Monensin A acid complexes as a model of electrogenic transport of sodium cation

New Monensin A acid complexes with water molecule, sodium chloride and sodium perchlorate were obtained and studied by X-ray and 1H, 13C NMR and FT-IR methods as well as ab initio calculations. The crystal structure of the complexes indicates the complexation of the water molecule and Na+ cation in the pseudo-cycle conformation of the Monensin acid molecule stabilised by intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Important for stabilisation of this structure is also the intermolecular hydrogen bonds with water molecule or the coordination bonds with Na+ cation. It is demonstrated that the counterions forming intermolecular hydrogen bonds with OH groups influence the strength of the intramolecular hydrogen bonds, but they have no influence on the formation of pseudo-cyclic structure. Spectroscopic studies of the complexes in dichloromethane solution have shown that the pseudo-cyclic structure of the compounds is conserved. As follows from the ab initio calculations, the interactions between the Na+ cation and the electronegative oxygen atoms of Monensin acid totally change the molecular electrostatic potential around the supramolecular Monensin acid–Na+ cationic complex relative to that of the neutral Monensin acid molecule.

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► Complexes of Monensin acid with H2O, NaCl and NaClO4 were synthesised and characterised.
► Crystal structure of complexes shows a pseudo-cyclic structure.
► The pseudo-cyclic structure of complexes is conserved in the solution.
► The role of counterions in hydrogen bond formation was demonstrated.