Application of Calixarenes for the Decorporation of Uranium: Present Limitations and Further Trends

The present study screened two different types of compounds, calixarenes and diphosphonates, for their ability to decrease uranium binding in the body following an accidental contamination. Two calixarenes, sulphonate calix[6]arene (S6) and sulfonate calix[8]arene (S8), were synthesised. Their chelating constants for UO 2 ++ were found to be 1.8 × 10 19 and 7 × 10 40 respectively. At a dosage of 13 mg.kg −1 , S6 was hepatotoxic; S8 was slightly less toxic. The two calixarenes and the diphosphonates (trimethane phosphonic acid, ethylene diamine tetramethane phosphonic acid and cyclohexane diamine tetramethane phosphonic acid) were tested for their decorporating properties. None of the molecules investigated was found to be an effective agent for uranyl ion