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During the last decade or two the interest towards small molecules capable of self-assembly leading to gelation has increased intensively. The investigation of these supramolecular gels aims not only at understanding the fundamental processes underlying gel formation but also at development of new materials with a myriad of applications. Steroids are widely-spread natural products with a large and rigid steroidal nucleus combined with derivatizable functional groups leading to an adjustable polarity profile, which makes them attractive building blocks when designing novel low molecular weight gelators. Due to their unique properties, steroid-based supramolecular gels may find use in applications ranging from materials science and nanoelectronics to their application as reaction media or as sensing and responsive materials. Moreover, biomaterials based on steroidal gels may find use in biomedicine, drug delivery, regenerative medicine, and tissue engineering. This article summarizes the most recent advances in the field of steroidal supramolecular gels in terms of steroid-derived hydroand organogels, metallogels, two-component gels, and stimuli-responsive gels. Furthermore, the potential applications of the systems are discussed.

Since our previous review article (Curr. Org. Chem. 2002, 6, 35), significant improvements and an array of 15 N NMR applications in structural analysis have been published. This report aims to update coverage of improvements in methodology and various types of applications published over the period 2001 -2005. Substantial progress in cryogenic probe technology and the commercial availability of cryoprobes have facilitated the measurement of 15 N NMR parameters.The number of solid-state applications has increased significantly during the past few years. In contrast to our previous review, this article covers 15 N solid-state studies. The 15 N NMR chemical shifts of organic molecules are routinely measured by using cross-polarization magic-angle spinning (CP/MAS) techniques. The principal values of the chemical shift tensors can also be determined. 1 H-15 N and 2 H-15 N distance measurements made by means of 1 H detection are currently used in NMR crystallography.User friendly quantum chemical programs allow for the routine calculation of 15 N chemical shielding and indirect spinspin coupling constants, especially using density functional theory (DFT).Applications of 15 N NMR spectroscopy in various fields of chemistry are summarized here. Major sections represent tautomerism, complexation, protonation, and hydrogen bonding. The other topics comprise N-alkylation, N-oxidation, regioisomerism, and changes in configuration or conformation.

2-Phenacylpyridines substituted in the benzene ring are in equilibrium with (Z)-2-(2-hydroxy-2-phenylvinyl)pyridines when dissolved in chloroform. The substituent affects significantly the tautomeric equilibrium [the amount of the enolimine form stabilized by the intramolecular hydrogen bond is 1 and 92% for R = p-N(CH 2 ) 4 and p-NO 2 , respectively]. The negative logarithm of the tautomeric equilibrium constant, K T , is linearly dependent on the Hammett σ substituent constants. The dependence of K T vs. temperature is exponential in character: the more electronwithdrawing is the substituent, the more distinct is the influence of temperature. Unexpectedly, the tautomer present in the crystalline state is not the same for all compounds studied (it is the ketimine one for those carrying strong electron-donor groups). Among the different ab initio methods used to calculate the enthalpy of the proton transfer in chloroform solution, MP2/6-31G** gives the best results.

A review of the use of bile acid-based compounds as building blocks for designing novel supramolecular hosts for molecular recognition is presented. Pharmacological applications and the newest spectroscopic and computational studies of bile acid derivatives are also shortly considered.