Hydrogen bonding and molecular assemblies (original) (raw)

The old concept of complementarity, connected with the process of molecular recognition represents a simple approach to understanding molecular assembling. The noncovalent interactions governing (self)assemblies are fundamental to supramolecular chemistry and crystal engineering. Among noncovalent interactions governing molecular assembling, hydrogen bonding plays the leading role. A few examples of molecular assembling relevant to life processes and (bio)nano materials reveal the importance of this phenomenon. Systematic analysis of hydrogen bonding patterns, as a function of proton donor and acceptor properties, and stereochemical parameters, including chirality, is presented for a large number of di(amino acid) and di(amino alcohol) derivatives with oxalyl, phthaloyl, and fumaroyl bridges. Particular attention will be given to the molecular topology of such hydrogen bonded assemblies in terms of crystal engineering. Key words • complementarity principle • molecular assembling • hydrogen bonding • supramolecular assemblies • oxalyl and phthaloyl derivatives of amino acids The reason why we are on a higher imaginative level is not because we have finer imagination, but because we have better instruments. A. W. Whitehead (1861-1947) * Presented as a plenary lecture at the Twelfth Croatian-Slovenian Crystallographic Meeting held in the