This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Host-Guest Polymer Complexes" that was published in Polymers

Connects fundamental knowledge of multivalent interactions with current practice and state-of-the-art applications Multivalency is a widespread phenomenon, with applications spanning supramolecular chemistry, materials chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry and biochemistry. This advanced textbook provides students and junior scientists with an excellent introduction to the fundamentals of multivalent interactions, whilst expanding the knowledge of experienced researchers in the field. Multivalency: Concepts, Research & Applications is divided into three parts. Part one provides background knowledge on various aspects of multivalency and cooperativity and presents practical methods for their study. Fundamental aspects such as thermodynamics, kinetics and the principle of effective molarity are described, and characterisation methods, experimental methodologies and data treatment methods are also discussed. Parts two and three provide an overview of current systems in which multivalency plays an important role in chemistry and biology, with a focus on the design rules, underlying chemistry and the fundamental principles of multivalency. The systems covered range from chemical/materials-based ones such as dendrimers and sensors, to biological systems including cell recognition and protein binding. Examples and case studies from biochemistry/bioorganic chemistry as well as synthetic systems feature throughout the book. Introduces students and young scientists to the field of multivalent interactions and assists experienced researchers utilising the methodologies in their work Features examples and case studies from biochemistry/bioorganic chemistry, as well as synthetic systems throughout the book Edited by leading experts in the field with contributions from established scientists Multivalency: Concepts, Research & Applications is recommended for graduate students and junior scientists in supramolecular chemistry and related fields, looking for an introduction to multivalent interactions. It is also highly useful to experienced academics and scientists in industry working on research relating to multivalent and cooperative systems in supramolecular chemistry, organic chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, chemical biology, biochemistry, materials science and nanotechnology.

This book provides a complete overview of cucurbituril chemistry, covering fundamental aspects including history, synthesis and host-guest chemistry.

Through modification, the natural cyclodextrins are effective templates for the generation of a wide range of molecular hosts. This makes it possible to tailor a cyclodextrin host to a particular guest, to meet specific requirements in the host-guest complex, and opens the way to diverse new areas of supramolecular chemistry. Metallocyclodextrins, rotaxanes and catenanes, as well as surface monolayers of modified cyclodextrins, are readily obtained. The native cyclodextrins serve as scaffolds on which functional groups and other substituents can be assembled, with controlled geometry. This results in substantially improved molecular recognition and procedures for chemical separation, including enantiomer discrimination, through guest binding. Access to the gamut of functional groups greatly expands the utility of cyclodextrins in chemical synthesis and provides catalysts which mimic the entire range of enzymic activity. Modifications to the cyclodextrins also lead to a wide range of photochemistry of cyclodextrin complexes, through which the enhancement of guest reactivity occurs; in addition, light harvesting molecular devices and photochemical frequency switches may be constructed. In solution, modified cyclodextrins have been used to construct molecular reactors, as well as molecular, temperature and pH sensors. At surfaces, they form semipermeable membranes and sensor electrodes. Such exciting fields of chemistry, made possible only through modifications to the natural cyclodextrins, are the subject of this book.

Chemistry was at one time completely described in terms of collision theo ry, in which one molecule collided with another, sometimes producing reac tion. Then came the realization that enzymes which are highly efficient ca talysts, work by way of prior complexation, often stereospecific, which is then followed by chemical reaction. Thus, systems that exhibit "host-guest" relationships, i.e., that show complexing are being looked at an ever in creasing frequency. The cyclodextrins are the first and probably the most important example of compounds that exhibits complex formation. This is a book about the cyclodextrins. There are of course other compounds that exhibit "host-guest" relationships and thus bind other organic molecules, but so far they have not achieved the importance of the cyclodextrins. By their name it is obvious that cyclodextrins are cyclic compounds. The complexes that they form are therefore cyclic inclusion complexes. Because the complexes are cyclic in nature, complexation can be very strong, as op posed to 1t-complex, electrostatic, or apolar complexes in which complex formation is two-dimensional rather than three-dimensional. Cyclodextrins turn out to be excellent models of enzymes. This is proba bly not fortuitous because they were first sought since it was discovered that the principal binding in the enzyme chymotrypsin was a cyclic inclusion complex. Cyclodextrins can do more than form cyclic inclusion complexes, they can catalyze as well. But catalysis always occurs after complex formation.

The only book to give a complete picture of current hydrogel research, covering all the major applications as well as the fundamental principles behind them.

Anion recognition plays a critical role in a range of biological processes, and a variety of receptors and carriers can be found throughout the natural world. Chemists working in the area of supramolecular chemistry have created a range of anion receptors, drawing inspiration from nature as well as their own inventive processes. This book traces the origins of anion recognition chemistry as a unique sub-field in supramolecular chemistry while illustrating the basic approaches currently being used to effect receptor design. The combination of biological overview and summary of current synthetic approaches provides a coverage that is both comprehensive and comprehensible. First, the authors detail the key design motifs that have been used to generate synthetic receptors and which are likely to provide the basis for further developments. They also highlight briefly some of the features that are present in naturally occurring anion recognition and transport systems and summarise the applications of anion recognition chemistry. Providing as it does a detailed review for practitioners in the field and a concise introduction to the topic for newcomers, Anion Receptor Chemistry reflects the current state of the art. Fully referenced and illustrated in colour, it is a welcome addition to the literature.