Molecular Recognition via Hydrogen Bonding in Supramolecular Complexes: A Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy Study

• Main Authors: Alfonso Martinez-Felipe, Fraser Brebner, Daniel Zaton, Alberto Concellon, Sara Ahmadi, Milagros Piñol, Luis Oriol
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-09-01
• Series: Molecules
• Subjects: supramolecular chemistry; hydrogen bonding; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; FT-IR; density functional theory; DFT
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/23/9/2278

We assess the assembly of supramolecular complexes by hydrogen bonding between azocompounds and a diacylaminopyridine monomer by temperature-dependent Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The electronic delocalisation in the supramolecular rings formed by multiple hydrogen bonds stabilises the complexes, which coexist with dimeric species in temperature-dependent equilibria. We show how the application of readily available molecular modelling and spectroscopic techniques can predict the stability of new supramolecular entities coexisting in equilibria, ultimately assessing the success of molecular recognition.