Molecular Topology Directed Crystalline Architectures

1
Molecular Topology Directed Crystalline
Architectures
Kraig A. Wheeler, Department of Chemistry,
Eastern Illinois University

• The manner in which chemical compounds recognize
  each other has far reaching importance to the
  development of functional materials. Since
  material property is closely linked to the
  alignment of the fundamental building blocks, it
  is not surprising that considerable effort has
  focused on the manipulation of these components.
  Unlike the vast majority of investigations that
  seek to control organization by use of functional
  group associations (e.g., hydrogen bonds), our
  approach utilizes the control feature of
  molecular topology to engineer molecular arrays.
  Conceptually, the self-assembly of molecules
  based on topological influences could result in a
  host of supramolecular architectures however, in
  practice, molecular organization is often limited
  to energetically favorable closest-packed
  centrosymmetric arrangements. We have
  successfully exploited these known structural
  tendencies by preparing sets of isosteric
  compounds of opposite handedness that form
  predictable assemblies. One such example is
  given below where the molecular patterns of
  association mimic centrosymmetric alignment.
  Other notable outcomes from these studies
  include
• crystallographic evidence of the recognition
• profile of molecular shape
• construction of predictable noncentrosymmetric
• molecular arrays
• identification of isosteric chemical functions
• evidence of the specificity and transferability
• of molecular shape