Signalling mechanisms in anion-responsive push-pull chromophores:: The hydrogen-bonding, deprotonation and anion-exchange chemistry of functionalized azo dyes

A family of azo dyes containing amide (1), urea (2), thiourea (3), carbamate (4) or amino (5) hydrogen-bond donating groups were synthesized and their response toward anions was studied. Acetonitrile solutions of 1-5 show bright yellow colours, due to charge-transfer bands in the 375-400 nm region, slightly modulated by the electron donor strength of the group attached to the 4' end of the 4-nitroazobenzene scaffold. Anions of different shape and size (i.e., spherical F-, Cl-, Br- and I-, planar and tetrahedral oxoanions such as NO3-, H2PO4- and HSO4-, carboxylates such as acetate and benzoate and the linear anions cyanide and thiocyanate) were employed in the recognition studies. Two different effects were distinguished: (i) bathochromic shifts of <40 nm to pale orange, due to anion coordination, and (ii) strong red shifts of ca. 200 nm with a concomitant colour change to blue, due to deprotonation. This behaviour was explained as a balance between the deprotonation tendency of the binding sites in the different receptors and the proton affinities of the anions. Semiempirical calculations were carried out to evaluate the hydrogen bond-donating abilities of the anions and the dyes and a good correlation with the experimentally found values was observed. Stability constants for the receptor-anion complexes were determined spectrophotometrically and the different responses toward fluoride and acetate were assessed by NMR titration experiments. Finally, as a special case, we also report the use of this family of compounds as colorimetric carbon dioxide sensors through reaction with the unprotonated forms of the azo dyes. ((C) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007).