Molecular fusion of surfactant and Lewis-acid properties for attacking dirt by catalytic bond cleavage.

The capability of ordinary surfactants in solubilizing hydrophobic compounds can come to a limit, if the extension of a contaminant is too large. An attractive goal is the development of surfactants which can actively reduce the size of dirt. Because strong Lewis acids are known to catalyze both bond formation and cleavage, an integration into the surfactant's molecular framework is tempting. End-group functionalized hepta-dentate ligands, which coordinate to metal ions preventing deactivation by hydrolysis over a broad range of pH values while maintaining strong Lewis-acidity, are herein presented. After proof of amphiphilicity and surfactant characteristics, catalytic properties are investigated for different reactions including the cleavage of proteins. The compounds perform better than benchmark catalysts concerning the attack of unreactive amide bonds. A study with two Sc3+ species as the active site, one non-amphiphilic, the other one being surface-active, underlines the positive effect of surfactant properties for boosting catalytic efficiency.