Methodologies
- Synthesis of macrocyclic and polycyclic compounds by cyclization reactions: ring closure facilitated by special protecting groups, template synthesis or high dilution.
- Study of the acid-base reactions of the synthetic macrocycles, cryptands and other: determination of the protonation constants by potentiometric, UV/Vis or NMR techniques and study of the protonation sequence by NMR spectroscopy.
- Determination of the stability constants of complexes of the new ligands with metal ions and of the binding constants of supramolecular assemblies with the anionic substrates by potentiometry, and/or NMR and/or UV/Vis spectroscopies.
- Structural characterization of complexes and of supramolecular assemblies by NMR, EPR spectroscopy (paramagnetic complexes), and crystal structure determination (in collaboration with Vítor Félix from the Aveiro University).
- Theoretical studies (molecular mechanics and dynamic simulations) are performed for the most interesting supramolecular assemblies by the team of Vítor Félix (Universidade de Aveiro)
