The self-assembly of multi-nuclear metallosupramolecular architectures has received significant recent attention due to potential applications in host-guest chemistry and catalysis. The programmed formation of these beautiful and complex systems generally results from the combination of the inherent geometric, electronic and steric information present in each of the metallic and organic components. By designing new ligands that incorporate dynamic (reversible) covalent bonds it is possible to design systems that have new geometries and functions with often unexpected results. In this way we have been able to prepare a variety of new architectures including M10L15 barrels 1, cubes2 and a wide variety of M4L6 tetrahedra that exhibit very strong and selective anion binding3 and by changing reaction conditions we are able to interconvert between them4. In addition, we have been able to show that a system of these cage molecules is capable of adapting to a range of external stimuli by changing cavity volumes and diasteromeric composition to produce a mixture of molecules with the ideal cavity for binding the guest molecule presented to it.
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