The Discovery of Crown Ethers (Noble Lecture)

Abstract

The founders of “supramolecular chemistry” include Charles J. Pedersen, Donald J. Cram, and Jean‐Marie Lehn, who shared the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1987 for their fundamental research in this area of organic chemistry. Their work focused the attention of many chemists on the cavities formed by certain types of molecules. Cations, anions, or neutral molecules can enter the cavities of specifically designed compounds and are held there by inter‐molecular forces. It is fully justified, therefore, to compare such compounds to biomolecules. How the development began, how it achieved its first successes, and what fascinating possibilities lie in store for future research are discussed by Pedersen and Cram in this issue and by Lehn in the January issue (page 89 ff.). The most recent results from Lehn's research are also reported, appropriately, in this issue.

Enzymeless biosensors: uma nova área para o desenvolvimento de sensores amperométricos

“…Para um melhor esclarecimento podem ser consultados os artigos publicados pelo trio ganhador do Prêmio Nobel de Química de 1987 Cram 10 , Lenh 11 e Pendersen 12 . Destacando-se às estruturas hospedeiras (host) tridimensionais criptanos 10 e éteres coroa 12 , que se ligam seletivamente a moléculas hóspedes (guest).…”

“…No primeiro caso, realiza-se a modificação de cofatores ou coenzimas, que normalmente são solúveis em meio aquoso, com a finalidade de torná-los hidrofóbicos e criar um ambiente mais adequado para a interação com o substrato. Entre esses cofatores pode-se mencionar as vitaminas B 1 , B 6 e B 12 13,14 , o anel hemina 7,13 , o NADH 13,15 e as flavinas 13,16 .…”

Chemical mimicry of viral capsid self-assembly

“…The idea of forming nonprotein molecular containers by total synthesis and assembly of small molecules has a rich history (3)(4)(5) and is an active area of research (6)(7)(8)(9). The field of molecular recognition is rapidly moving not only toward biomedical applications but also toward nanotechnology.…”

Synthesis and complementary self-association of novel lipophilic π-conjugated nucleoside oligomers

“…[2][3][4] Among the different non-covalent interactions employed to build self-assembled complexes and nanostructures, hydrogen-bonding plays a central role both in artificial and biological systems. [5][6][7][8] Hydrogen-bonds are established when a donor moiety with an available acidic hydrogen atom interacts with an acceptor unit bearing available non-bonding electron lone pairs.…”