CHEM Talks: Thomas Just Sørensen

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Intermolecular interactions are responsible for the organization of matter that ultimately results in life. In the chemistry laboratory, tailoring of intermolecular interactions allows us to construct beautiful molecular architectures, but these forces are also interesting subjects to study if we try to understand protein folding or the ability of anti-bodies to recognize e.g. the surfaces of virus particles. In the context of supramolecular chemistry, the intermolecular interactions are used to turn individual molecules into building blocks that can be used to make larger architectures. There are several interactions that chemist use to build these architectures, few of which work well in water. In this CHEM talk I will detail one intermolecular interaction that work in water: the interaction between lanthanide ions in kinetically inert complexes and various anions. I will show how the lanthanide centred interactions can be used to make larger assemblies and create new types of chemosensors.