| Secondary abstract: |
In the master's thesis, we studied the influence of the structure of ellagitannins and of the pH on the stoichiometry and formation constants of coordination compounds of ellagitannins and iron(II) ions. For this, we chose three ellagitannins: vescalin, castalin and castalagin. Vescalin and castalin were first isolated from an aqueous extract of chestnut wood using preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. After isolation and characterization, we showed that the selected ellagitannins are stable at pH values that are lower than 7,39. Using UV/Vis spectroscopy, we monitored changes in the absorbance values of ellagitannins depending on the pH of the medium, thereby determining their dissociation constants. For each of the studied compounds, UV/Vis spectra were measured in the pH range 3,50–5,51 at different ratios between the molar concentrations of ellagitannin and Fe(II) ions. Using Job's method, the stoichiometry of the resulting coordination compounds was determined (1:2 for the reaction of vescalin or castalin with Fe(II) ions and 1:3 for the reaction of castalagin with Fe(II) ions). In all reactions, the pH of the medium decreased slightly, which indicates that deprotonation of phenolic hydroxyl groups occurs prior to the formation of coordination compounds. We hypothesized two models, which we globally fitted to the experimental values of the Job plots. In model A, we assumed a sequential equilibrium reaction of ellagitannin with Fe(II) ions, while in model B, we included the protolytic equilibrium of ellagitannin in the same reaction, which was determined by monitoring their acid-base properties. By fitting the model functions to the experimental values, we determined the molar absorption coefficients, formation constants of coordination compounds, and from them the standard reaction Gibbs free energies. Using the models, we also calculated the molar fractions of the formed coordination compounds as well as the equilibrium molar fractions of ellagitannins and Fe(II) ions. By comparing the obtained results, we have shown that castalagin chelates the most Fe(II) ions from the prepared solutions, while vescalin and castalin chelate less Fe(II) ions (their values are similar). |