Anion complexation by triazolium "ligands": mono- and bis-tridentate complexes of sulfate.

By utilizing click chemistry and methylation, the triazolium motif was employed to design tridentate "ligands" that bind by electron acception instead of electron donation. As electronically inverted ligands they are able to complex sulfate ions by hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions. The formation of mono- or bis-tridentate complexes could be achieved by controlling the degree of methylation with the appropriate reagents and was proven by NMR spectroscopy and computational methods.