Hot Article: Versatility in building supramolecular materials

31 Mar 2011

In this CrystEngComm Hot Article, which is part of a themed issue celebrating the achievements of the late Professor Fumio Toda entitled “Reactions in Molecular Solids and Host-Guest Systems“, Anthony Coleman and Oksana Danylyuk et al. report their results on a systematic investigation of the solid-state complexes of para-sulphonato calix[4]arene (C4S) with 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen). The team prepared four supramolecular complexes of C4S with Phen in single-crystal form and their structures determined by X-ray diffraction.

Cyclodextrins, crown ethers, cryptands and calix[n]arenes are the most important categories of supramolecular hosts. Acid derivatives such as para-sulphonato-, O-phosphonato- or O-alkylcarboxylato-calix[n]arenes present the advantage of being hydrosoluble and thus apt for study with regard to their biological properties and their complexation abilities towards molecules of biological interest.

Read the article for free until 29th April 2011 here.