Chirality

Abstract

This chapter addresses stereochemical consequences in supramolecular chemistry in terms of both the components and the ultimate assembly. In particular, it discusses the important (and sometimes elusive) concept of chirality in supramolecular aggregates—its origin, the practical aspects of separation of chiral forms and their identification and quantification. The examples taken are predominantly from metallosupramolecular systems: the deliberate construction of chiral oligonuclear assemblies as well as the principles that guide the phenomenon of self-assembly of the components, which give rise to (inter alia) helicates, catenanes, knots, and polygons—many of which are inherently chiral. Because of the possible variations of structural motifs—in terms of both metal centers and their geometries, and of ligand types—metallosupramolecular chemistry can realize an extraordinary range of assemblies, which are not only elegant in design and varied in nature but also provide the potential for the development of new materials in nanoscience.