The proton sponge 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene: The quicker-picker-upper also for s-block metal cations?

1,8-bis-(dimethylamino)-naphthalene, the first ever reported proton sponge, has been snatching much attention with its spectacular proton affinity (PA) for decades. This manuscript discusses the affinities of DMAN towards sblock metal ions Li+, Na+, K+, Be++, Mg++ and Ca++ and compare with PA. We report that the affinity of DMAN towards Be++ is higher than PA. It was observed that increasing methylation at the peri-nitrogen atoms increases the beryllium ion affinity like PA. In light of all these discussions, this manuscript discusses if DMAN can better be termed as a beryllium ion sponge.

Automated summary

Research on 1,8-bis-(dimethylamino)-naphthalene suggests that it has a higher affinity for Be++ compared to other metal ions, leading to the proposition of referring to it as a beryllium ion sponge.