Solute–Solvent Interactions in Modern Physical Organic Chemistry: Supramolecular Polymers as a Muse

Abstract

Interactions between solvents and solutes are a cornerstone of physical organic chemistry and have been the subject of investigations over the last century. In recent years, a renewed interest in fundamental aspects of solute–solvent interactions has been sparked in the field of supramolecular chemistry in general and that of supramolecular polymers in particular. Although solvent effects in supramolecular chemistry have been recognized for a long time, the unique opportunities that supramolecular polymers offer to gain insight into solute–solvent interactions have become clear relatively recently. The multiple interactions that hold the supramolecular polymeric structure together are similar in strength to those between solute and solvent. The cooperativity found in ordered supramolecular polymers leads to the possibility of amplifying these solute–solvent effects and will shed light on extremely subtle solvation phenomena. As a result, many exciting effects of solute–solvent interactions in modern physical organic chemistry can be studied using supramolecular polymers. Our aim is to put the recent progress into a historical context and provide avenues toward a more comprehensive understanding of solvents in multicomponent supramolecular systems.

In situreal-time monitoring of the mechanism of self-assembly of short peptide supramolecular polymers

“…In aqueous solutions, it is known that the formation of supramolecular polymers is driven by the hydrophobic collapse of the monomers. 55 Therefore, and taking into account that water:Fmoc-FF interactions are key for the process, we wondered if metal cations could affect such interplay adjusting to different properties: hydrophobicity of the cation (kosmotrope or chaotrope) and the binding capabilities. Thus, for example, two simple cations such as Ca 2+ , a kosmotrope, and Cs + , a chaotrope, could be useful for such purposes.…”

Luminescence in Crystalline Organic Materials: From Molecules to Molecular Solids

“…[ 161 ] On the other hand, the self‐assembly of low‐dimensional aggregates formed in solution is more prone to kinetic factors, [ 119 ] driven by the smaller number of adjacent molecules, [ 116 ] directing polar and/or charged groups [ 117,118 ] and solute–solvent interactions. [ 120 ]…”

The use of Bis‐(3‐triethoxysilylpropyl) tetrasulphane for surface modification of silica, ferrite and kenaf fiber filled natural rubber composites; comparison of aqueous solvent deposition, dry blend and integral blend methods

“…When TESPT dissolves in ethanol, it forms favorable interactions with the solvent where the ordered structures of the ethanol will break to occupy the TESPT molecules inside the solvent‐solvent interactions and it will subsequently separate the molecules from the bulk structure. The stirring process enhances the dispersion of TESPT throughout the fiber's surface and increases the effective area of silane‐filler as well as silane rubber interactions 60 . It is worth to mention that variation of surface chemistry and morphology of a particular filler might affect efficiency of the surface treatment method; however, further work would be needed to further investigate the effect of filler characteristics on chemical and physical interactions between TESPT, filler and rubber matrix..…”