Thermodynamic Studies of Supramolecular Systems

Abstract

Supramolecular chemistry is highly interdisciplinary in various fields due to host-guest interactions. Since most non-covalent interactions are relatively weak, many supramolecular systems are under thermodynamic control. Traditionally, thermodynamics in understanding the factors contributing to complex stability and selectivity is important in supramolecular systems. Therefore, we focus on a summary of thermodynamics of supramolecular systems in this chapter. Firstly, we will discuss thermodynamic parameters based on various methods, in particularly ITC method. Then related thermodynamic researches on the applications of macrocyclic hosts including cyclodextrins, crown ethers, calixarenes, and cucurbiturils will be summarized. We hope this chapter could provide more thoughts or inspirations for thermodynamic analysis in supramolecular systems.