Synthesis and study of crystalline systems for molecular recognition

Synthesis and structural characterization of polycationic alkyl compounds for selective recognition of molecular iodine and other compounds, including anionic compounds, of biological interest. The presence of heteroatoms in these compounds will be used to promote recognition processes mediated by halogen bonding (HaB), the noncovalent interaction where a halogen interacts attractively with a nucleophile. Other systems and recognition processes mediated by other analogous interactions will also be studied. The crystal structures of these systems will be studied to obtain atomic-level information about the interactions driving the molecular recognition process.