Coordination chemistry, supramolecular assembly mechanisms

Supramolecular chemistry is concerned with assemblies of molecules held together by non-covalent forces, such as hydrogen bonds, donor-acceptor interactions between aromatic stacks, ion-ion, ion-dipole, dipole-dipole and van der Waals attractions [1, 2]. Molecules can also be gathered around a metal this is the realm of coordination chemistry. Last, molecules can be linked together without the need for any chemical bond the so-called physical or mechanical bond is found in catenanes (species formed of interlocked rings) and rotaxanes (Figure 1). 

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