BTBPs represent an important class of tetradentate heterocyclic ligands with N-donor binding sites that have been recently developed to separate trivalent actinides from lanthanides. We first investigate by QM calculations the conformational properties, basicity and complexation energies with Eu(NO(3))(3), comparing BTBP derivatives with alkyl substituents on the pyridinyl or triazinyl moieties to their conformationally cis-locked BTPhen analogues. The latter, preorganized for protonation and complexation, are found to be more basic and to afford more stable complexes. We next explore the interfacial behavior of CyMe(4)BTBP in its neutral versus protonated states and of 1:1 Eu(NO(3))(3)(CyMe(4)BTBP) complexes at the aqueous interface with an octanol-hexane mixture. The neutral BTBP ligand displays no visible surface activity, whereas protonated and complexed ligands are surface active. Taken together, the QM and MD results suggest that Eu(III) extraction by BTBPs occurs at the interface, via the protonated form of the ligand in acidic conditions, explaining why the extraction kinetics is slow and why BTPhen ligands are more efficient than BTBPs.
Bistriazinyl-phenantroline "BTPhen" ligands L display the remarkable feature to complex trivalent lanthanide and actinide ions, with a marked selectivity for the latter. We report on molecular dynamics studies of tetrasubstituted X(4)BTPhens: L(4+) (X = (+)Et(3)NCH(2)-), L(4-) (X = (-)SO(3)Ph-), and L(0) (X = CyMe(4)) and their complexes with Eu(III) in binary octanol/water solutions. Changes in free energies upon interface crossing are also calculated for typical solutes by potential of mean force PMF simulations. The ligands and their complexes partition, as expected, to either the aqueous or the oil phase, depending on the "solubilizing" group X. Furthermore, most of them are found to be surface active. The water-soluble L(4+) and L(4-) ligands and their (L)Eu(NO(3))(3) complexes adsorb at the aqueous side of the interface, more with L(4-) than with L(4+). The oil soluble ligand L(0) is not surface active in its endo-endo form but adsorbs on the oil side of the interface in its most polar endo-exo form, as well as in its protonated L(0)H(+) and complexed (L(0))Eu(NO(3))(3) states. Furthermore, comparing PMFs of the Eu(III) complexes with and without nitric acid shows that acidifying the aqueous phase has different effects, depending on the ligand charge. In particular, acid promotes the Eu(III) extraction by L(0) via the (L(0))(2)Eu(NO(3))(2+) complex, as observed experimentally. Overall, the results point to the importance of interfacial adsorption for the liquid-liquid extraction of trivalent lanthanide and actinide cations by BTPhens and analogues.
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