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Science 18 September 1998:
Vol. 281. no. 5384, pp. 1842 - 1845
DOI: 10.1126/science.281.5384.1842
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Reports

Molecular Assembly and Encapsulation Directed by Hydrogen-Bonding Preferences and the Filling of Space

Tomás Martín, Ulrike Obst, Julius Rebek Jr. *

Multiple copies of a molecule, held together in finite aggregates, give rise to properties and functions that are unique to their assembled states. Because these aggregates are held together by weak forces operating over short distances, a premium is placed on complementarity: The molecular surfaces must facilitate specific interactions that direct the assembly to one aggregate rather than another. Hydrogen-bonding preferences can be combined with molecular curvature to favor the assembly of four self-complementary subunits into a pseudo-spherical capsule. Filling the capsule with smaller, complementary molecules provides the final instruction for the assembly process.

Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology and Department of Chemistry, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed.

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
From the Cover: Molecular Recognition and Self-Assembly Special Feature: Self-assembly of dimeric tetraurea calix[4]pyrrole capsules.
P. Ballester and G. Gil-Ramirez (2009)
PNAS 106, 10455-10459
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