Extremely strong contiguous hydrogen bonding arrays

Abstract

When multiple hydrogen bonds lie in-plane and parallel to each other in close proximity, they experience additional positive or negative secondary electrostatic interactions. When a pair of molecules are arranged such that every hydrogen bond acceptor is on one molecule and every hydrogen bond donor is on another, the positive secondary electrostatic interactions are maximised, and thus the association constant of the complex is enhanced. This thesis will present the development of a family of quadruple hydrogen bonded complexes containing only positive secondary interactions, which confers unprecedented stability. The complexes are sufficiently stable to maintain strong binding in polar solvents such as acetonitrile and can be switched “on” and “off” with acid and base. They will be developed into synthons for acid-base responsive supramolecular recognition, for use in stimuli-responsive supramolecular polymers and gelators.