The dual valence concept proposed by Alfred Werner over a century ago also pertains to supramolecular coordination. As noted by Jean-Marie Lehn in his Nobel address in 1987: �The chemistry of artificial receptor molecules may be considered a generalized coordination chemistry, not limited to transition metal ions but extending to of all types of substrates: cationic, anionic or neutral species of organic, inorganic or biological nature.�  Over the last two decades research in our group and others has revealed distinct corollaries between anion and transition metal ion coordination, including primary (charge) and secondary (coordination number) valences, similar coordination geometries (considering hydrogen bonding interactions instead of ligand dative bonds), and other similar structural aspects such as sandwich, cascade, and second sphere coordination complexes.  By employing a versatile, mixed amine-amide functional group strategy using simple building blocks we have been able to obtain a systematic series of hosts ranging from monocyclics to bicyclic to tricyclic systems.  Selected highlights of this research, including comparisons with traditional coordination chemistry and with transition metal corollaries within the same ligand frameworks, will be presented.

Alfred Werner revisited: Coordination chemistry from an anion perspective

246th National Meeting (2013)

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