HOST-GUEST CHEMISTRY IN THE GAS-PHASE AND AT THE GAS-SOLID INTERFACE - FUNDAMENTAL-ASPECTS AND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The study of host-guest interactions has recently expanded from soluti on chemistry to the gas phase, where solvent effects are not present, allowing better understanding of the intrinsic phenomena responsible f or molecular recognition. Important aspects under investigation includ e the mechanism of interaction, the identification of binding groups, as well as the discovery of structural requirements for the host to un dergo inclusion complexation. The information gained from these gas ph ase studies can be exploited to design new practical applications of h ost-guest chemistry, particularly when gas-solid interactions are invo lved. Analytical devices such as gas sensors and chromatographic adsor bing cartridges take advantage of the structural recognition capabilit y of the host to achieve high levels of selectivity.