Triptycene‐Roofed Quinoxaline Cavitands for the Supramolecular Detection of BTEX in Air. Issue 10 (13th January 2016) - Bertani, Federico
Abstract: Two novel triptycene quinoxaline cavitands (DiTriptyQxCav andMonoTriptyQxCav ) have been designed, synthesized, and applied in the supramolecular detection of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in air. The complexation properties of the two cavitands towards aromatics in the solid state are strengthened by the presence of the triptycene moieties at the upper rim of the tetraquinoxaline walls, promoting the confinement of the aromatic hydrocarbons within the cavity. The two cavitands were used as fiber coatings for solid‐phase microextraction (SPME) BTEX monitoring in air. The best performances in terms of enrichment factors, selectivity, and LOD (limit of detection) values were obtained by using theDiTriptyQxCav coating. The corresponding SPME fiber was successfully tested under real urban monitoring conditions, outperforming the commercial divinylbenzene–Carboxen–polydimethylsiloxane (DVB–CAR–PDMS) fiber in BTEX adsorption. Abstract : Raise the roof : Triptycene‐roofed quinoxaline cavitands were prepared and employed as fiber coatings for supramolecular solid‐phase microextraction (SPME) GC‐MS detection of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) in air (see figure).