Molecular recognition is a central point. It may be said that without molecular recognition, there would be no life on this world. Vital biochemical processes such as enzyme action, molecular transport, genetic information, processing and protein assembly all involve molecular recognition as an essential action. Understanding of its principles is still a problem although a first elucidation of the rules that govern molecular recognition dates back to the late nineteenth century. The “lock‐and‐key” principle (1894) proposed that enzyme and substrate can be compared to lock and key getting selectivity between molecules involved. Earlier it was recognized that molecules do not act if they do not bind, thus introducing the concept of receptor. Finally binding or fixation requires interaction, affinity between the partners, that may be related to the idea of coordination of Werner.
According to these basic concepts, molecular recognition implies complementary lock‐and‐key type fit between molecules. The lock is the molecular receptor and the key being the substrate that is recognized and selected to give a defined receptor–substrate complex, a coordination compound or a supermolecule. Hence molecular recognition is one of the three main pillars, fixation, coordination, and recognition, that lay foundation of what is now called supramolecular chemistry.