Intermolecular Complexation Between p-Sulfonated Calix[4,6,8]arene Sodium and Neutral Red

The inclusion complexation behavior of the dye guest molecule neutral red with three kinds of water-soluble p-sulfonated calix[n]arene sodium (n=4,6,8) was investigated. p-Sulfonated calix[4,6,8]arene sodium (pSC4, pSC6, pSC8) can react with neutral red to form inclusion complexes, which were confirmed by UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. Fluorescence spectroscopy experiments were performed in pH=4.6 acetic buffer solutions at 25 °C to calculate the stability constants (K S) for the stoichiometric 1:1 inclusion complexes of pSC4, pSC6 and pSC8 with neutral red. The thermodynamic parameters for the inclusion complexes were determined through a van’t Hoff analysis. Formation of the inclusion complexes of pSC4, pSC6 and pSC8 with neutral red was driven by favorable enthalpic changes with their accompanying negative entropy changes. The complex stability constants monotonically increased with the number of phenolic units in the calixarene ring, which was attributed mainly to electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding, rather than to the cavity size.