à Brest , CS 93837, 6 avenue Le Gorgeu, 29238 Brest Cedex 3, France.
Abstract:
The derivatization of the large rim of a TMPA-capped calix[6]arene (TMPA = tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine) with three trimethylammonium groups enables the water-solubilization of two air-stable Cu(I)/Cu(II) complexes. These two complexes present a vacant coordination site shielded from the aqueous environment by the calixarene core. The spectroscopic and electrochemical data recorded in pure water indicate that the host-guest properties of the funnel complex are retained in both oxidation states of the copper cation.
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