Molecular clips and tweezers hosting neutral guests

Chem Soc Rev. 2011 Jan;40(1):30-43. doi: 10.1039/b915145c. Epub 2010 Nov 1.

Abstract

Intense current interest in supramolecular chemistry is devoted to the construction of molecular assemblies displaying controlled molecular motion associated to recognition. On this ground, molecular clips and tweezers have focused an increasing attention. This tutorial review points out the recent advances in the construction of always more sophisticated molecular clips and tweezers, illustrating their remarkably broad structural variety and focusing on their binding ability towards neutral guests. A particular attention is brought to recent findings in dynamic molecular tweezers whose recognition ability can be regulated by external stimuli. Porphyrin-based systems will not be covered here as this very active field has been recently reviewed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Acridines / chemistry
  • Alkynes / chemistry
  • Anthracenes / chemistry
  • Benzofurans / chemistry
  • Fullerenes / chemistry
  • Imidazoles / chemistry
  • Models, Chemical*
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Porphyrins / chemistry
  • Rotaxanes / chemistry

Substances

  • Acridines
  • Alkynes
  • Anthracenes
  • Benzofurans
  • Fullerenes
  • Imidazoles
  • Porphyrins
  • Rotaxanes
  • pentiptycene
  • dibenzacridine
  • usnic acid
  • glycoluril