what crown ether and what is its function
Hello Abhinash Kumar Panigrahi
Crown ethers are cyclic chemical compounds that consist of a ring containing several ether groups. They strongly bind certain cations, forming complexes. The oxygen atoms are well situated to coordinate with a cation located at the interior of the ring, whereas the exterior of the ring is hydrophobic.
Function of crown ether are
- The cations form salts that are soluble in nonpolar solvents, and for this reason crown ethers are useful in phase transfer catalysis.
- The denticity of the polyether influences the affinity of the crown ether for various cations.
- Similar in function to the natural product valinomycin.
Hope it helps you.