A new sulfonamide derivative as magnesium ion receptor: N-tosyl-2,6-diisopropyl-4-(2,3-dimethoxylbenzoylamide)aniline

N-Tosyl-2,6-diisopropyl-4-(2,3-dimethoxylbenzoylamide)aniline (1) has been synthesized and its metal ion (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+) coordinating properties investigated by FT-IR, ESI-MS, and 1H NMR methods. Among the tested metal ions, the overall stability constant (log K) for Mg2+ (6.89) is the highest (Na+, 5.64; K+, 5.43; Ca2+, 5.51) in 10% water/THF at 25.0 ± 0.5 °C determined by UV-vis spectroscopy, indicating that 1 is a potent ionophore for Mg2+ ion.