ISSN:
0941-1216
Keywords:
Chemistry
;
Organic Chemistry
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Chemistry and Pharmacology
Notes:
Supramolecular chemistry is chemistry beyond the molecule, the designed chemistry of the intermolecular non-covalent bond, just as molecular chemistry is that of the covalent bond. This highly interdisciplinary field covers the chemical, physical and biological features of chemical species held together by non-covalent binding interactions. The selective binding of a substrate by a molecular receptor involves molecular recognition. It requires the design of receptors possessing steric and electronic features complementary to those of the substrate to be bound, together with a rigidity-flexibility balance suitable for the function to be performed. How well things fit together often depends on their predisposition, frequently referred to as preorganization. While the term implies entropic effects, it is hard to separate these from enthalpic factors of binding. Artificial host-guest systems as imitations of biological receptors demonstrate the principle of molecular recognition in its simplest form, while the self-assembly of small molecules to extended supramolecular structures requires a repetitive recognition process.
Additional Material:
2 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/prac.19953370174
