Facilitated transport of sugars by a resorcinarene through a supported liquid membrane

Supported liquid membranes (SLM) containing the resorcinarene carrier 1 hav e been used for the selective transport of monosaccharides (pentoses and he xoses) from concentrated aqueous solutions. The membranes, made of PTFE fil ms of different porosities impregnated with a CCl4 solution of 1, are stabl e for at least 10 days. The permeabilities of the SLMs for various sugars w ere calculated. The results are compared with those of selective extraction of sugars performed with a CCl4 solution of 1. On the basis of the flux de pendence on the initial concentrations of carrier and sugar, the rate-deter mining step in the transport mechanism is shown to be the migration of the 1 : 1 carrier-sugar complex in the immobilized organic phase. (C) 2000 Else vier Science B.V. All rights reserved.