The cooperative effect of electrostatic and hydrophobic forces in the complexation of cationic molecules by a water-soluble resorcin[4]arene derivative

A new water-soluble resorcin[4]arene derivative 4 was synthesized and the complexation of cationic guests in D2O was studied by 1H NMR spectroscopy. A 1:1 binding mode was elucidated by a Jobʹs plot. The cooperative effect of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions acts as a binding force for a strong complex formation with appropriate cationic guests in water. The thermodynamic parameters of complexation of guest I determined by a vanʹt Hoff plot indicate that the complexation process is both enthalpically and entropically driven.