Molecular Recognition as the Basis for Supramolecular Chemistry

10 Endoreceptors and Exoreceptors Host molecules with surface receptor sites are called exoreceptors, while hosts with receptor sites inside cavities are called endoreceptors. Exoreceptors yield a wide array of possibilities when constructing host systems. 

The cyclic oligosaccharide cyclodextrins and the cychc ohgopeptide vali-nomycin were recognized as naturally occurring host molecules in he 1950s. Pedersen s discovery of crown ether in 1967 opened the door to research on 

This brief summary of the history of the field of supramolecular chemistry clearly indicates that molecular recognition is the most fundamental concept in supramolecular chemistry. In this chapter, we focus on recognition systems composed of relatively small molecules as the starting point for supramolecular chemistry. 

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