Deuterium equilibrium isotope effects in a supramolecular receptor for the hydrochalcogenide and halide anions

We highlight a convenient synthesis to selectively deuterate an aryl C–H hydrogen bond donor in an arylethynyl bisurea supramolecular anion receptor and use the Perrin method of competitive titrations to study the deuterium equilibrium isotope effects (DEIE) of anion binding for HS−, Cl−, and Br−. This work highlights the utility and also challenges in using this method to determine EIE with highly reactive and/or weakly binding anions.