ABSTRACT
Supramolecular chemistry, the chemistry “beyond the molecules” or of the noncovalent interactions between molecules, initially found its inspiration in the world of biology, from biomolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and oligosaccharides and their multimolecular aggregates. Subsequently, the study of supramolecular interactions on synthetic models considerably simpler than natural ones greatly increased the knowledge of the noncovalent interactions that govern molecular recognition and self-assembly processes. This has allowed, in the last 30 years, the design and development of novel molecular receptors often characterized by impressive recognition ability and self-assembly properties, which gave rise to sophisticated devices (sensors, ionophores, paramagnetic/¸uorescence probes, etc.) and smart materials (switches, electronics, and polymers). Concurrently to these applications in materials science, supramolecular chemistry also greatly developed in water and biological media, joining the ˆeld of chemical biology. In this context, supramolecular chemistry certainly plays an important role because interactions between
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 363 Protein Targeting ....................................................................................................364
