About this Research Topic
Supramolecular chemistry investigates and exploits the chemistry of non-covalent weak interactions occurring among molecules. These are the key interactions responsible for all the recognition, transport, and sensing phenomena that are the basis of biological life, and chemists try to reproduce them in model systems. Even enzymes recognize their substrates through binding, but more importantly they bind and stabilize transition states as well as chemical intermediates. The latter recognition phenomena are responsible for the astonishing rate accelerations typical for enzymes.
Molecular recognition is essentially the art of creation of weak intermolecular forces for the construction of structures able to recognize size, shape, functional group distribution, and charge distribution of the target molecule. Target molecules can be charged as well as neutral; however, selective recognition for the latter is more difficult. If the target molecule is in an intermediate state, the host becomes a supramolecular catalyst, reducing the activation energy for the conversion of substrate into product.
This Research Topic aims to showcase cutting-edge research in the field of molecular recognition for catalytic purposes, spanning from phase transfer catalysis reactions to functional nanometric devices for supramolecular catalysis, although it is open to any example of catalysis in which supramolecular interactions play a role--for instance in product or substrate selectivity.
Molecular recognition is essentially the art of creation of weak intermolecular forces for the construction of structures able to recognize size, shape, functional group distribution, and charge distribution of the target molecule. Target molecules can be charged as well as neutral; however, selective recognition for the latter is more difficult. If the target molecule is in an intermediate state, the host becomes a supramolecular catalyst, reducing the activation energy for the conversion of substrate into product.
This Research Topic aims to showcase cutting-edge research in the field of molecular recognition for catalytic purposes, spanning from phase transfer catalysis reactions to functional nanometric devices for supramolecular catalysis, although it is open to any example of catalysis in which supramolecular interactions play a role--for instance in product or substrate selectivity.
Keywords: Supramolecular chemistry, supramolecular catalysis, molecular recognition, non-covalent interactions, self-assembly
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