Chem. Commun., 50, 4680-4682 (2014)

DOI: 10.1039/C4CC00169A

Discovery of anion–π interactions in the recognition mechanism of inorganic anions by 1,2,3-triazolium rings

A bis(triazolium)-based receptor designed for anion recognition is presented. NMR spectroscopic data indicate that one triazolium ring is acting as a hydrogen bond donor, whereas the second triazolium ring behaves as an anion–π receptor. The simultaneous presence of two noncovalent interactions allows us to achieve a highly selective binding of the hydrogenpyrophosphate anion.