Considering the high level of our knowledge concerning covalent bond formation in the organic chemistry of molecules, our understanding of the principles involved in organic solid design is almost in its infancy. While chemists today are able to synthesize organic molecules of very high complexity using sophisticated methods of preparation, they lack general approaches enabling them to reliably predict organic crystalline or solid structures from molecular descriptors - no matter how simple they are. On the other hand, nearly all the organic matter surrounding us is not in the single-molecule state but aggregated and condensed to form liquid or solid molecular assemblages and structural arrays giving rise to the appearances and properties of organic compounds we usually observe. Obviously, the electrical, optical or magnetic properties of solid organic materials that are important requirements for future technologies and high-tech applications, as well as the stability and solubility behavior of a medicament depend on the structure of the molecule and the intramolecular forces, but even more decisively on the intermolecular forces, i. e. the packing structure of the molecules to which a general approach is lacking. This situation concerned ]. Maddox some years ago to such a degree that he described it as "one of the continuing scandals in the physical sciences" [see (1998) Nature 335:201; see also Ball, P. (1996) Nature 381:648]. The problem of predicting organic solid and crystal structures is very dif- cult.

The rational design of materials presents a challenging opportunity for chemistry in the future. This book gives a state of the art overview of the advantages and potential uses of organic solids in modern materials science. - New approaches to the design of solid architectures and nanostructures are stressed. - Future prospects and limitations of this area are discussed by leading experts.

Autorentext
Edwin Ernst Weber ist Kreisarchivar des Zollernalbkreises sowie der Landkreise Rottweil, Tuttlingen und Sigmaringen.

Klappentext

The lively interest in organic solids stems from our increasing ability to manipulate and tune the properties of organic and organometallic materials (e.g. nonlinear behavior or electrical conductivity) by systematic variations of the molecular components. New insight derived from modern supramolecular chemistry are also allowing molecular level control of solid-state structure with the arrangement of functional molecular components into a defined solid architecture. Examples include the creation of nanoporous host lattices containing functional guest molecules and of defined nanomaterials. In this book, leading experts in the field give a state-of the art overview of our current knowledge and of future prospects, with chapters on directional aspects of intermolecular interactions, supramolecular synthon approaches, hydrogen-bonded tape, ribbon and sheet motifs, designed organic zeolite analogues, and crystalline polymorphism.

Inhalt
Directional Aspects of Intermolecular Interactions.- Supramolecular Synthons and Pattern Recognition.- Hydrogen-Bonded Ribbons, Tapes and Sheets as Motifs for Crystal Engineering.- Functional Organic Zeolite Analogues.- Crystalline Polymorphism of Organic Compounds.