Surprisingly selective sulfate extraction by a simple monofunctional di(imino)guanidinium micelle-forming anion receptor.

We report a novel di(imino)guanidinium anion extractant with unparalleled selectivity for sulfate in a liquid-liquid separation system. In addition to a 4.4 order-of-magnitude enhancement in affinity compared to a standard benchmark, our alkylated di(imino)guanidinium receptor is economically synthesized and features good compatibility with application-relevant aliphatic solvents.