Supramolecular chemistry is a branch of chemistry that studies the formation, structures and properties of chemical particles that are bound by intermolecular forces and formed by selective association of several particles of the same molecule: hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic, dispersive and electrostatic forces.
Supramolecular chemistry studies:
- The role of the medium in chemical reactions
- Molecules in ensembles:
-synthesis of an ensemble of molecules;
-imitation and study of biological processes;
-intermolecular interactions;
-properties of the collective as a whole;
-Creation of devices based on molecular collectives;
-Properties of particles in a collective;
-analysis and description of collective structure.
Supramolecules are individual rather large discrete intermolecular associations of several components that include molecular oligomers in large but finite numbers.
Supramolecular ensembles are such formations which appear during the association of a sufficient but indeterminately large number of components.
Supramolecular objects are mainly found in living organisms, where they perform various functions, such as the storage, transmission and realization of genetic information. They also serve as biocatalysts, carriers of various particles and are capable of matrix synthesis.
The most important principle for supramolecular systems is complementarity: geometrical, charge and topological matches between guest and host. The volume of the host cavity depends on the volume of the guest. The higher the accuracy of the guest-host correspondence, the greater the probability of ensemble stability.