Presenter: Faith Longnight − Chemistry, Sociology
Co-Presenter(s): Scout Trom
Faculty Mentor(s): Hannah Bates, Thaís de
Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation
Anion receptors hold an important place within the field of supramolecular chemistry due to the vast biological impacts many anions have in biology. Our project focuses on the synthesis of various novel reversible halogen-bonding anion receptors. The investigation varies the withdrawing characteristics of substituents of charged and neutral receptors to enable a thorough structure- property relationship study. Preliminary results show that the neutral receptors have significantly lower binding strength when compared to their corresponding charged receptors. We also see that the more electron-withdrawing the substituent group, the stronger the binding for the charged receptors. We also see that the binding pocket of our receptors best fit to chloride, our target analyte, when compared to the other halide anions. Through this study, we hope to identify the key structural characteristics needed to bind smaller anions, like chloride, so that future work can include creating receptors that can bind chloride in cells. The results of this study will provide fundamental knowledge of the most efficient way to modify receptors for an optimal binding moving forward in the field of halogen-bonding supramolecular sensors.