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Supramolecular systems chemistry through advanced analytical techniques

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Abstract

Supramolecular chemistry is the quintessential backbone of all biological processes. It encompasses a wide range from the metabolic network to the self-assembled cytoskeletal network. Combining the chemical diversity with the plethora of functional depth that biological systems possess is a daunting task for synthetic chemists to emulate. The only route for approaching such a challenge lies in understanding the complex and dynamic systems through advanced analytical techniques. The supramolecular complexity that can be successfully generated and analyzed is directly dependent on the analytical treatment of the system parameters. In this review, we illustrate advanced analytical techniques that have been used to investigate various supramolecular systems including complex mixtures, dynamic self-assembly, and functional nanomaterials. The underlying theme of such an overview is not only the exceeding detail with which traditional experiments can be probed but also the fact that complex experiments can now be attempted owing to the analytical techniques that can resolve an ensemble in astounding detail. Furthermore, the review critically analyzes the current state of the art analytical techniques and suggests the direction of future development. Finally, we envision that integrating multiple analytical methods into a common platform will open completely new possibilities for developing functional chemical systems.

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Funding

This project was funded by a fellowship from “la Caixa” Foundation (ID 100010434) and from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 847648. The fellowship code is “LCF/BQ/PI21/11830035.” AC received the Ajut a la Recerca Transversal project from IN2UB (ART2020).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC) at the Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY), New York City, NY, 10031, USA

    Ankit Jain

  2. Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), Calle Baldiri Reixac 10-12, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Annalisa Calò & Mohit Kumar

  3. Department of Electronic and Biomedical Engineering, University of Barcelona, Calle Marti i Fraquès 1-11, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Annalisa Calò

  4. Catalan Institute for Water Research, Carrer Emili Grahit 101, 17003, Girona, Spain

    Damià Barceló

  5. Water and Soil Quality Research Group, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, Spanish National Research Council, Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain

    Damià Barceló

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  1. Ankit Jain
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Published in the topical collection featuring Promising Early-Career (Bio)Analytical Researchers with guest editors Antje J. Baeumner, María C. Moreno-Bondi, Sabine Szunerits, and Qiuquan Wang.

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Jain, A., Calò, A., Barceló, D. et al. Supramolecular systems chemistry through advanced analytical techniques. Anal Bioanal Chem 414, 5105–5119 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-021-03824-4

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