From Self-inclusion and Host-guest Complexes to Channel Structures

Various supramolecular interactions are applied as driving forces in self-assembly and molecular recognition processes. Single crystal X-ray diffraction method is especially important for solid-state studies of non-covalent interactions as it reveals their influence on the molecular and supramolecular structures. This paper discusses structures of two completely different types of compounds in which a variety of intermolecular interactions are involved. It will be shown that strong and weak intermolecular hydrogen bonds in N-alkylammonium resorcinarene salts, depending on the type of anion, inclusion of resorcinarene upper rim pendant group or solvent molecules into the cavity, strongly affect overall conformation of the resorcinarene core. On the other hand, very weak hydrophobic interactions in palladium(II) pincer complexes form channel structures. (doi: 10.5562/cca2058