Probing the supramolecular assembly in solid, solution and gel phase in uriede based thiazole derivatives and its potential application as iodide ion sensor

A simple series of thiazole-urea-aliphatic chain-based compounds (1-7) were designed and synthesized using the principle of Crystal Engineering. The aliphatic alkyl chain of compounds was varied to obtain the delicate hydrophobic-hydrophilic balance between solute-solvent molecules required to attain the supramolecular gelation. Interestingly, all the compounds turned out to be excellent gelators for polar solvents including water mixtures with alcohols and acetonitrile. To get an insight into the packing of molecules in solid-state, solution, and gel phases various physicochemical techniques were employed such as SANS, SEM, PXRD, DFT calculation, etc. UV-Vis spectrometric measurements of compound 1 in the solution phase were carried out to establish the anion sensing capability. Very high sensitivity and selectivity of iodide ion in presence of other ions and degelation of acetonitrile gel of compound 1 in pres-ence of iodide salts, make these compounds a unique class of LMOGs. (c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

A series of thiazole-urea-aliphatic chain-based compounds were designed and synthesized using Crystal Engineering principles. These compounds showed excellent gelation ability in polar solvents. Physicochemical techniques were employed to investigate the packing of these compounds in solid-state, solution, and gel phases, revealing high sensitivity and selectivity of compound 1 to iodide ions.