Supramolecular Chemistry

Chemistry of non-covalent interactions and the molecules they assemble.


field tier

Supramolecular Chemistry — Chemistry of non-covalent interactions and the molecules they assemble.

The field organises around several methodological axes: how the underlying objects are modelled, how they are measured, how they are connected to the rest of chemistry, and which empirical phenomena drive open questions. The references below anchor the topic in established treatments and current literature.

Foundations and core methods

A primary reference for this area is Supramolecular Chemistry (Steed and Atwood, 2009), which lays out the core concepts that govern supramolecular chemistry. The treatment frames the subject within the broader context of chemistry and motivates the conceptual vocabulary used throughout this page. The discussion here cites this work as a general anchor rather than for a specific claim, since the exact contribution claim is treated cautiously in line with the Charted sourcing policy.

Current developments

More recent or specialised work appears in Supramolecular Chemistry: Concepts and Perspectives (Lehn, 1995), which we cite here as a general entry point to that direction; specific quantitative claims about its contribution are not made.

Open questions

Open methodological questions in supramolecular chemistry include the transferability of the standard methods to harder regimes, the integration of newer measurement and modelling tools, and the connection to neighbouring subfields of chemistry. Future revisions of this page will deepen the treatment as more primary literature is curated.

Prerequisites

Sources

  • textbook · primary · 2009
    Supramolecular Chemistry
    steed-2009, atwood-2009
  • textbook · historical · 1995
    Supramolecular Chemistry: Concepts and Perspectives
    lehn-1995

In context

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Explore

  1. 01

    Host–Guest Chemistry

    Crown ethers, cyclodextrins, cucurbiturils, and the design of selective hosts.

  2. 02

    Molecular Recognition

    Hydrogen-bonding, halogen-bonding, and shape-complementarity in selective binding.

  3. 03

    Molecular Self-Assembly

    Programmed assembly of molecules into ordered architectures.

  4. 04

    Mechanically Interlocked Molecules

    Rotaxanes, catenanes, and molecular knots.

  5. 05

    Molecular Machines

    Light-, electron-, and chemically-driven mechanical motion at the molecular scale.

  6. 06

    Metallosupramolecular Chemistry

    Metal-directed assembly of cages, helicates, and grids.

  7. 07

    DNA Nanotechnology

    DNA origami, tiles, and dynamic strand-displacement systems.

  8. 08

    Peptide Self-Assembly

    Beta-sheet fibrils, coiled coils, and designed peptide architectures.

  9. 09

    Systems Chemistry

    Networks of coupled reactions exhibiting feedback, oscillation, and self-replication.


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