Introduction to supramolecular chemistry

Supramolecular chemistry is based on principles governing the association and self-organization of molecules via non-covalent bonds, also known as weak bonds. This branch of chemistry began to develop in the late 1960s with the discovery of associations between two or more molecular entities. These assemblies have the property of being reversible, and their thermodynamic stability depends on the intermolecular forces at play. This is the basis on which the principle of molecular recognition was developed, in which the notions of geometric and electronic complementarity and pre-organization are essential. These different notions were presented in the article [NM 220] "Introduction to supramolecular chemistry. Concepts – guest host chemistry".

In this second introduction to supramolecular chemistry, we begin by showing how recognition phenomena apply to the chemistry of living organisms. They are essential for maintaining the conformation and structural stability of biomolecules, giving them a wide range of functions. We'll also look at how the information contained in these supramolecular assemblies can be used in therapy and diagnostics. We then turn to the dynamic aspect of supramolecular chemistry through what J.-M. Lehn has called dynamic combinatorial chemistry, where self-assembly processes are used to identify or amplify molecular recognition phenomena. In a final section, we introduce some notions of molecular topology in relation to the design of more complex entities such as rotaxanes or molecular nodes, whose synthesis often requires supramolecular chemistry approaches.